This is the time of year when college basketball begins to think about the next season, but for Hawaii-Hilo coach GE Coleman, there’s more than fanciful contemplation going on for the 2016-17 season. ADVERTISING This is the time of year
This is the time of year when college basketball begins to think about the next season, but for Hawaii-Hilo coach GE Coleman, there’s more than fanciful contemplation going on for the 2016-17 season.
Without bringing in a single new player for his third season with the Vulcans, Coleman has supplies stacked on the shelves that haven’t been there in recent years.
For one thing, he has four returning starters, two of them in their fourth year of the program. He also brings back a 16-point-per-game starter who ranks among the best pure shooters in the conference, along with a senior big man who will transform the equation both offensively and defensively for the Vulcans.
“There isn’t any question this is the healthiest the program has been in my time here,” Coleman said the other day, “the kind of culture we’ve tried to build here is taking shape. It seems like it’s taken too long, but there have been reasons; it hasn’t happened exactly the way I had hope, but it’s definitely happening, and that’s a good thing.”
When he started in July, 2014, Coleman’s appointment was too late to even consider any kind of standard recruiting practices because he had just four names on the roster. He filled out the roster with an assortment of players disregarded by typical college scouting practices and did what he could, teaching a grab-bag of defenses he used to confuse opponents throughout the season, managing seven wins.
He found a big man the next year in Tre Johnson, a 6-foot-10 post player who helped the Vulcans double their conference wins (8-12), while nearly breaking even with a 12-14 overall record.
The offseason looked good with Johnson considered a potential Pacific West Conference MVP candidate, then Johnson signed a professional contract, while another inside player, 6-6 Darius Johnson-Wilson suffered a meniscus injury and missed virtually the entire season. When they started 0-9, it looked like a disaster had occurred, but the Vulcans (9-15, 9-11), pulled together and went into the last minute of the last game with a chance to get to the playoffs before coming up short.
These days, it feels closer to normal for Coleman who signed his first offseason recruit last week, 6-1 point guard Ryley Callaghan from Peninsula Community College in Washington, named the MVP of the North Division of the Northwest Athletic Conference.
“It feels, for the first time, like we are a legitimate D-II team that can go out and practice, recruit some new guys and get better by building on our base,” Coleman said. “Having two seniors in the program for four years is a big thing and we expect all four of these guys to take it to the next level (in 2016-17).”
Randan Berinobis, from Hilo High School, is one of those seniors and will again be the presence of boundless energy, a rebounder and defender who activates intensity on the court as a returning starter. The other four-year player is Ryan Reyes, son of UHH volleyball coach Tino Reyes, and the most effective defensive player on the squad. The sixth man last year, Reyes may start next season.
Parker Farris averaged 16 points per game as a junior last season with a textbook touch from beyond 3-point range he used to set a school record for 9 (of 17) 3-pointers made in a game, surpassing the old mark by one. He needs to move his feet more efficiently on defense and work on his opportunities to create his own shot, but Coleman has never had a reliable 16 points coming back for more.
Darius Johnson-Wilson can play inside, rebound and Coleman maintains he’s the best passer on the team.
“He missed a lot of time,” Coleman said, “but he hasn’t lost his skill set, he’s really going to help.”
His first three years have been hit and miss, starting with his very late hire by the school, and Coleman admits, “A lot of what we’ve done here has been out of necessity, we were desperate to get some people in here,” but going into Year 4, he has some returning talent with size, shooting ability and energy to work with his new point guard, but he’s just getting started.
“We plan to bring in five more guys and they will all have some size and ability,” Coleman said.
Instead of piecing together a team out of necessity, Coleman might be able to send out a Vulcans squad with some versatility and depth.
The difference should be obvious.
