Buggs commits to UH hoops

Hawaii hoops got some more good news on the cusp of the start of full practices.

On Tuesday, Eran Ganot completed his staff (again) with the official addition of John Montgomery. On Wednesday, he got his second oral commitment for the 2016-17 season in Long Beach Poly (Calif.) guard Drew Buggs.

Buggs, an all-around performer for Poly (ESPN rated him a 3-star recruit), visited the Manoa campus two weeks ago. He took his time upon getting back to SoCal, then decided UH was the best fit for him.

He took to Twitter to announce his decision.

I am excited to announce that I will continue my education and basketball career at the University of Hawaii pic.twitter.com/WMTDmcj85N

— Drew Buggs (@_DrizzyDrew_) October 1, 2015

Buggs is known primarily for his defense — he averaged 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a junior, per MaxPreps.com — but chances are good his stats will jump as he shoulders a large role in his upcoming senior season.

Here’s some alley-oop and standard dunk action from Buggs, as well as an interview he gave.

And a quick Q&A with Buggs from Wednesday night:

Q: How do you describe your game?
A: A great all-around player. I’m able to do anything. I can defend, I can set up my teammates, I can rebound, get out and score. On my team in the past, I’ve been the main defender because we’ve had other guys. I’ve also been the leading rebounder. I have a good enough offensive game where I can score.

Q: What are your goals for your senior year at Long Beach Poly?
A: My goals are to win the CIF championship and the state championship. That’s our goal every year, but I want to finish out my senior year on top. I’ve won one CIF championship as a sophomore, and going for another one to leave a legacy at Poly as well as teach the younger guys the tradition, how to work hard so they can keep it going in years to come.

Q: Are you going to try to showcase more of your offense in the upcoming season?
A: Yes, most definitely. This year it’s my team. So I’m definitely going to be more of an offensive threat … but I’m also not going to change my game. I’ll play the same way and do whatever my team needs for us to get the win.

Q: Where else were you considering besides UH?
A: I had offers from Bakersfield and Dartmouth. I was also being recruited by Portland State, Wichita State, Boise State, Utah, Drake, and UC Davis, UC Irvine.

Q: Being a California guy, what do you think about playing in the Big West?
A: That’s one of the reasons why I liked Hawaii, because it’s in the Big West, all the conference games in California gives my family a chance to watch me play. I can play in front of them … it’s definitely a conference on the rise. Definitely some good players in it. I feel it was a good fit for me.

Q: Do you consider yourself a shooting guard? Combo guard?
A: I consider myself a combo, but I believe I can play anywhere on the floor.

Q: It seemed like there was a lot of fanfare about your decision on social media. How did it feel to put that out there?
A: I was definitely excited to finally put it out there. … I got a lot of congratulations from friends, family, players I played against. It’s just a good feeling and I’m happy with the decision I made.

Q: Are you planning to sign your letter of intent once the period opens Nov. 11?
A: Yeah right now that’s my plan.

Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: I’m excited, I’m ready to build Hawaii (back) to the tournament.