Rested or rusted?
UH-Hilo men’s basketball coach GE Coleman is thinking the former.
The Vulcans will ring in the new year in Northern California with hopes that Monday’s game at Dominican (5-6, 1-4) also the marks the beginning of a new season.
“If ever a team needed some rest it was us,” Coleman said in school release. “We will regroup, hopefully get healthier and get back at it. There is still a lot of season left and this can still be a very good basketball team.”
With the NCAA’s mandated Division II sandwiched in between, UHH (3-5, 1-3) has had ample time to forget – or replay in its mind over and over – a home loss to Holy Names in which it blew an 18-point halftime lead.
One of the best pieces of news coming out of that loss was the continued re-emergence of senior forward Devin Johnson, who nearly provided a pair of double-doubles in his last two games while coming of the bench.
Senior forward Denhym Brooke is expected to return to the lineup after being limited to four minutes in the loss to the Hawks, but UHH also announced point guard Damani Whitlock was lost to the season with a shoulder injury.
Whitlock, a true freshman, was only able to play in four games this season, giving the Vuls a reliable defender when Coleman wanted to amp up the pressure.
“That hurts for sure,” Coleman said. “Damani is a really good defender, maybe our best. He was a very important part of our early season rotation.”
Adding to the backcourt uncertainty, sophomore guard Cleo Cain, the team’s third leading scorer, is listed as questionable, and leading scorer James Griffin is still out with a ankle injury.
True freshman Jalen Thompson scored in double figures for the second time against Holy Names and earned PacWest freshman of the week honors.
Led by senior forward Cedric Thomas, the Penguins (5-6, 1-4) are looking to snap a three-game losing streak and have lost five of six. Thomas is third in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game.
On paper, the rest of the road trip is manaegable as well. UHH plays Fresno Pacific (4-6, 1-4) on Wednesday – the Vuls beat the Sunbirds 72-57 on Dec. 3 at home – and Academy of Art (1-8, 1-3) on Friday.
The UHH’s women face a tougher task.
The Vuls (4-4, 1-3) played well in their past three games before the break, but Dominican (7-2, 4-1) is ranked sixth in the West Region and will be ready to get back into the win column after absorbing a 92-42 loss to Cal Davis of Division I.
Natalie Diaz, the 2018 PacWest player of the year, is averaging a ridiculous 30.8 points a game. The senior guard grabs 8.8 rebounds and is shooting almost 52 percent from the field.
Fresno Pacific (8-3, 4-1) is tied for third in the PacWest along with the Penguins.
