By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
University of Hawaii basketball coach Eran Ganot appears to be living up to his reputation as an ace recruiter, landing Auburn transfer Jack Purchase, who has a history of success in his homeland of Australia.
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound stretch forward enjoyed a highly successful career in the Victorian Junior Basketball League, Australian Junior National Championships and National Junior Classics. Representing his state of Victoria, he won the U20 Australian Junior National Championship in 2013.
A year earlier he made his mark internationally. He helped the U-17 Australian national team to a silver medal at the FIBA World Championship in Lithuania, averaging 4.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game playing alongside NBA-bound Dante Exum and Ben Simmons.
Purchase led the Melbourne Tigers in 2012 to the Big V (U23) title. He averaged 21.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and five assists per game and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He showed signs of the versatility he’ll bring to Hawaii, shooting just under 50 percent at the tournament from beyond the arc.
Ganot hopes getting Purchase opens a pipeline to Australia, which hasn’t been a target for UH in the past.
“We are fired up to welcome Jack to the Rainbow Warrior basketball family,” Ganot said in a press release on Sunday. “Jack is well regarded for his high skill set and tremendous basketball IQ, particularly at his size. He and his terrific family are a great fit for our program, this university, and the islands.
“It’s no secret that Australia is a place we would like to target and for Jack to start us off there is a real shot in the arm. He comes from the very highly respected Melbourne Tigers program, where his father, Nigel, played professionally.”
Unfortunately, Purchase won’t be an immediate hit. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he will sit out the 2015-16 season. However, he will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Last year, Purchase played in seven games at Auburn (15-20) and averaged 1.3 ppg and nailed 3 of 13 from 3-point range.
“While we are thrilled with his current abilities, the opportunity is there to make significant strides as his potential and ceiling are very high. Jack has a very bright future and we are ecstatic it will be at the University of Hawaii.”
Earlier, UH (22-13 under former coach Benjy Taylor) added 6-6 forward Sai Tummala to the mix for the 2015-16 season. Tummala joins the ‘Bows after two seasons at Arizona State and one season at Salt Lake Community College. Tummala will have one year of eligibility.
Tummala led SLCC to a 29-5 record in 2012-13, including a 14-1 conference mark and a regular season title. That season, he averaged 14.8 ppg while shooting 41 percent from the 3-point line. He received third-team NJCAA All-American honors and was a first-team All-Region pick.
After his stellar freshman campaign at SLCC, Tummala transferred to Arizona State where he lettered for two seasons. He made his impact off the bench, playing in 29 contests while averaging just less than five points per game. He redshirted at the University of Michigan in 2011-12 prior to playing at Salt Lake.
• UH adds Tar Heels for 2016
UH and North Carolina have agreed to play a men’s basketball game, Nov. 16, 2016 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The game will be the fifth between the two schools with UNC winning the previous four contests. The teams last played in 1994 at the then-Special Events Arena (later renamed Stan Sheriff Center), the building’s first men’s basketball sell-out. The No. 1-ranked Tar Heels defeated the ‘Bows, 88-76, on their way to an NCAA Final Four appearance later that season.
Three of the four games in the series have been played in Honolulu including in 1986 and ‘92 at Blaisdell Center. In 1986, the teams opened the season with the No. 1-ranked Tar Heels winning 98-78 in the Thanksgiving Festival. The Tar Heels returned in 1992 for the Rainbow Classic and defeated UH, 101-84, in the third place game en route to their third NCAA championship.
The ‘Bows have squared off against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent four of the last five seasons, most recently a 74-70 victory over Pittsburgh last season in Wailuku, Maui. UH is 2-2 over that stretch and 9-24 all-time against the current ACC member teams.
“This is a tremendous opportunity and honor to compete with one of the premier programs in all of college basketball,” Ganot said. ““We are thrilled to be able to bring North Carolina and their terrific, Hall of Fame coach, Roy Williams, to the Stan Sheriff Center in front of our wonderful fans.”
UH has yet to release its schedule for the 2015-16 season.
UH hoops: Ganot gets a good Purchase, hopes to open Australian pipeline