Hawaii

2007-08 Hawaii Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:00:28 -0700

Hawaii Warriors

Overall Rank: #115

Conference Rank: #5 WAC

2006-07: 18-13, 8-8, 5^th (t)

2006-07 postseason: none

Nobody is going to care about basketball in Hawaii until after the BCS Bowl games…or the Hawaii Bowl…depending on who you believe. And for a couple months in there before the state goes into Colt Brennan NFL Draft mode, there will be a little interest in the basketball team. And it may take until January for the Warriors to reach their full potential. Hawaii will need time to acclimate some newcomers who are hoped to at least fill in for the team off the bench.

Who’s Out:

Losing out on the team’s top two scorers will set back the underachieving Warriors. Guard Matt Lojeski led the team with 16.9 points, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals. Big man Ahmet Gueye developed into a solid scorer in the paint and his 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds will be greatly missed. Little used John Wilder is the only other player that has run out of eligibility, but a couple of transfers hurt the overall depth. Dominic Waters was one of the best guards off the bench last year and will transfer to Portland State and Todd Lowenthal never quite reached his full potential on the Islands.

Who’s In:

The most important newcomer is junior college transfer Paul Campbell. The 6-10 power forward will be asked to immediately provide another big body to the thin Hawaii front line. Campbell did not score much during his only year at the juco level, averaging just 3.4 points per game, but he will get on the glass and work hard in the paint. Adhar Mayen, another junior college transfer, is a good athlete and can play either forward position. Conrad Fitzgerald will add another athletic wing to the up-tempo style of play that Hawaii will employ. Fitzgerald is a great scorer and with a little more shooting consistency will be a solid player for the Warriors. The defense alone of combo guard Kareem Nitoto should get him some quality minutes as a freshman. The 6-3 San Leandro, California product is quick and can get to the basket off the dribble. Walk-ons Beau Albrechtson and Gary Satterwhite will provide emergency depth to the backcourt.

Who to Watch:

The returning talent is on the perimeter and Matt Gibson, Bobby Nash and Riley Luettgerodt will all need to help replace the production of the departed Lojeski. Gibson and Nash are both decent long range shooters and will take the majority of the shots from beyond the arc for the Warriors. After averaging over ten points a piece last year, Nash and Gibson are expected to have even better senior campaigns. Luettgerodt only started one game last year, but occasionally put up some big scoring numbers. He is not the greatest shooter in the world as his 17 percent shooting percentage from long range would indicate, but he is an effective slasher. As long as the 6-5 wing can help out in the rebounding department a little more, Luettgerodt will be an effective player.

Final Projection:

P.J. Owsley and Stephen Verwers did not put up great numbers during their first seasons suiting up for Hawaii, but now with Gueye gone both have the potential to see a drastic production increase. Owsley, a senior who spent two years at the junior college level, is the best option to develop into a quality scorer in the post. Verwers spent two years at Colorado State and was never much of a scorer. The 6-11 senior, who started eight games last year, is a decent rebounder and a nice defensive presence under the basket. The frontcourt will need to get some help from newcomer Campebell or little used returnee Todd Follmer. Without a scoring threat under the basket, the entire offense could be stagnant and Hawaii may be done well before the islands start paying attention.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Matt Gibson, Senior, Guard, 10.2 points per game

Bobby Nash, Senior, Guard, 11.2 points per game

Riley Luettgerodt, Senior, Forward, 6.2 points per game

P.J. Owsley, Senior, Forward, 6.0 points per game

Stephen Verwers, Senior, Forward, 2.8 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

Unsubstantiated Speculation: Wednesday's Draft Rumors

Jason Tomassini — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:20:13 -0700

I’ve always thought Kobe Bryant had this unusual desire for attention that dictated much of his behavior. It wasn’t overt like Terrell Owens or Barry Bonds but it was subtly there. He’s never wanted to share the spotlight and he always had this wannabe Jordan air to him. Well my suspicions were validated yesterday when, on the same day the final list of NBA draft entrants was announced, it was coincidentally revealed that an amateur video existed of Kobe ripping anyone and everyone in the Lakers organization at a shopping mall. I realize this year’s draft has gotten a lot of media attention but come on. An amateur video? Let’s just hope he’s still wearing underwear in public.

Anyway, big day for the draft, here’s some links…

· We’ll get to who is staying and who’s going back to school in a minute but there may be a bigger story going on. According to Ian Thomsen at Sports Illustrated, Greg Oden has some lingering health issues. When I first saw this I put it alongside Durant’s bench press as far as legitimacy, but there seems to be several things that league executives are investigating. Among the concerns are that Oden’s wrist might not fully heal, he has a bulging disk in his back, he has knee problems and his hip alignment is off, causing one leg to be longer than the other. It seems like no professional draft can go by without the expected No. 1 pick being doubted in some way. But if Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard is really as torn as he says he is over who to select, I suppose these injury rumors should carry a little weight. Oden made his first trip to Portland yesterday so Pritchard should get all the info he needs. Also in the SI article are concerns over Joakim Noah’s shoulder which he recently said was “75 percent,” but his agent says is 90 percent. Whatever, I’ve stopped listening to Joakim Noah but if his workouts are as mediocre as I’ve read, I suppose his shoulder is an issue. By the way, Noah is interviewed by Andrea Kramer tonight on HBO’s Real Sports. It should be more unpredictable than the Sopranos finale.

· So here’s the final list of early entry candidates for this year’s NBA Draft. Obviously there are going to be some names most people don’t know, but here’s a rundown of notable players and their decisions:

· The most surprising name heading back to college might be DeVon Hardin of Cal. Originally, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Hardin was entering the draft but when it came down to it, he decided to stay in school. Carl Steward of the Oakland Tribune thinks the decision was a smart one by a smart young man. He was rumored to be considered in the top 20 and with his injury history it’s certainly a risk, but one thing’s for sure, Cal should be pretty decent next year and Hardin will at least get a chance at becoming a lottery pick.

· The most surprising name staying in the draft was probably JamesOn Curry. He went with the whole “the time is now” thing for his justification, but it’s pretty unlikely he’ll get drafted. It’s worth noting, and he does so himself, that Curry is now off of probation from drug charges. Sounds like a great time to enter the NBA. Hopefully Portland drafts him. It was originally thought that he would not hire an agent and if he went undrafted could return to Oklahoma State. He still doesn’t have an agent but said he’s not going back to Oklahoma State. Good for him. I mean, he is off probation, he can do whatever he wants. Curry does think he has a promise from the Bulls at pick No. 49. So there’s that to look forward to?

· A guy who I always thought was undervalued in this whole process, Sean Singletary, decided his stock might be better next year and is returning to Virginia. On the bright side, we get another chance to see Singletary destroy Greg Paulus’ ankles, which is a nice consolation prize.

· All of the potential lottery picks that were believed to be on the fence decided to stay in the draft. Jason Smith earned his spot the hard way, with a string of outstanding workouts.

· Jeff Green might have been intrigued by a shot at a national title but realized he was too good to not be in the NBA.

· Like a schoolgirl deciding whether to break up with her boyfriend, Spencer Hawes made a list of pros and cons before deciding his draft fate. With interest as high as the Wolves at No. 7, Hawes is in.

· I guess Paul Hewitt should start recruiting less talented players because he’s now lost both prized recruits from last year with Thaddeus Young declaring for the draft. For what it’s worth I think he’s a lot more NBA-ready than Javaris Crittenton.

· Mike Conley worked out for the Bucks the other day to some rave reviews. I don’t see any reason for the Bucks to pass on Conley if he’s available. Mo Williams is a free agent who should get a lot of offers and with Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva needing shots (not saying he deserves them, just that Charlie needs them), Conley would be a good fit. I know Brandan Wright rocked their socks off, but Conley is a is a bigger need. He’s a Midwest guy too, which means he might actually want to play in Milwaukee, always a plus.

· The Sixers took an impromptu flight out to L.A. to see Yi Jianlian. I think Yi would be a great fit for my Sixers and it’s rumored they would make a play to get him if he slips, but I cannot imagine a worse place for a 7-foot Chinese jump shooter to play than Philadelphia. This is the city that doesn’t allow non-English speakers to eat cheesesteaks. Al Thornton was unable to workout for the Sixers due to injury and Wilson Chandler was a no-show because of Isiah Thomas’ complete insanity, so they got a look at Morris Almond and Marcus Williams, two players Philly should consider at No. 21.

· Chad Ford has his latest mock draft and behold! It is free! Finally Chad Ford is being unleashed on the general public. I’m not sure how long it will be free because it’s still part of Insider’s content but it’s there nonetheless. Here’s the first five picks and here’s the rest of the first round (I’m as confused as you). He has some interesting choices here. I thought the Grizzlies loved Kyle Lowry so I don’t know why they’d take Conley, No. 7 seems high for Jeff Green, especially given the Wolves interest in Spencer Hawes and with all the teams trying to jockey for Yi, I can’t see him falling to No. 9. But then again, this is Chad Ford’s draft world and we’re all just living in it, so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

· Sometimes finding a decent article on ESPN.com’s Page 2 is nearly impossible but Mary Buckheit turns in a nice feature on some of the top draftees and their excursion to Vancouver to help EA Sports with NBA Live ’08. The whole trip sounded more awkward than entertaining but it was interesting anyway.

· SI.com’s draft expert Chris Ekstrand answers a bunch of pertinent questions. He’s not bad but I would trust NBADraft.net, DraftExpress and the like over SI’s guy.

· After Portland, it seems the team most people are looking to for a draft-induced rejuvenation is the Hawks. Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talks with beleaguered Hawks GM Billy Knight about using this draft to turn the franchise around… again.

· The Jazz have the No. 25 pick and worked out Morris Almond. As Almond acknowledges in this piece by Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune, he would be a great fit for the Jazz. The best quote from this article? “He even admitted to being a fan of the Jazz and forward Matt Harpring, an Atlanta-area product like himself, even if ‘it wasn't a popular thing to say.’” As I had always suspected, cool kids don’t care for Matt Harpring.

· And finally, you’re going to read a million articles on Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and all the potential lottery picks, but some of the best stories might come from the guys who have no shot at getting drafted. The guys who chase their childhood dreams and are just happy to be working out for one NBA team, let alone 10 or 12. Matt Lojeski from Hawaii is one of those guys. Props to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times for his feature on Lojeski, who used a workout with his hometown Bucks to gain an outside shot at a second round pick. He went up against Corey Brewer and Carl Landry and held his own against the college standouts, even when few eyes were on him. Good luck Matt.

Links: NBA Draft | NBA Teams | Mock Draft | Draft History

Portland State Adds Solid Hawaii Transfer

Press Release — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 09:31:28 -0700

Portland State men's basketball has added another transfer to its roster with the signing of former University of Hawai'i team member Dominic Waters.

Waters will transfer to Portland State for the 2007-08 year and redshirt as per NCAA rules. He will be eligible to play during the 2008-09 season and have junior eligibility.

"I may sound like a broken record, but once again I am excited about another local kid who has decided to come back to Portland and play for Portland State," said Viking Head Coach Ken Bone in reference to Waters and another transfer, Phil Nelson.

"Dominic is a solid player in every facet of the game. He is also an outstanding young man off the court. We are glad he will be a part of our program," said Bone.

A 6-1 guard, Waters is originally from Portland where he attended Grant High School. He led the PIL in scoring at 23.4 points per game and ranked third in the state as a senior. Waters was a first-team All-State and All-PIL selection.

Waters played two seasons for the Warriors. He was the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2005-06. He played in 20 games, starting twice. Waters averaged 2.9 points and shot .435 from three-point range.

As a sophomore this past season, Waters improved his scoring to 6.3 points per game. He shot .409 from the field, .394 from three-point range and .867 at the line, while also handing out 51 assists. Waters played in 30 games, starting once, and had eight double-figure scoring performances.

As mentioned, Waters is the second transfer to join the Viking program in the past week. Phil Nelson, formerly of Washington, is transferring to PSU and will redshirt with Waters next season.

The Vikings, who were 19-13 in 2006-07, will have six seniors on the 2007-08 squad.

Hawaii Promotes Nash to Head Coach

Jeff Borzello — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 13:57:49 -0700

WAC Player of the Week: Matt Gibson

Press Release — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 09:22:48 -0800

DENVER – Hawai‘i guard Matt Gibson has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for January 29-February 4. Gibson, a junior from Oklahoma City, Okla. (Three Rivers CC) averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in three games (2-1) last week. Against Utah State, Gibson came off the bench and tied a season-high with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. He then returned to the starting lineup at Fresno State and scored 19 points and tied his career-high with nine rebounds. In the loss at Nevada, he had 11 points and dished out seven assists. For the week, he was 17-of-35 from the field, including 8-of-16 from three point range. He also made 8-of-10 free throws and had four steals. It is Gibson’s first career WAC Player of the Week award and second for a Rainbow Warrior player this year. The other nominations were junior forward Dominic McGuire, Fresno State; senior forward Nick Fazekas, Nevada; and junior forward Tyrone Nelson, New Mexico State. -WAC-

Hawaii 80 - Hofstra 79

Press Release — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 08:36:44 -0800

Anchorage, AK - Senior guard Loren Stokes scored 29 points, but Hofstra's second half comeback came up just short as the Hawai'i Men's Basketball team captured an 80-79 win over Hofstra in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout on Thursday evening at Sullivan Arena.

With the loss, the Pride drops to 0-3 on the young season and will next play in the consolation bracket on Friday at 6 p.m. (EST) against the loser of tonight's Marshall and California game. Hawaii improves to 3-1 with the victory.

Hofstra trailed by as many as 11 early in the second half, and by nine (68-59) with 5:08 to play, but used a small four-guard line-up to pull even at 71-71 with just under 2:00 to play. Stokes started the run with a three-pointer at the top of the key, and capped it off with a running bank shot with 1:59 left.

Hawai'i, though, regrouped and scored on back-to-back lay-ups to take the lead for good. P.J. Owsley scored on a dump-down pass from Matt Lojeski with the shot clock running down to give the Rainbow Warriors a 73-71 lead, and Riley Luettgerodt added a lay-up off a feed from Owsley with 51 seconds left to stretch the lead to 75-71.

The lead was 79-73 in the final 10 seconds, but junior guard Antoine Agudio hit a three-pointer with six seconds left. After Lojeski made one foul shot, Stokes hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to close out the scoring.

The first half was evenly played, but the Rainbow Warriors closed out with a 6-0 run over the final 2:15 to take a 39-33 lead into the break. After Stokes tied the score at 33-33 on a foul shot, Bobby Nash hit back-to-back baskets, and Luettgerodt added a pair of foul shots with 46 seconds left to close out the first half scoring.

Senior guard Carlos Rivera added 11 points for the Pride before fouling out, while Agudio and sophomore forward Mike Davis-Sabb each added 10. Hawai'I had a balanced attack as Lojeski and Bobby Nash each had 17 while Ahmen Gueye had 12 and Owsley had 10. The Rainbow Warriors won the game at the foul line, where they shot 26-31 on the day (83.9 percent), including 24-29 in the second half.

- From Hofstra Media Relations -

2006-07 Preview: Team's #111-120

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:49:42 -0700

Capsules of teams ranked 111th to 120th in CHN's 144 Teams in 144 Days Preview.