Rejuvenated and looking forward again, the University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball team will test its newly discovered resolve Saturday when it opens a challenging four-game-in-eight-days road trip through Northern California, including a trip out to Fresno and back.
Rejuvenated and looking forward again, the University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball team will test its newly discovered resolve Saturday when it opens a challenging four-game-in-eight-days road trip through Northern California, including a trip out to Fresno and back.
On the surface, the first stop at Notre Dame de Namur, scheduled for 3 p.m., following the women’s game between the schools at 1 p.m., looks like a good place to get off on the right foot, with the Argonauts buried in last place in the Pacific West Conference with a 1-10 record, 2-16 overall. Notre Dame de Namur has lost seven of its last eight games.
Vulcans’ coach GE Coleman doesn’t buy it. His memory overwhelms the present standings.
“That has not been a good place for us,” Coleman said before flying out with his team Thursday. “We had a tough time there two years ago (Coleman’s first at UH-Hilo), and it was the same deal last year. It’s been a tough place for us to play, so we need to get over that, first thing.”
UH-Hilo is 4-7 in conference play, 4-11 overall, but just began to realize something like its full potential on its recent five game homestead when the Vulcans welcomed back 6-foot-6 forward Nate Walker who supplied some depth around the basket where opponents had been taking big rebounding advantages. On this trip, Coleman also expects, at some point, to be able to put Darius Johnson-Wilson, a 6-6 junior post player from Curtis High School in Tacoma.
Johnson-Wilson is the other missing piece that the Vulcans have struggled without because of a knee problem that required a procedure to clean out the meniscus.
“Nothing’s certain, but it looks like he might be ready to play at least a few minutes and we’ll build from there,” Coleman said. “A few minutes will help, but we will take it carefully and build up gradually.”
In his first season, Coleman was hired late in the summer and had to compete with the leftover roster, such as it was. The Vulcans went 4-16 and 7-19 overall, including a 60-57 loss at Notre Dame. Last year, the roster had been upgraded, UH-Hilo doubled its conference wins (8-12, 12-14), but still struggled and lost, 51-47 in Belmont against the Argos.
“We have not played well there either time,” Coleman said. “(coach George Puou) does a good job of changing defenses and making your team respond to changes, keeping you out of rhythm, but at the end of the day, it’s mind over matter and we need to stay focused and do what we know.”
The Vulcans women’s team (4-6, 4-11), takes a two-game losing streak to the Bay Area, but Notre Dame de Namur is just 2-9 and 3-16 overall, with its only conference wins coming against Concordia, which has won just once in the PWC.
UH-Hilo is still last in the conference in scoring (53.8 per game), and scoring margin (minus 19.7), but the Argos may allow an opening. Notre Dame de Namur is last in turnover margin and 3-point shots made in a game.