Some lingering pain remains from the Hawaii men’s basketball team’s senior night loss to Cal Poly on Saturday.
UH coach Gib Arnold said on Monday that senior Jace Tavita will undergo a minor surgical procedure today to fix a dislocated left pinkie the starting point guard suffered in the second half of the 64-61 defeat.
It raised the possibility that Tavita will miss Thursday’s regular-season finale at Cal State Northridge for the fifth-place Rainbow Warriors (17-12, 10-7), though the team is confident he will play.
"We really won’t know until after the surgery tomorrow, but they tell me it’s the type of surgery that is quick," Arnold said. "It’s more so that he won’t live the rest of his life with a finger out of the joint. They can put it back in and he can splint it up and he can play with something like that.
"I’m optimistic (for a quick recovery), and he’s a tough kid. He’s a kid that … played the last 12 minutes of the game with it dislocated. I’m sure he’ll be able to play Thursday. I’m hoping, obviously."
Tavita couldn’t be reached for comment.
Depth at the point has been a concern for much of the season. If Tavita cannot go, junior guard Garrett Jefferson becomes his likely replacement in the starting lineup. Freshman Manroop Clair hasn’t been a regular rotation player since late January.
The right-handed Tavita is coming off his highest-scoring week of the season. He scored a career-high 17 points in a 70-66 win over UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, and had six points in the loss to the Mustangs.
For the season, Tavita has 163 assists (and a Big West Conference-best 5.6 per game) against 74 turnovers. After going 7-for-10 on 3-point attempts last week, he’s shooting 43.3 percent from deep this season (26-for-60).
The team elected to forgo a full practice on Monday in favor of a visit to the Kapiolani Medical Center’s children’s hospital. The team signed shirts and posters for bedridden kids.
"It’s part of who we are and what we want to represent," Arnold said. "I think it’s important when you have the opportunity to give a little bit back, that you do."
The Rainbow Warriors depart on a red-eye flight tonight for Los Angeles.
Ninth-place Northridge (13-17, 4-13) is out of contention for the eight-team Big West tournament, which starts March 14.
Junior guard Brandon Spearman has missed the past three games with a sprained ankle. His return is questionable for any postseason games the team plays.
