Maybe we need to stop calling these things senior nights. These going-away parties for college athletes — which no one does better than the University of Hawaii — really have nothing to do with what year of eligibility the players are classified. More and more it’s juniors and sometimes even younger performers who won’t be back for next year.
And sometimes seniors end up getting another year, like Wahine basketball guard Ashleigh Karaitiana. She celebrates her second senior night next week … and no one will mind if it means an encore of the traditional Maori show her family put on last year.
As for the men, they gradually pulled away from Cal State Northridge on Saturday, winning 89-78 and leaving enough time for Dyrbe Enos to get in and hoist a shot. On a night of huge cheers and jeers, the sellout crowd was loudest on his 3-point try with 36 seconds left, and would’ve been even louder if it had gone in.
The second biggest applause? When the Kamehameha grad from Aiea was summoned into the game with 1:30 left, as the crowd chanted his name.
Enos — who two years ago as a second-year freshman got some real playing time — is calling it a career with a season of eligibility remaining. He could be joined by some other juniors who did not officially bid aloha Saturday, including this team’s two leading scorers.
It sounds like Stefan Jankovic won’t be back, maybe not even if UH wins its NCAA appeal against its postseason eligibility suspension for the 2016-17 season.
“I’d strongly consider (coming back),” Jankovic said, if the appeal is won. “There are a lot of considerations, including family.”
After his shooting performance Saturday, in which he made his first eight shots from the field on his way to 28 points, anyone might feel like it’s time to head for the next level. Jankovic has rare quickness and shooting ability for a 6-foot-11 player. But he still needs to develop consistency.
Murmurs persist that Aaron Valdes is also leaning toward going pro. He’s come a long way, but another year at Manoa wouldn’t hurt his prospects.
Also, I hope fouling out and being called for a technical after two points and two rebounds in 13 minutes is not the last we saw of Mike Thomas on the Stan Sheriff Center court. Stefan Jovanovic is also a junior who might want to go somewhere where the postseason is possible.
It was something to ponder during senior night (aloha night?). Unless UH ends up hosting an NIT game this was for sure the last time we’d see Roderick Bobbitt, Quincy Smith, Sai Tummala and Enos play college basketball at the Stan Sheriff Center.
It was good they got to do it in front of a full house, and in a victory.
And it was reminiscent of when the UH football team would win its last home game, but the seniors and whoever else might be leaving had more to look forward to, because the Warriors still had a bowl game left.
As it is with the Rainbows, who came back from Thursday’s loss to Riverside and got one win closer to wrapping up the Big West regular-season championship and NIT bid that come with it … not to mention top seed in the conference tournament that determines the league’s NCAA tourney representative.
The encores won’t be here, but they could be pretty exciting.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads
