Warrior Beat: UH vs. UC Davis
Big west play continues with tonight’s basketball game between UC Davis and UH in the Stan Sheriff Center. Tipoff is at 7:05 p.m.
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The ‘Bows (11-7, 2-2 Big West) are rebounding from Wednesday’s come-from-ahead loss in overtime in which they blew a 14-point lead in the second half. The turning point was a hook-and-hold call against UH forward Jack Purchase. It was a controversial call — not horrendous, like a Saints-Rams non-call — but still, it did lead to a five-point swing and siphoning of momentum.
Head coach Eran Ganot said the ‘Bows “moved on’ quickly from the loss. The ‘Bows had animated practices the past two days.
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UC Davis is 5-13 overall and 1-3 in the Big West. But some players who weren’t all healthy are not fully healthy. And the Aggies have dynamic guard TJ Shorts, who leads the team in scoring (14.3 points per game), rebounding (5.2), assists (4.1) and steals (1.6).
Did we mention Shorts is 5-9 and 160 pounds (and that includes the chip on his shoulders).
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Quick chat with Shorts:
> On the Aggies’ record: “We’re definitely confident we can turn it around. Our record doesn’t speak for what we want. We know we’re capable of beating any team in conference on any given night. We have to keep that mind-set and no focus on past things that happened to us and kind of focus on the teams ahead of us.”
> On not receiving a scholarship as a prep senior: “I’m self-driven. I had a goal I wanted to play Division I basketball out of high school. It didn’t happen right away. But I kept pushing (in junior college) and I eventually got the scholarship. From there, everything has been a blessing. I have to keep it going.”
> On choosing basketball: “I started playing when I was 4 years old. I never really played any other sport. Growing up, this was the sport I went with. I was realized I was kind of good at this sport, and started to take it more serious. Once I took it more serious, a lot of opportunities opened up for me. From there, it’s been a blessing.”
> On Hawaii: “We know they’re a tough team. We know it will be a tough battle playing in Hawaii. It’s always tough because the home crowd really gets into it.”
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We’ve all heard that phrase, “Will it play in Peoria?” Well, UCD coach Jim Les has played and coached at Peoria-based Bradley. He did a few things right. He’s in Bradley’s Hall of Fame.
During Les’ playing career, he once led the NBA in 3-point accuracy.
Les said he greets each day with enthusiasm for his job.
“You’ve got to continue to challenge yourself to get better and to continue to improve,” Les said. “If there comes a day you think you’ve got it figured out, the game has a way of humbling you. I think we’re constantly, as a staff, trying to learn, trying to get better, and trying to be the best we can be to help our players. If you keep that edge as a player or coach, the game rewards you back. If you disrespect the game, maybe not put in the time to be ready for your players, be the best you can be, I think the game has a way of humbling you.”
Les has been mentored by Jerry Sloan, Dick Motta, Lenny Wilkins and Dick Versace.
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Today is a Pink Game in which fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
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Stepping up to the mic will be Felipe Ojastro, who will fill in for Kanoa Leahey on Spectrum Sports’ telecast, and Gary Dickman, who will provide color commentary for KKEA 1420 during Jeff Portnoy‘s absence.
Felipe will more than hold his own filling in for Kanoa. The guy does his homework, has an unbelievable work ethic and just gets better and better.
I hope Davis comes up a little “short” tonight.
suckabooya: It is within reach. I caught the game from mid-third quarter. In five of seven possessions, Hawaii put up air balls from all sorts of distances. In the fourth quarter, one player hit the side of the backboard, and another player missed a wide-open lay-up.
And they won by 12.
13 turnovers. 14 turnovers in the last game. That is 27 turnovers in two games. I have seen them turn the ball over 27 times in a single game. Hawaii can get away with poor shooting, because nobody can shoot the ball. So Hawaii is in a four-way tie for second place, returning home.
They play the seventh-place team UC-Riverside and Cal Poly, a team they beat by seventeen at their place. Sweep and Hawaii is 5-2. The first place team UC-Davis(a fluke, UC-Irvine is the team to worry about) plays Long Beach State, and here is where they could stumble, they play CSUN(the team that held Hawaii to 29 points). At the end of the week, Hawaii can be in a tie for first.
13 and 14. That is extraordinary ball control for this turnover-prone team.
Uh, Coach Ganot and other UH men’s b-ball coaches. If you’re reading this, some free advice: have these supposedly “playing at a high level” Warrior score it up during the game. So that at the end, you no need worries beef curries.”
Winning like how NC State did today is O.K., too. So do it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_flCTijlpY
And always remember hooking and holding is not permissible … except in certain parts of Nevada.
RE: ST
Yikes…
” But some players who weren’t all healthy are not fully healthy ” / Should that read ” … are now fully healthy ” ?
Regarding local basketball, there is Justice Sueing Jr., originally from Honolulu, who ,is a soph now and the leading scorer and rebounder for Cal.
cappie, i think the Wahine are tied for 3rd, after UC Davis and CSUN.
Leah S played well in the game today.
Good game for UH men. Carper did well and Buggs played like Tom Henderson.
Islandman
Now that’s going back a ways.
Didn’t it seem like Tom Henderson was a tall guard for that era?
Cappie
I certainly hope your “bold” prediction comes true. Good to hear you got half of it right so far. I remember when my wife was coaching Girls JV (OIA) basketball. I would watch a couple of their practices and think, “how the heck are they going to win any games”, “they’re so terrible”, And then by seasons end they make the playoffs mainly because (unbelievably) most of the other teams were worse than them. Hopefully the players and staff realize that this is so within reach. Same with the Men’s team. It’s right there. Just got to out execute and apply focus in key situations. Winnable (“junk”) Conference.
BTW better to apply “focus” than to apply “rash cream”…. Apply the focus. Would be 5-0 (Men’s)
As far as Local Basketball talent I wonder if we can create a term similar to “Nisei” to describe some of the talent that we are fortunate to claim as “locally produced”.
Guys like Justice Sueing Jr, Geremy Robinson, Captain Whitlock, Caleb Gilmore, Bobby Nash for example (sorry if I’m missing some others) whose Fathers transplanted here after college stardom. Then there are guys like Jessiya Villa, and Tolu Smith that have families here (Kahi Villa is a local dunking legend) but grew up on the mainland. Then even further there are guys like Samuta Avea, Julian Sensley and Brian Washington who went to the Mainland to complete Prep ball so to get more recognition (Avea actually came back). See, lots of talent from here.
islandman: Is Owen Hullard hurt?
Most exciting play of the game: The pass Sheriff Drammeh threw a pass from near the three-point line to Dawson Carper, who caught it(!) and finished the play. The two passes from Jack Purchase were incomplete. It’s good that the team is trying to get him started.
Drammeh shooting threes: Confidence is more important than ability. He is the only guy in the building who thinks the ball is going in. And sometimes it does. And good for him.
Drew Buggs learned last night that it’s better to drive to the basket and finish the play(like Thomas Louden) instead of stopping, then look frantically around for somebody to pass to.
All the short-range shots that Zigmars Raimo sometimes miss, which makes people in my section go apoplectic, he made. I wonder if Ido Flaisher would have eventually panned out. Raimo’s success suddenly makes Eran Ganot look like a better recruiter than people thought.
Yeah. The women’s basketball team is in third place. Objective reality, damn it.
#6 Stanford at #21 Utah.
This one is for the WNBA scouts. I hope Megan Huff plays well.
Hope to see Hulland play. Doesn’t look hurt and he was the only one not to get in the game last night.
Also, Rachel Odumu, of WBB who did play 2 games ago. Think the Wahine defense helped to shut down the last 2 opponents’ offense. LIke Leah helped clamped down the team leading scorer for UCSB to 0 for 12 on FG’s.
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10. Honored to get a question also from Stephen. Next to Calvin Murphy, yes. Just glanced at some pro rosters around 1980, the did have Magic 6-9, Cooper 6-5, Nate Archibald 6-1 /
Artie Wilson UH, 6-2
Here’s a short clip about the Rockets’ Henderson from the Bronx. He wanted to get out of there, attended San Jacinto JC in Texas and then UH.
https://ssl.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/teams/rockets/2016/12/12/1481584451397-50th-Ann-Honoree_Henderson-for-WEB-1028045_1280x720.mp4
DeForest Buckner is another. Lineage from a father who played at Mississippi State, then HPU and stayed, he turned out to be better at football.
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