It would be fitting if the Hawaii basketball team’s jerseys were fitted with “Hello, my name is …” tags.
Only forward Harry Rouhliadeff, wing Ryan Rapp and guard Kody Williams were Rainbow Warriors in November 2022, the last time the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic was played. The tournament was on hiatus last year because of difficulties in filling the four-team field.
Four of the eight newcomers committed after UH’s spring semester. With wing Akira Jacobs playing for Japan in the 2024 Paris Olympics and no international exhibition tour, the ’Bows had a shorter get-to-know-you window ahead of the start of fall training.
“I’d say we’ve been experimenting more than we had been in the past,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “We don’t want to make quick judgements when guys are still getting comfortable. (But) you can see a group has emerged.”
The ’Bows open the season at 7 tonight against Life Pacific, an NAIA school from San Dimas, Calif., in the first round of the Rainbow Classic. Pacific and San Jose State meet at 4:30 p.m. The tournament continues with doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday.
The ’Bows are expected to start point guard Tom Beattie, off guard Marcus Greene, Jacobs, power forward Gytis Nemeiksa and center Tanner Christensen. Beattie, a co-captain along with Rapp, is moving to primary ball-handler. With three senior guards last season, Beattie, a sophomore from New Zealand, was used on the wing.
“It’s a little bit of an adjustment for me,” Beattie said. I’m always up for the challenge. The coaches have helped me big time. It’s going to be different this year.”
Beattie and Greene, a transfer from Houston Christian, are part of a four-guard rotation with Williams and freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor. In some schemes, the ’Bows will have two point guards on the floor. In exhibitions against Division II Hawaii Hilo and Chaminade, the ’Bows committed 53 turnovers. Beattie had seven of UH’s 29 turnovers against Chaminade. UH rallied to win both games.
“We have to be stronger with the ball,” Ganot said. “We have to value the ball. Learning about each other, the lack of clarity at times, the conviction of what we’re doing, playing off our back foot, seeing pressure, as well. We need to handle that better.”
Beattie, who had a combined 12 turnovers in those games, said: “The two exhibition games showed what we need to work on, which is good this time of season. We’re still 0-0 on the record. It’s the perfect time to get in the gym and get working, and see what we can do from here on out.
Jacobs, who came off the bench to play the four last year, is back at his more natural wing position. In 17 Big West games last season, Jacobs launched 34 of his 45 shots from behind the arc. At 6-10, he is working on post-up moves and ball-screen drives. He said Christensen, a 6-10, 255-pound transfer from Utah Tech, is skilled at setting screens.
“It just opens up the floor,” Jacobs said of Christensen’s screens. “Our guys are wide open in the lane. That opens up everything. He takes away one defender out of the entire defense. It opens up the guards’ drives. And the dump-off to Tanner (on the pick-and-roll). Even the corner kicks. Kind of everyone gets open when Tanner’s in there.”
Ganot said Rapp, who has been sidelined with a hand injury, is getting closer to being a “game-time decision.”
Rapp and Beattie are doing their part to acclimate the newcomers. Beattie, Jacobs, Williams and Logan Robeson have turned the house they share into a gathering place for the ’Bows. “Just being around each other in the dorms so much last year, we got along really well, and we wanted to have a place where most of our team can come to,” Beattie said.
