A week removed from its season-ending loss in the Big West tournament first round, the Hawaii basketball team experienced its first early player loss of the offseason.
Reserve center Ido Flaisher returned to his native Israel this week to begin military service, bringing his two-year Rainbow Warrior career to an abrupt end. The 6-foot-10 sophomore’s basketball future is on hold to fulfill the multi-year expectation in his homeland that he put off when he first globe-trotted to Manoa.
Flaisher messaged the Star-Advertiser on Thursday: “I want to thank each and everyone of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Because of your warm support and dedication I always felt like home and it was a pleasure and honor for me to play for you and for UH. Thank you for your warm hosting, the strength and believing in me and I will always cherish it in my heart. I had to leave at the end of this year since I am going to serve my country Israel in the army and I am proud of it, I wish you all the best and thank you again for your dedication and support.”
The easygoing big man showed promising signs as a true freshman in 2016-17, with averages of 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds. But he was down to 1.3 and 1.1 in 22 games this season, as his playing time was nearly halved (5.6 minutes per game) from Year 1. He fell out of the rotation entirely four games into Big West play. He shot 43.5 percent (10-for-23) from the field and 53.3 percent from the line (8-for-15) for the season.
UH already signed three big men for 2018-19 — 6-11 Australians Mate Colina and Owen Hulland and 7-footer Dawson Carper of Colorado. Colina enrolled this semester and practiced with Flaisher.
Flaisher’s departure opens up a second scholarship for the spring signing period, which runs April 11 to May 16. The UH coaching staff has said it is targeting dynamic perimeter players.
“We want to thank Ido for the hard work and dedication he put in during his time here and for the way he represented our program,” UH coach Eran Ganot messaged the Star-Advertiser while on the road recruiting. “We respect his military obligation and wish him all the best in both his service and his basketball career.”
Flaisher’s best UH game came in his freshman debut in 2016, when he posted 13 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes in the season opener against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. He had nine rebounds two games later vs. Florida Atlantic, and even compiled six points, four rebounds and a block against North Carolina, that season’s eventual national champion.
But after an encouraging 2017 preseason, Flaisher seemed to lose confidence and played tentatively in his brief appearances.
He scored a season-high six points twice, and grabbed four rebounds twice. He blocked a single shot on the year and went scoreless in his last eight appearances.
Flaisher was the second Israeli to see action for UH, after Haim Shimonovich (2000-04).
Team banquet set April 11
The UH basketball postseason banquet is set for April 11 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom.
No-host cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the program.
Tickets are $150 each with registration forms available at hawaiiathletics.com. For more information, call Victoria Moore at 956-6501 or email Todd Okeson at okeson@hawaii.edu.
