At the equator, the Earth turns at about 1,000 miles per hour.
The NCAA’s basketball world, it seems, spins much faster.
Acting on that lesson, the University of Hawaii basketball coaches signed eight players, kept open spots for another post, designed a summer training program with on-court practices, and began crafting a schedule for the coming season.
“We wanted to be more aggressive early with (assembling) this class, which we were,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “You can see it nationally, everybody’s kind of learning to adjust to the new world of recruiting.”
A generation ago, the only madness was in March. The signing period for recruits was in April. Organized workouts did not start until a midnight practice in mid-October. Transferring players had to sit out a season before being eligible to play at their next school. Only the coaches were paid.
“There have been significant changes in college athletics, especially the last couple years,” Ganot said.
Schools now must have a revenue-sharing plan. The portal allows players to become immediately eligible after transferring to a new school. Student-athletes, who previously were not allowed to mention their favorite eating spots during interviews, now can accept name-image-likeness deals from those same restaurants. Coaches often have to negotiate with a recruit’s representative. And teams can have limited practices beginning in the summer.
After losing seven seniors from the 2023-24 team, Ganot signed center Tanner Christensen in April 2024 and guard Marcus Greene the following month. But four other recruits were signed over the summer, with one newcomer’s paperwork finalized during the first week of the 2024 fall semester. With forward Akira Jacobs competing in the Paris Olympics and the roster in development, the ’Bows had skeletal practices last summer.
With five scholarship players transferring or departing by mutual agreement, Ganot was determined to attack the portal early this spring. In the new basketball economics, the longer a team waits, the greater the demand — and often higher the price — for transfers. Point guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, guard AJ Economou and forward Harry Rouhliadeff publicly vowed to remain as ’Bows. Hunter Carter, a 6-6 combo guard from Rosemary Anderson Prep in Oregon signed last November.
“We knew our clear needs,” said Ganot, who sought a center, 3-and-D wings, multi-skilled guards and point guards.
Former American Fork (Utah) High teammates were the first transfers to commit. Tanner Cuff is a 6-7, multi-position player who started all 27 games for Evansville last season. He averaged 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.6 (103 assists against 40 turnovers). “We can move him all over the floor,” Ganot said of Cuff, who was rated a 4-star transfer. “He understands the game. Great passer, great leader, mature, physical.”
Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson, a 7-foot, 230-pound stretch five, reunites with Cuff. After a freshman year at Oregon, Johnson transferred to Utah State. He redshirted in 2022-23, then played in 65 games, starting 43, the next two seasons. Johnson scored 19 points against TCU in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. “He’s an inside-outside guy, but he can stretch the floor,” Ganot said. “We targeted size, we brought in size.”
Continuing its connection with the Beehive State, UH signed 6-3 Hunter Erickson, who played in all 70 games with Utah the past two seasons. “He’s a very athletic, physical guard who was part of a good program,” Ganot said. “He can score, get to the rim, be impactful.” Cuff, Johnson and Erickson are older players, having served two-year church missions.
“We wanted to add athleticism from the perimeter, and here comes Dre Bullock, who averaged 16, 17 the last (11 games),” Ganot said of 6-6, 190-pound Quandre “Dre” Bullock, a grad transfer from South Dakota. “He’s a 3-and-D guy who can also be a playmaker.” Bullock, who averaged 12.1 points last season, has a 46-inch vertical jump.
Isaiah “Zay” Kerr, a 6-3 guard who began his career at Montana, averaged 13.2 points on 46.1% shooting, including 35% on 3s, last season at Division II Chico State. “He can attack the rim,” Ganot said.
The ’Bows received commitments from two 6-8 players with different skill sets. Isaac “Ike” Finlinson, a wing-forward, was named the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division I Player of the Year for 2024-25 after averaging 18.7 points on 51.6% shooting, including 38.5% on 3s and 6.6 rebounds. Finlinson began his career at Utah Tech, where UH assistant coach Gibson Johnson was coaching at the time.
On Thursday, forward Jalen Myers completed his transfer from Norfolk State, which won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and accompanying berth in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Myers scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in the opening-round loss to Florida, the eventual national champion. For the season, Myers averaged 10.5 points on 52.1% shooting and 5.4 rebounds. With a vertical jump of 38 inches, Myers is projected to compete at the four. Myers was Alabama’s 7A Defensive Player of the Year as a Bob Jones High senior in 2020. “He’s a lefty who gets to the rim,” Ganot said.
“We’re really excited about our class,” Ganot said. “We were aggressive early. We feel we brought in experience, winning, shooting, size, guards. … We’re looking forward to adding a couple front-court players to finish this out. … We’ll have most, if not all, our guys with us this summer. Last year, you had a lot of new faces, but not all of them were with us during the summer. We’ll have an efficient and productive summer program for the guys.”
Because of the roster changeover, the summer plan calls for the schemes to be “simpler in what we do,” Ganot said, hinting at more five-out plays as opposed to a low-post presence utilizing former UH centers Christensen and Bernardo da Silva. “The continuity isn’t what it used to be. I think there will be some wrinkles to what we do. Part of it is we’ll always wrinkle to the strengths of our personnel.”
Incoming Rainbows
PLAYER POS. HT. WT. PREV. SCHOOL NOTES
• Quandre Bullock W 6-6 190 South Dakota 16.2 ppg last 11 games
• Isaac Johnson P 7-0 230 Utah State Starter on 2 NCAA tourney teams
• Tanner Cuff G 6-7 210 Evansville 2.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio
• Hunter Erickson G 6-3 200 Utah Played in all 70 games last 2 yrs
• Hunter Carter G 6-6 190 Anderson Prep 2023 MVP of Steph Curry’s Underrated Tour
• Isaiah Kerr G 6-3 185 Chico State 13.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.2 apg
• Jalen Myers F 6-8 200 Norfolk State 10.5 ppg for NCAA tourney team
• Isaac Finlinson F/W 6-8 185 Snow College JC Player of the Year
