For many fans of college basketball, this is the most wonderful time — and place — of the year.

Pete Maravich, Michael Jordan (with hair), Hakeem (then known as Akeem) Olajuwon, two Fab Five teams, Isiah Thomas, and Paul Pierce were among those who have played in Hawaii during the holiday season.

In 1997, Hawaii upset No. 2 Kansas in the final of the Rainbow Classic, an outcome UH guard Alika Smith described as “better than the invention of the plate lunch.”

In 1992, three of the Rainbow Classic semifinalists went on to play in the 1993 NCAA Final Four. If the NCAA Tournament is the Big Dance, then holiday-season basketball is Hula Hoops.

Forty years ago from Thursday, Chaminade stunned top-ranked Virginia in the Blaisdell Arena. Honolulu Advertiser writer Andy Yamaguchi dubbed it as the “Miracle on Ward Avenue.” The Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s headline was: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Chaminade.”

The Diamond Head Classic — sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines and owned and operated by ESPN — was founded in 2009 as an eight-team tournament with the final round on Christmas Day.

This year’s Classic, which begins today, promises to be played to a rewarding conclusion. The 2020 tournament was not held because of the pandemic. Last year’s championship between Stanford and Vanderbilt was canceled because of health/safety concerns within the Cardinal program.

This year’s field is represented by teams from five American time zones — a sixth if UH forward Kamaka Hepa, who was born and reared in Alaska, is counted.

There are no nationally ranked teams in the Classic, even though Utah State was undefeated when the polls closed early Monday. That night, Weber State upset the Aggies in a battle between teams whose campuses are 48 miles apart.

Surprising outcomes have not been unique to some of the participating coaches.

George Washington coach Chris Caputo was an assistant on the George Mason team that reached the 2006 NCAA Final Four. It was an improbable run for the 11th-seeded Patriots, who had not won an NCAA Tournament game until that year. George Mason booked its ticket to the semifinals with a victory over No. 1 Connecticut.

In 2018, University of Maryland, Baltimore County became the first 16th seed to win an NCAA Tournament game when it stunned top-ranked Virginia. Utah State coach Ryan Odom was UMBC’s head coach at the time.

Caputo, Seattle’s Chris Victor and SMU’s Rob Lanier are in their first season as head coach at their schools. Victor was Seattle’s interim head coach in 2021-22 before earning the permanent title in March.

UH’s Eran Ganot, who was hired in 2015, has the longest tenure with his current school.

But Iona’s Rick Pitino has the most experience. His first head coaching job was with the Rainbow Warriors, when NCAA improprieties led to coaching dismissals in 1974 and Pitino was assigned to run the team the final six games. Pitino went on to coach two NBA teams, lead three schools to the Final Four, win two NCAA titles (although one was vacated), and earn induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar also has an NCAA championship ring. Romar was a UCLA assistant coach when the Bruins won the 1995 title.

On the court, there will be ample talent. Pepperdine’s Maxwell Lewis, a forward with guard skills, is projected as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Utah State point guard Steven Ashworth has connected on 54.1% of his 3s, with an assist-t0-turnover ratio of 4-to-1.

SMU’s Zhuric Phelps is averaging 19.5 points.

Washington State has a paint-thinning rebounding duo of 6-11 Mouhamed Gueye and DJ Rodman, son of NBA legend Dennis Rodman.

Host Hawaii has a well-balanced offense, led by Hepa, Noel Coleman and Samuta Avea. But the ’Bows are still seeking their first appearance in the title game.

While a good showing is each team’s goal, Caputo had an added quest. “You have the Kona coffee I like,” Caputo said.

SMU Mustangs

Phelps’ decision to stay has been a win-win

Point guard Zhuric Phelps’ YouTube videos as a Duncanville High senior are pause-rewind-play worthy: the 30 points in the final to win MVP of the Texas 6A state tournament, the track-inspired workouts involving sprints and hurdles, and the drill of between-the-legs dribbling while seated on a chair and then springing to hit 3s.

Two years later, the 6-foot-3 Phelps still is leaping forward as the leader of the Mustangs. When last year’s American Athletic Conference Player of the Year — guard Kendric Davis (19.4 points on 43.9% shooting) — entered the transfer portal, Phelps decided to stay put. Davis is with Memphis, his third Division I school in five years, and Phelps tops the Mustangs with 19.5 points per game.

“It was more than basketball,” Phelps told reporters of his decision. “I love SMU.”

Phelps worked on his jump shot in the offseason, boosting his accuracy from 38.7% to 41.8%. Phelps also is averaging 4.1 boards.

Phelps has bonded with Rob Lanier, who was hired in March as successor to retiring head coach Tim Jankovich. Lanier was 53-30 in three seasons at Georgia State after serving as assistant coach to Rick Barnes at Tennessee and then Texas, and to Billy Donovan for four years at Florida.

The roster is stocked with several players who began their college careers elsewhere, including 13.3 ppg scorer Zach Nutall (a 2021 transfer from Sam Houston) and forward Efe Odigie (UTEP and then Troy). “We’ve got some dudes,” Phelps said of the transfers.

Phelps, who has amassed a team-high 17 steals, acknowledged the Mustangs’ success is rooted in defense. They are 3-0 when holding opponents to 60 points or fewer, 0-7 when they do not.

Iona Gaels

Wherever Pitino goes, success often follows

New Rochelle, N.Y., is known as home to classic TV’s Petrie family and late basketball coach Jim Valvano’s dad joke (“Iona College? Aren’t you too young to own a college”?)

It also is the latest success chapter for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, who has guided Iona to the regular-season or conference-tournament title in each of his first two seasons as the Gaels’ head coach. During a 48-year coaching career that began when he was a Hawaii graduate assistant, Pitino was head coach of three schools that reached the Final Four, including national champions Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013, though the latter was vacated five years later.

Pitino’s preferred style that worked in the NBA, college and in Greece — extended pressure, match-up zones, outside shooting — has been modified to fit this season’s roster. The Gaels still apply full-court harassment, but now balance the 2-3 zone with more man-to-man schemes. Of their points from the field, 58.9% were produced in the paint.

Point guard Daniss Jenkins orchestrates a four-out offense that begins with weaves and ball screens at the top. Jenkins, who averages 16.6 points, is gifted on ambidextrous drives, pull-ups or dishing (assist-turnover ratio of 2.1). Walter Clayton Jr., who co-directs, has produced 16.2 points and an assist-turnover ratio of 2.5.

Quinn Slazinski, a 6-foot-9 forward, returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing seven games with a high-ankle sprain. Slazinski is a ferocious rebounder (9.0 per game) and guilt-free shooter from long distance.

Nelly Junior Joseph, a 6-9 post from Senegal, developed multiple skills while attending NBA Academy Africa. He can set screens and then read missed shots, grasping 43.8% of his rebounds off the offensive glass.

Seattle Redhawks

Victor has Redhawks on upward flight

It was 1969 when the first man landed on the moon, Woodstock attracted 350,000 music fans, and the Mets were miraculous. It also was the last time Seattle qualified for the NCAA Tournament. From their inception in 1946 as the Seattle Chieftains, they became a powerhouse in the Northwest, upsetting the Harlem Globetrotters in 1952 and, six years later behind future Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor, reaching the NCAA title game. But after the 1960s ended, the good times stopped rolling, and by 1980, the Redhawks were competing in the NAIA.

The Redhawks, who rejoined the NCAA Division I in 2008, are on a mission to return to The Dance. Chris Victor has been promoted to permanent full-time head coach after last year leading the Redhawks to their first Western Athletic Conference championship. (The Redhawks joined the WAC in 2012 as one of the replacements when Hawaii bolted to the Big West.)

The chase is why 6-foot-3 guard Cameron Tyson opted to stay put. Tyson was at Idaho for one season and Houston for two before transferring to Seattle last year. Even with the departure of leading scorer Darrion Trammell, a point guard who transferred to San Diego State, Tyson is committed to his hometown team. Tyson was a standout at Bothell High, surpassing the NBA’s Zach LaVine’s school scoring record.

Tyson, who takes 400 to 500 practice shots a day, set an Idaho freshman record with 432 points. Two years later as a redshirt sophomore at Houston, he hit nine 3s against Tulane and 10 against Our Lady of the Lake. He opened this season with 35 points against UC San Diego and 32 against Portland State to briefly lead the nation in scoring.

Utah State Aggies

Good things happen in 3s at USU

The buzz emitting from the Beehive State was the Aggies opening with nine consecutive victories, their best start in the program’s 118-year history. The Aggies suffered their first loss to in-state rival Weber State on Monday.

The Aggies are a contradiction, scoring a lot of points (86.6 per game) at a not-so-brisk pace (16.4 seconds per possession). Their keys are 3-point accuracy (a nation-best 44.7%) and a lot of not-ready-for-pine-time players (the reserves average 34.2 points per game). Six players have been the game-high point producer, including Zee Hamoda, who averaged 6.1 points before scoring 28 in a rout of Westminster.

Seven Aggies have logged at least 18 minutes a game. Their best shooter, point guard Steven Ashworth, has come off the bench six times. Ashworth, who is married, was an Eagle Scout in high school before serving a two-year church mission in Indianapolis. If word play can be used as a comparison, the first nine letters in his name spell “Steve Nash,” a two-time NBA MVP. Ashworth is averaging a team-best 18.2 points on 54.1% shooting from behind the arc. Ashworth’s keen vision extends to his play-making: his assist-to-turnover ratio is 4.0.

Taylor Funk has provided the noise with averages of 15.6 points and 8.3 rebounds. Funk, a 6-9 forward, arrived this summer as a graduate transfer from Saint Joseph’s.

London-reared Dan Akin, a 6-9 forward, has helped the Aggies win the rebounding battle in all but one game. Akin, who transferred from Cal Baptist, grasped 15 rebounds against San Diego.

Ryan Odom — son of Dave Odom, a former decorated coach — made history in his previous head-coaching job. In the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Odom helped UMBC (Maryland, Baltimore Country) become the first 16th seed to win a first-round game, ousting No. 1 Virginia, 74-54.

Washington State Cougars

One-time fluid roster beginning to solidify

Coach Kyle Smith, like Hawaii’s Eran Ganot, is part of Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett’s extensive coaching tree. Smith has developed programs at Columbia, San Francisco and now WSU following Bennett’s approach of defense, rebounding, possessive possessions and global recruiting.

Smith also is gifted in DIY roster repairs. After point guard Michael Flowers completed his eligibility at the end of last season, shot-blocker Efe Agogid, highly rated post Mouhamed Gueye and guards Tyrell Roberts and Noah Williams entered the transfer portal. Agogid eventually joined the G-League. But Gueye, who also applied for the NBA Draft, opted to return to Pullman, Wash., for his sophomore season. Post Dishon Jackson and guard Myles Rice, who redshirted in 2021-22, will not play this season because of undisclosed injuries.

This summer, Justin Powell, who began his career at Auburn, transferred from Tennessee and Jabe Mullins made the move from Saint Mary’s. Both are 6-foot-6, catch-and-release shooters. Mullins sank eight 3s against Eastern Washington.

Last year, Gueye was in the opening lineup for 33 of 35 games, tying Klay Thompson’s WSU record for freshman starts. Gueye was named to the Pac-12’s All-Freshman team. This year, Gueye has enhanced his game as a defender. To bypass Detroit Mercy’s ball screens, 6-foot-11 Gueye matched up against 6-1 point guard Antoine Davis at the top of the key.

DJ Rodman, son of five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman, has his father’s appetite for rebounds. But the younger Rodman is not a traditional box-out rebounder, instead often starting out wide and then sprinting 10 feet into the low post for boards.

George Washington Colonials

GWU likes to spread floor and the wealth

When George Mason University made its surprising run to the 2006 Final Four, it was a school 18 miles away in the nation’s capital that actually had the better regular season.

Chris Caputo, who was a George Mason assistant at the time, is now back in D.C. Metro as George Washington’s head coach after 11 seasons on Miami’s staff. “Knowing the history of the program and institution, it wasn’t something you could turn down,” said Caputo, who was hired in January.

Caputo inherited a unit that fits the Miami-styled, spread-’em-out offense that often has as many as four guards on the court. James Bishop IV, who didn’t start playing the point until his freshman year at LSU, is the steersman. Bishop is averaging 22.2 points a night, mostly on drives and jumpers (57.3% on 2-point shots). His assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.7.

“He passes the ball really well,” Caputo said of the 6-2 senior. “For a guy who’s a great scorer, he probably doesn’t get enough credit for his decision-making.”

Hunter Dean, a 6-10 forward, and Bishop have worked well in tandem. Dean, who is expected to be back in the lineup after missing two games with an ailment, is the Colonials’ best screener. He is particularly effective on short rolls, where he morphs into a point forward at the elbows. “He can create the most trouble for (opponents) as a screener,” Caputo said.

At 6-8 and 220 pounds, Ricky Lindo is a five-position defender who leads the Colonials in rebounds (7.7 per game), blocks (1.6) and steals (1.2). Lindo has worked on curbing his defensive enthusiasm. He has fouled out twice while committing 3.2 fouls per game.

Nine Colonials began their careers at other universities.

Pepperdine Waves

Waves find happy place beyond the arc

Pepperdine would reign in a game of 3-on-3. Forward Maxwell Lewis and guards Houston Mallette and Mike Mitchell have accounted for more than 65% of the Waves’ 3-point shots, with each converting at better than 44%.

A national publication projected Lewis as a potential lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. At 6-foot-7, Lewis is a two-way player who can defend three spots, block shots, pilfer opponents’ dribbles, bring up the ball, drive, juke with pump fakes or step-back moves, and, of course, swish 3s. He relinquished his senior season of high school basketball to train for the 2021 NBA Draft before opting to attend Pepperdine. He also is an amateur boxer and accomplished saxophonist.

Mallette, whose father is UC Riverside’s athletic director, creates shooting room off screens or his own ball-handling. Mallette describes the court as his “happy place.”

Mitchell was a 4-star prospect who, along with Lewis, was named to last season’s All-West Coast Conference freshman team.

The Waves are set to a rapid pace on offense while using a man-t0-man defense to hold opponents to 17.6 seconds per possession.

Freshman Jevon Porter is a workmanlike 6-11 post who does not mind covering guards or mixing it up in the paint. His older brother Michael was the Denver Nuggets’ No. 1 pick in 2018 (14th overall). Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar is Michael’s godfather.

Another Romar tie is with 6-9 forward Jan Zidek, whose father, Jiri “George” Zidek, was a member of UCLA’s national championship team in 1995. Romar was an assistant coach with the Bruins that season.

Romar, who played five NBA seasons, is back at Pepperdine after head coaching stints with Saint Louis and Washington.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

UH striving to discover some balance

During a recent practice, post Bernardo da Silva got in the way. Taking a charge was a significant step in da Silva’s maturation as a defender.

Since joining in July 2019, da Silva has proven to have the height (6-foot-9), length (7-2 wing span) and aptitude to swat shots. But with freshmen Harry Rouhliadeff and Mor Seck as immediate backups, da Silva has had to take charge — and charges — in protecting the post. He averages 3.5 fouls per game, and was assessed his fifth two times this season. Da Silva, who draws 3.8 fouls per game, also is working on his free throws. He is 39.4% from the line in 33 attempts.

But da Silva’s screens, rolls both short and to the baseline, and a turn-around jumper have made him an inside option in the four-out scheme.

“I think he’s a great player, a smart player,” coach Eran Ganot said of da Silva. “This was his first healthy offseason. I think he’s a late bloomer. I like where he’s headed, and where he can get to.”

During the offseason, much of the offense was structured around point guard Juan Munoz’s dual ability to hit 3s and break down defenses with drives. With Munoz lost for the season with an Achilles injury, the ’Bows’ accompanying 3-point shooting has not been as consistent as envisioned. Guard Noel Coleman and stretch four Kamaka Hepa have delivered 3s, just not in the same game. The Warriors are hopeful they will join (outside-shooting) forces in the tournament.

Beon Riley has emerged as a first-off-the-bench option because of his ability to defend at all levels, push the tempo, and deliver second-chance opportunities. He has as many offensive rebounds (17) as defensive boards. “I like his trajectory,” Ganot said of Riley’s three-year ascent. “He’s had another jump.”