Hawaii coach Laura Beeman expects a pressure- packed start to her 10th season leading the Rainbow Wahine basketball program.
Beeman will accompany the Wahine into Jenny Craig Pavilion for today’s regular-season opener against San Diego, which thrived on forcing turnovers last season.
While the Toreros present a defensive challenge out of the gate, Beeman is looking forward to seeing how the Wahine respond to the test to start their two-game road trip.
“We’re excited to see how they show up, how we execute, in-game adjustments,” Beeman said Monday. “Opening day is very exciting for everybody and we’re hopeful that they will show up with the level of intensity that’s going to be needed to beat a really good San Diego team.
“We have to take care of the ball, we have to keep them off the boards and we have to maintain poise as we’re being pressured for 40 minutes.”
Coming off an abbreviated 9-8 season, the Wahine had a full offseason to gear up for a 2021-22 campaign that begins with today’s game at San Diego and a meeting with Southern Cal on Thursday in Los Angeles.
“(Today’s game is) going to be a really good test to find out where we have to continue to grow and improve upon. But I’m eager for these guys to get on the floor and have some fun,” Beeman said. “It’s been a long time. I’m looking forward to giving them the opportunity to do what they love to do.”
The Wahine rallied past Hawaii Pacific University in an exhibition game Wednesday, and will look to build upon a second-half surge that saw them outscore the Sharks 48-32 after the break.
Ten UH players played at least 10 minutes in the exhibition and Beeman anticipates continuing to use a deep rotation. Senior forward Amy Atwell led UH with 23 points and guard Daejah Phillips sparked the Wahine with 16 points and 15 rebounds against HPU.
“The second half I think they were like, ‘OK, the jitters are out, now we get what it’s like to play with one another and the style that HPU was playing,’” Beeman said. “I definitely feel like the second half was hopefully more indicative of what we need to do this year to be successful.”
San Diego was voted third in the West Coast Conference preseason poll behind BYU and Gonzaga after going 12-7 in a season cut short by a COVID-19 pause. The Toreros’ final two regular-season games were canceled and they didn’t participate in the WCC tournament.
In the offseason, the Toreros welcomed back four seniors for a fifth year and added former UH forward Kasey Neubert as a transfer. Neubert led the Wahine with 8.1 rebounds per game last season and averaged 8.6 points while shooting 45% from the field, the highest percentage among UH regulars.
USD guards Myah Pace and Jordyn Edwards were named to the preseason All-WCC team. Pace led San Diego with 11.8 points per game, while Edwards added 10.4. Edwards also made 55 steals for a Toreros defense that ranked second in the nation in turnovers forced with 23.68 per game.
The anticipated pressure will put an emphasis on the ball-handling and decision-making of UH point guards Nae Nae Calhoun and Kelsie Imai.
“Nae and Kelsie are going to have to keep their composure,” Beeman said. “(Guard Olivia Davies) and Daejah are going to be very big as secondary ball-handlers for us to make sure we have an option if they’re getting pressured full-court. Everyone’s going to have to step up and understand their role and be ready to handle pressure and intensity.”
Rainbow Wahine basketball
At Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego
Hawaii vs. San Diego
>> When: Today, 3 p.m.
>> TV/Radio: None
>> Live stream: wccsports.com
