The Madness began way before March this season, with upsets galore making the Top 25 more volatile than the value of GameStop stock a few years ago (see “Dumb Money” if you haven’t yet).
The Hawaii men’s win at UC Riverside on Saturday wasn’t a huge deal in the national picture, considering the Rainbow Warriors were just a 1-point underdog, and we are, after all, talking about the Big West.
But, for Warriors fans, Noel Coleman coming through with big 3-pointers at the end of regulation and overtime should be encouraging as UH heads down the home stretch and tries to position itself for seeding in the conference tournament.
Meanwhile, it’s been pretty much business as usual for the University of Hawaii women’s team.
And business — as it usually is for the Wahine in early March — is very good for Laura Beeman’s team. It dispatched yet another Big West opponent Saturday, climbing to 15-3 in the conference and 18-9 overall.
The women also played Riverside. But this was senior night, at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, and Ashley Thoms and Olivia Davies both received their flowers, literally and figuratively.
The Wahine, who won 62-51 in a game that wasn’t really that close, played with their rare blend of efficiency and emotion that attracts fans of all demographics.
The lower bowl was nearly full Saturday … and it sounded like the entire place was. The crowd was largely comprised of sugar-high, vociferous youngsters at least five years away from having vociferous on a vocabulary list at school.
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In the spirit of Beeman’s Big Bash of two weeks ago, I can’t resist calling this group the Bee Hive — and whoever put them right behind the visitors’ bench? Great move. Those shrill cheers must have stung the ears of the Highlanders as they steadily fell behind by double-figures at halftime and never truly recovered.
These fans are certainly worth at least a few points, but we can’t call them UH’s sixth man — at least while Daejah Phillips is still around.
If I’m a parent or coach of any of these kids, I’m telling them not to worry about starting. If Phillips doesn’t, why should you?
When UH’s most exciting player enters the game, the energy level increases exponentially. The Wahine were behind 9-5 when Phillips took the floor Saturday. She led a 9-2 rally to end the first quarter, and Hawaii never trailed again.
It’s an old saying, but it’s true — in hoops, it doesn’t matter who starts, it matters who is playing when the game is decided. You might remember Beeman did something similar with her lineup with Shawna Kuehu, who was clearly UH’s best all-around player.
It worked then, and it’s working now with Phillips.
It’s not like the 5-foot-10 junior is a secret weapon, but it’s how she’s deployed that opposing players and coaches must fret about. Phillips is as versatile as they come — she scores from anywhere, is a more than willing passer and defends and rebounds ferociously.
Phillips led the Wahine with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Not bad for a benchie.
She scored 29 points in the Feb. 24 win at Long Beach State, grabbed 10 rebounds in a win against Bakersfield in January, and dealt seven assists in another victory at Cal Poly. These were all off the bench. Phillips has started just three games this season (which happen to be three of UH’s nine losses).
Some might say it’s madness to not start your best player. For the Wahine, who are going for a third Big West championship in a row and the trip to the big dance that goes with it, it’s just a logical part of the Madness.
