Officially, UH-Hilo men’s basketball team will open the season with six new players and seven returnees on its roster.
However, it might be more apt to say the Vulcans have six and a half of the former, and six and a half of the latter.
Damani Whitlock deserves an asterisk by his name. He’s a familiar face ready to bring a new dynamic.
“I look at myself as a returner since I was here last year,” he said. “That’s my role for the new guys. I’ve seen everything, I have to help show them the way.
“But I still consider myself a new player, because I really haven’t gotten the full experience of a full season.”
As a true freshman last year, the 6-foot guard from Long Beach, Calif., carved out a role for himself during preseason practice and was pushing for starter’s minutes, but just four games into the season he injured his shoulder and was lost for the campaign.
“At that point, I knew my role had changed and I had to be 24/7 on the bench,” he said, “but I knew that whatever energy I was going to bring on the court, I had to start bringing on the bench.
“Just holding people accountable and making sure everyone gets in the gym.
As far as accountability is concerned, Whitlock starts with the man in the mirror.
He supported his team on the bench for every home game and every road contest as well. Parents Major and Whitlock played no small role in helping their son stay with his team as it hit the road, picking up the costs.
He had surgery in February, received a redshirt and went through physical therapy before finally being cleared to practice full-go in late September.
When the Vuls open the season Friday at Concordia-Oregon, Whitlock will be in the starting lineup along with another newcomer, junior transfer Sasa Vuksanovic, a 6-foot-9 center. Much also is expected from junior transfer Elisha Duplechan, a former Division I guard at Nebraska-Omaha, but coach GE Coleman said Duplechan was questionable for the season-opening trip.
“Damani brings a different type of energy and toughness to our team,” Coleman said.
Whitlock can play point guard or shooting guard, but his coach has a better description.
“I would describe him has just a basketball player,” Coleman said.
Senior guard Jordan Graves describes him as a workhorse.
Beyond the intangibles, Whitlock has the defensive skill-set to replace Larry Bush, one of the top guards in the Pacific West Conference last season.
“That fits Damani to a tee,” Coleman said. “He’s probably our finest on-ball defender that we have.
“The injury put things in perceptive for him. He loves the game, he’s a competitor, and he brought back that fire even more so this year and is very exited to play.”
Duplechan’s first job is to get healthy. He didn’t practice Monday, two days before the Vulcans were to depart for the Pacific Northwest.
His next job will be help pick up the scoring slack.
He played in 10 games as a sophomore for Nebraska-Omaha, which went 21-11, and he spent his freshman year at Yuba CC, where he was named the Bay Valley Conference MVP and first-team All-California JUCO selection, averaging 18.7 points, four rebounds and 5.2 assists a game.
“Lots of athleticism, quick, knack for scoring the basketball, we expect big things from him at some point,” Coleman said.
Of the four players manning the inside this season, two are transfers: Vuksanovic and 6-6 forward Greg Walter, who played two seasons at Barstow (Calif.) CC, averaging nearly 17 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.
Vuksanovic stands out for at least two reasons.
He’s Coleman’s tallest player during his seven seasons and his first true center. His coach expects him to perhaps be more of a shot agitator than shot blocker.
“He’s been a pleasant surprise this preseason,” Coleman said. “He’s very skilled offensively. He’s got good footwork, he’s not really athletic, but he’s fundamentally sound. He’s definitely a post-up player.”
The Serbian native has bounced around the mainland of late, spending a year at prep school after leaving Europe before splitting the past two seasons at McLennan CC in Texas and Sheridan College in Wyoming.
He’s looking forward to making his stay in Hilo last at least two years.
“I think we’ve been working really hard for the last two and a half months,” Vuksanovic said. “Hilo has been great for me. I’m so happy to be here, and I’m glad I picked this school.”