For the first leg of this two-game California road trip, the University of Hawaii basketball team will not be on cruise control.
Today’s game against UC San Diego will not count toward the Big West standings because the Tritons are in the second year of a four-year transition to Division I. But UH coach Eran Ganot said the Rainbow Warriors will remain true to the preparation and effort they use for every opponent.
“This whole deal is about habits, creating good habits,” Ganot said. “It takes a long time to create good habits. It doesn’t take long to break ’em. … If we ever go in that mentality (of looking past a game that does not count in the standings) it could really hurt us moving forward. Certainly the (sport) is very humbling. Life’s very humbling. And you’ll be exposed quickly if you do that against anybody, certainly against a UC San Diego team that’s playing well coming in.”
UCSD coach Eric Olen said his Tritons (11-13) are motivated to boost their victory total. Although the Tritons are ineligible for this year’s Big West Tournament, they still can be considered for the College Basketball Invitational or College Insider.com Tournament.
“We want to play in the postseason,” Olen said. “We’re looking at the CBI or what used to be the CIT until they changed the name to something. Every game for us is really big and important. Our approach is the same all the way back to November. We don’t have the conference (tournament) to ramp up to. (Other Big West teams are) all playing for seeding, and we’re just fighting to make ourselves eligible for tournaments.”
Olen added: “In some ways, depending on different coaches’ approaches, maybe if we play them first (in a two-game week), they might want to rest some guys. I’m all for that. If Eran wants to sit (Jerome) Desrosiers, (Kamaka) Hepa and (Junior) Madut and save them for Saturday (against UC Irvine), I’ve got no issue with that. For us, they’re all equally important and significant.”
Ganot said the ’Bows’ focus is solely on today’s game. “Right now, it’s about us getting ready for a Thursday game, and we’ll go from there.”
The ’Bows had won seven in a row, then lost three consecutive games, and then trounced Cal State Fullerton last Saturday to move into a tie for second place. Against CSUF, guard Noel Coleman scored 24 points, combo guard Madut was aggressive offensively and defensively, and forward Desrosiers held the league’s scoring and rebounding leader to four and four, respectively.
Desrosiers, who transferred from Princeton in July, was initially viewed as a stretch four. But while delivering accuracy on deep shots, 6-foot-8 Desrosiers has proven he can mix it up as a four or five in the low post. “At Princeton, I actually ended my career (there) as the backup five,” Desrosiers said. “We had a starting five who was really good, and we didn’t have anybody else behind him, so I kind of had to change the way I played a little bit. I got a little bigger, too.”
While the Princeton offense has altered through the years, the Tigers still employ creator Pete Carril’s original concepts of constant motion and spacing, back-door cuts, and synchronized team work. Desrosiers has eluded defenders on cut moves when the ’Bows’ run high-low plays.
“The Princeton offense teaches you to play without the ball — to cut, to move, to swing the ball,” Desrosiers said. “For sure, I think you can see that in my game.”
Ganot praised Desrosiers as a player who “doesn’t back down from anybody. He can also shoot the 3, and get into the post, and make plays for others, and communicate.”
UCSD will be at full strength — and its arena, potentially, at full capacity. There were 1,753 fans at RIMAC Arena, the first time this season atendance restrictions were lifted at the 5,000-seat facility.
In the first meeting between the teams – UH won, 79-56, in Honolulu — the Tritons were without four of their top six players because of COVID-19 protocols. Sixth man Jake Kosakowski, who did not play in that game, is a sharpshooter converting 46.1% of his 3s. Kosakowski, who is 6 feet 6, buried seven 3s against Cal State Northridge.
“He gives us a little juice off the bench,” Olen said.
Toni Rocak is the Tritons’ top scorer (15.1 points), and 6-7 Francis Nwaokorie is having a breakout freshman season. “He’s a high-motor guy who plays really hard and goes for the ball,” Olen said.
Big West men’s basketball
At RIMAC Arena, San Diego
Hawaii (12-8, 7-3 BWC) at UC San Diego (11-12)
>> When: Today, 5 p.m.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1420-AM
>> Live stream: ESPN+ (subscription required)
