The good news: Despite a four-game losing streak at home, the University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball team is just a half-game out of qualifying for the Pacific West Conference playoffs at the halfway point of the season. ADVERTISING
The good news: Despite a four-game losing streak at home, the University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball team is just a half-game out of qualifying for the Pacific West Conference playoffs at the halfway point of the season.
The bad news: The Vulcans have some heavy lifting do to on the mainland.
UHH (6-10, 4-6 PacWest) embarks on its most treacherous road trip of the season starting Saturday against Dixie State (13-5, 10-2) in St. George, Utah.
All four teams on the trip – California Baptist, Azusa Pacific and Point Loma follow in the Southern California swing – are higher than the Vulcans in the standings, so it’s a chance to make a move.
Or see the season slip away.
The Trailblazers, formerly the Red Storm, are 7-0 at home at Burns Arena in St. George, and are ranked No. 7 in the latest Division II West Region poll.
Dixie State has been tough defensively, allowing opponents to shoot just a shade more than 40 percent on the season, and the Trailblazers are also the second-best rebounding team in the PacWest. Trevor Hill, a 6-foot-4 forward leads Dixie with 14.4 points and 7.1 rebounds a game.
UHH coach GE Coleman told the Tribune-Herald, “We have the toughest road trip in America coming up,” but he sounded as if he was ready to accept the challenge.
In the Vulcans’ only road game the past eight weeks, they beat BYU-Hawaii 93-90 behind a career-high 36 points from Parker Farris. The senior guard is second in the PacWest, averaging 23.3 points a game.
• The UH-Hilo women (7-9, 4-6) are 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot, and the first stop figures to be by far the easiest. Dixie State (2-16, 2-10) is winless at home, and the Vulcans are getting healthier as leading scorer Kim Schmelz – 90 points in her past five games – is rounding into peak form.
No love
Coming off of a 7-27 season, the Vulcans baseball team was again picked to finish last in preseason coaches’ poll, and no UHH players were named to the all-league team.
Winners of three of the past five conference titles, Cal Baptist was the preseason favorite for the fifth year in a row. The Lancers recently announced they were transitioning their programs to Division I, remaining eligible for all PacWest championships the 2017-18 season.
The Vulcans open their season Feb. 21-22 against Chuo University of Japan with a two-game series at Wong Stadium.
Taking the 5th
UHH softball was forecasted to finish in the middle of the pack in the 12-team PacWest, coming in fifth behind four teams who garnered first-place votes.
Senior first baseman Cristina Menjivar and junior designated player each made the preseason all-league team for the Vulcans, who finished in fifth last season at 21-9 overall and are welcoming back fomer coach Callen Perreira to lead th program.
Menjivar his .391 last year with eight home runs and 37 RBIs, while Gaspar hit a team-best .415 with six home runs and 36 RBIs.
The Vulcans open up a road-heavy campaign Feb. 3 at the Desert Stinger tournament in Las Vegas.
Cal Baptist, runner-up last season, was the coaches’ pick to finish first.
