On the second day of official fall practice, first-year Hawaii women’s basketball coach Khalilah Mitchell said the goal of the first week was to make sure her team was in shape.
Promoting an up-tempo, high-octane offensive game plan, Mitchell will get to see her team under the Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center lights for the first time in front of a crowd tonight when the Rainbow Wahine host Hawaii Pacific in an exhibition game.
Admission is free.
Hawaii, which returns eight players and welcomes four newcomers this season, officially opens the season on Nov. 2 at Oregon.
The Rainbow Wahine won’t play at home again until Nov. 13, against Loyola Marymount in the opening game of the Bank of Hawaii Classic.
For Mitchell, tonight is an opportunity to know if what she is seeing in the practice gym will translate to the games.
“Just consistency and togetherness,” Mitchell said when asked her priorities against the Sharks. “Wanting to see some of the intangibles it’s going to take for us to succeed in the conference.”
Hawaii returns its leading scorer from last season in sophomore Bailey Flavell, who set the UH freshman record for total points in a season last year.
Hawaii did lose its next three leading scorers. Imani Perez and Saniyah Neverson used up their final year of eligibility, and guard Keiara Curtis transferred to New Mexico after her freshman season.
The Lobos are one of the teams Hawaii will play in its debut in the Mountain West Conference.
Hawaii was picked to finish fourth in the conference in a preseason poll voted on by media members.
“We’re so excited for this. We’ve been waiting for this and we’ve been practicing super hard,” Hawaii junior post player Ritorya Tamilo said. “This game is about us and about what we need to do and what we need to work on. For us, it’s about honing in to our scout and staying together.”
Tamilo, who still has two more years of eligibility including this one, has 89 career blocks and is closing in on becoming the ninth player in UH history to reach 100 for her career.
After tonight’s game against Hawaii Pacific, Hawaii will look to finish preparations for a schedule that includes 10 teams that made it to the postseason a year ago.
Mitchell said Monday she isn’t trying to begin anything new in her tenure taking over for Laura Beeman after her 14 years as head coach.
She wants to continue the success of a Wahine program that has played in the postseason in four of the past five seasons.
“Honestly the foundation has been set. There’s nothing really to start,” Mitchell said. “It’s continuing what we’ve always done and finding ways to improve. Changing up areas where we need to change and embracing some of the same consistencies and culture and foundation that we always have.”
RAINBOW WAHINE BASKETBALL EXHIBITION
At Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Today, 7 p.m.
Hawaii vs. Hawaii Pacific
>> TV: None
>> Radio: None
