Samuta Avea always had the aim and technique, but his development as a shooter escalated when he mastered the catch-and-release approach.
“He’s playing with a freshness to him,” offensive coordinator Chris Gerlufsen said of Avea, who is the Hawaii basketball team’s second-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game.
Avea credited Gerlufsen and head coach Eran Ganot for “giving me the mind-set to be a shooter. … I’ve never been the guy who was a shooter. I’ve always been the energy guy. Their confidence in my shot has helped a lot.”
Avea played in all 31 games, starting three, as a sophomore last season. Despite his quickness and athleticism, Avea often deferred on shooting from outside. Jack Purchase, Eddie Stansberry and Brocke Stepteau launched 66.3% of the Rainbow Warriors’ 3-point shots in 2018-19.
“We had an all-conference shooter in Jack Purchase,” Avea said. “When I got the ball, a lot of times I was looking to get him the ball or find Brocke for a shot.”
Following the graduations of Purchase and Stepteau, Avea spent the offseason training under Clint Parks, a former Kahuku High basketball player. Parks’ workouts involved Avea shooting from behind the NBA’s 3-point arc. When UH’s fall training started, Avea took to Ganot’s mantra of always being “shot ready.”
“A lot of times last season, I wasn’t ready to shoot when the ball was headed my way,” Avea said. “Being shot ready is something they’ve been preaching to me.”
Avea was instructed to “sit down” — basketball parlance for being in a crouched shooting stance when he receives a pass.
“It’s hard to shoot if you catch it and you’re standing straight up,” Gerlufsen said. “It’s hard to be a player when you’re standing straight up. We talk about ‘catch to shoot, sitting down, doing your work early.’ All those things apply to being shot ready. (Avea) is doing way better with that.”
No longer gun shy, Avea is confident in catching passes and releasing shots in a smooth and quick motion.
In his first two seasons, Avea was a combined 19-for-62 (30.6%) on 3s; this season, he is 27-for-69 (39.1%).
“It’s hard to play when you’re always thinking, ‘Should I shoot (or) should I not shoot?’ ” Gerlufsen said. “I think when he’s open, he’s shooting the right ones, and shooting it confidently. We need him and Eddie to be the two most confident guys on the floor. It’s good to see him taste some success.”
Teammates also have implored Avea not to let a missed shot discourage him from taking ensuing shots.
“If they’re not dropping, I have all the confidence in the world the next one will drop,” said Avea, who trusts his form. “If I find the laces and I see the rim, I have confidence I can make a shot.”
Avea also is effective in other areas. At 6 feet 6, he has gravity-defying bounce (he first dunked when he was in the eighth grade), the ability to post up guards, and quickness to get open on cuts or defend the perimeter, He also has worked on grabbing rebounds at the highest points — outstretched arms instead of head level.
“Samuta has the tools to be a great rebounder because of his ability to jump, and he’s got big hands,” said John Montgomery, who serves as defensive coordinator. “He goes and gets the ball. We really work with our guys on blocking out, and somebody’s got to get the ball, right? (Power forward) Zigmars (Raimo) is a great block-out person. And our (centers) have done a great job blocking out. And Samuta goes up and cleans up.”
Avea is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.2 per game.
BIG WEST BASKETBALL
>> Who: Hawaii (9-5, 0-0 BWC) at Cal State Fullerton (5-10, 0-0)
>> When: Thursday, 5 p.m.
>> Where: Titan Gym, Fullerton, Calif.
>> Radio: KKEA 1420-AM
>> TV: None
>> Streaming: ESPN3
