Jacque David still gets the question “too many times to count,” and the answer still surprises folks.
“I think it’s every time,” said David, a sophomore forward with the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team. “Everybody’s like, where are you from?’ ”
When David responds with her hometown of Independence, Mo.,“they’re like, ‘you’re not local?’ No, sorry. … I look the part.”
Part of a Samoan community in the Midwestern town outside of Kansas City, David has blended into the local scene while working her way into the Rainbow Wahine rotation since joining the program last year.
“I think I’ve connected with my culture and my roots more than I would have anywhere else,” said David, whose resonating “chee-hoo” punctuates the Rainbow Wahine hype video preceding the introduction of the UH starters.
David’s appearances in her UH career have largely come off the bench to provide a presence in the post and a threat from behind the 3-point line.
The 5-foot-11 David posted the most productive performance of her career when she went 7-for-7 from the field to contribute 17 points in UH’s win over Grambling State on Nov. 25. Today she’ll be part of a UH post group facing a formidable challenge when the Rainbow Wahine (1-6) face UNLV (8-1) today at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The matchup between reigning conference champions — UH in the Big West and UNLV in the Mountain West — leads off a doubleheader with the UH men’s team’s 5 p.m. game against Saint Francis and will be the final home appearance for the Rainbow Wahine in 2022.
The Wahine had a two-week gap in the schedule following a flurry of five games in nine days capped by a 68-39 loss to No. 2 Stanford on Nov. 27. They’ll have just a road game at San Jose State on Dec. 21 before opening Big West play at UC Davis on Dec. 29.
Where the early-season tournaments kept the coaching staff occupied compiling and implementing scouting reports, the break offered the Wahine an “opportunity to shift our focus more towards us,” assistant coach Alex Delanian said.
“We know what we need to work on, like individual skill stuff and team concepts. We saw what is and isn’t working in those games, now we can have a lot of film to reflect on.”
In putting together the report on UNLV, Delanian noted the Rebels’ paint presence led by reigning Mountain West Conference player of the year Desi-Rae Young. The 6-foot-1 senior leads the Rebels with 17.8 points per game on 58% shooting from the field. She had 20 points while going 7-for-11 from the field in a 70-63 win over UH last season in Las Vegas.
“We have the post depth to match them, but it’s going to be about how much of her play is super efficient,” Delanian said.
Young had 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting in UNLV’s comeback win over Hawaii Hilo on Wednesday. The Rebels rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge the Vulcans 77-74 at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo. Forward Alyssa Brown, a 6-1 sophomore, went 7-for-12 and added 18 points.
UH counters with a lineup led by guard Daejah Phillips, a graduate of Centennial High School in Las Vegas. Phillips averages 13.3 points per game and leads the Wahine with 18 assists. Forward Kallin Spiller leads the team with 8.6 rebounds per game. David is 11-for-20 from the field with four 3-pointers in five appearances this season.
UH has been outscored 109-82 in the first quarter this season and the coaches structured recent practices to sharpen those opening minutes.
“We’ve been emphasizing execution and going at game pace, because we’ve had a couple of games where we’ve gotten off to a slow start,’ David said. “But we’ve picked it up and we’ve been trying to emphasize going at game pace every time.”
Rainbow Wahine basketball
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
UNLV (8-1) vs. Hawaii (1-6)
>> When: Today, 2 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM
>> Season of giving: Toys for Tots will collect new and/or unwrapped toys to distribute as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community. Fans are encouraged to donate toys from 1 to 2 p.m. at Gate A.
