Tuesday checkin: Kahakai cleared to play
Kahakai cleared to play so she’ll be making the road trip.
Shoji still thinking about the other DS, between Anderson, Guinasso and Ponce (alphabetical order).
Sorry if I”m repeating myself, sometimes I forget if it was already in my print story or only on a previous post but
He said there isn’t much difference between the three. He was looking whether to take the better server or the better passer.
He had said previously that the rotation with Ponce serving led to more points. Said that didn’t happen last week so he is revising that.
Said that sub with Koelsch-Passi for Higgins-Taylor was something they wouldn’t hesitate using again.
Spoke with Gimmillaro this morning. Even he cringed at Hawaii’s schedule this week, back to back at The Pyramid and CSUN.
Take Anderson and Baby G. They both serve well and attack the ball in the back row. They both are aggressive. While Kahakai is athletic, she is coming off an injury, and she does not have the quick feet the other two possesses. Her serves were not that good, even when healthy.
Coach created this scheduling adversity, he needs to make all the right decisions on the road. No time for favorites.
A heads up . Spotted something on the Wahine web site that might be wrong. They have Friday’s match on 1500am and Saturdays match on 1420. With football at home Saturday I’m thinking it is probably reverse ?
If there isn’t much difference between the DS players then give the others a road trip for the experience.Coming from SoCal I’m pretty sure Baby G would appreciate it.
Gotta love Gimmillaro…very down to earth guy. I personally hope they take Kahakai and Baby G if Kahakai is able to perform…Can’t wait for this weekend. True test for the wahine…
2. Kimo, as stated with Kahakai going only one of the others travel. so the choice is either Anderson, OR Guinasso OR Ponce.
3. was told both are on 1500. in part due to MLB playoffs as well as football
Kahakai has not practiced for at least 2 weeks, if you don’t practice you don’t play (Shoji’s own standard); Anderson, Guinasso, and Ponce should go. Expecting Kahakai to play brilliantly without practice is unrealistic. He should stop being sentimental and use some common sense.
a better server might be key efficient since the pass of na wahine is better now and they are quite capable of scrambling if necessary, however it also means the libero sarah needs to be faster and/or do more work. still an extra passer might move offense/defensive more better. and kahakai needs the experience to prepare for a showdown, coming off an injury a gamble but shes cleared, so since she floats, shes in the game, give her a knee/leg brace of some kine just like taylor has for her elbow or the one long wears.
for the three other ds, its either who wants to volunteer the job or volunteer to give up the job, a quick serve/digging contest, or if all else fails a rock-paper-scissors between the 3 played until 1 beats 2 outright, or eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
blunite >> you’re taking dave’s rule and twisting it to how you’d like it fit what you WANT. bottom line, like cindy said, kahakai is going stop just drop the issue already. FYI, if it was nikki taylor who was cleared to play today i bet you would want her to make this road trip without hesitating.
7. “FYI, if it was nikki taylor who was cleared to play today i bet you would want her to make this road trip without hesitating.”
aint that truth? 😀
blunite — i think it was reported that kahakai was cleared to practice last week (i could be wrong) … it’s just that she was held out of this past weekend’s matches.
say cindy what prevents all in? is it obvious budget or some kine of quota?
Kimo, what – another reference that Dave is making decisions based on favoritism – and not merit. How do you know these things or are you just pushing your own “favorites”. So silly!
Kahakai have a same brace in her legs like Taylor is using on her arms. Saw that last game. It’s wasn’t visible that much ‘cuz she’s wearing a black long pants that night.
Savannah was practicing last week, Shoji isn’t leaving a scholarship player back if she has enough reps and be able to play.
from the UH web site
Audio Webcast: http://www.NBCSportsRadioHawaii.com (CSUN), http://espn1420am.com (Long Beach State)
Can’t be on 1420 with football in town on Saturday.
My take on the one who should go on this LA trip…..Gianna from Huntington Beach, obviously. Shoji says the three are even as far as performances, Ana and Clare already had their turn, next in line for homecoming time.
Cindy, just a point of clarification regarding today’s article. You wrote that UH’s RPIS was at 11 on the day of last year’s selection Sunday. Actually, that is not correct…UH was at 11 as of the Monday before selection Sunday and before the matches played in the days just prior to that Sunday. The RPI can be calculated whenever a match is completed, even though the calculation is only released weekly. When the NCAA released the final RPIs on the Monday after selection Sunday, UH’s RPI fell to 17 (resulting from playing two weak opponents). I believe the committee had the final RPI figures for selection Sunday even though they weren’t released until Monday–and I can’t tell you why the NCAA waited to release them until Monday. But your article reports a higher RPI than actually existed on selection Sunday. Despite its 17 RPI, UH benefited from a 3-1 record against top 25 RPI and 6-2 against top 50 RPI last year and received a seed commensurate with its full body of work. See your 12-2-13 thread on final RPIs for the full discussion.
Thank goodness that na Wahine won’t have a plane trip after CSUN like they did last year. Air travel takes time and energy. If UH loses to CSUN again this year, I’ll still be happy if they can beat LBSU.
I am glad that Shoji was pleased with the play of the bench during practice before the CSF and UCI matches. This weekend’s success, I think, will come down – more than last weekend – to how our bench plays.
Kahakai aint no Nikki Taylor. bad comparison. She hasn’t proved herself. Not even close.
Kahakai is going because: 1) she’s cleared to play, 2) she’s a scholarship player, 3) she’s ahead of the other three defensive specialists, 4) a leg brace shouldn’t hamper her. Hedder Ilustre had one when she had stress fracture and it didn’t stop her from going balls out on defense.
As for the other DS, I’d still pick Ponce although Guinasso would be a fine choice as well. Anderson, she’s OK but she hasn’t done anything particularly memorable.
5. Kahakai began practicing Friday. So counting Wednesday, she’ll have had 5 practices before they get on the plane. Will have another Thursday and then the prematch one Friday at CSUN
10. They can only take 14. That’s the travel limitation.
Scholarship or not, he’s taking who he feels will help the team the most.
14. Sorry, thought I had responded. Yes, the matches are both on 1500, in part due to Baseball and football on Saturday.
16. Thanks I had looked at a story leading up to the selection which was 11.
what exactly is travel limitation? number of players as baggage?
22. limited number of players who can travel. up to 14
A 2008-09 Big West manual on the internet says the travel roster limit is 15. Maybe it was changed since.
22. No. Carry on. lol. jk.
@24 – NCAA limit is also 15, same as Big West.
26– Maybe that’s a UH imposed limit of 14 ?
just watched a video of granato and her punahou squad against kamehameha in which they lost a close 3 set battle. next year there are going to be problems at manoa trying to decide who’s going to be starting for na wahine. i have a feeling we’re going to see a true 6-2 next year with mitchem castillo and granato coming in. they’re all impact players and it’s going to be difficult keeping them off the court.
28. If history is any indication, it is likely that Castillo and Granato will be backups and Mitchem will be fighting for the second middle position with Maglio. Dave tends to favor the veterans over freshmen (even with high-level recruits like Willoughby)–and you never know who freshmen/junior college transfers will perform at the D1 level. Of the three coming in, I think Mitchem has the best chance of playing significant minutes. Greeley, Taylor and Oleavao will be solidly in the OH/Opp positions (assuming Olevao doesn’t go on a mission–that would open one position up), the setters are established, and then the only decision is who works on the defensive/passing end with Kahakai. While a 6-2 would be intriguing, not clear it will happen–requires improvement in Koelsch’s play and Dave going beyond his comfort zone to use the system (I am not sure he has ever used a true 6-2).
I am really interested in the team two years from now (2016-17)–seniors will be Taylor, Higgins, Mitchem, Huff; juniors will be Koelsch, Greeley, Kahakai, Maglio; hopefully a super sophomore in Castillo and perhaps Granato (I know I’m missing some folks). Plus the current Stanford superclass will have graduated (although Penn State’s superclass will be juniors). So this experienced team may have a good shot at the final four.
Sorry, Huff will be a junior.
The travel squad is 15 according to the Big West but we only take 14 for financial reasons but I don’t believe it’s a UH rule might be more of a Dave rule who runs a tight ship on program spending.
kimo/blunite: Tend to agree w/your overall assessment of Kahakai. Her first match was amazing & she’s had several good moments since. Yet, if you charts ALL player touches, are Savannah’s touches net-positive? Like someone said, she’s a skolly player indisputably more athletic than Anderson, Guinasso or Ponce. So Kahakai *can* do more volleyball things, like hit. However, she’s not on the court to hit. As a *DS*, the essential priorities are: is she really quickest to the ball? Have the fastest hands? The best passer of the four? Else make her a hitter & compete w/Passi/Long for that rotation. Hawaii’s margin of error is too small — especially on the road — to start a DS who hits better than she passes.
A lot has been said of Dave’s choices at the start of the season, in playing veterans versus rookies. I think he has learned from that Willoughby error in playing her on the right and not the left her freshman season. Yes, there are always players coming in who are talented, but when Dave has had a highly talented freshman, since after Willoughby’s freshman year, he has played them. Kamanao, Danielson, Taylor all started as freshman. Other than those three, Hawaii hasn’t had an impact recruit.
32. I suppose. He played mostly freshmen in 84, because he had to, with Ahuna, Eagye, Eleneki, Jessie, etc.
31. that he does, probably goes back to the early days when they had no money and players did their own laundry.
Discussing is one thing, but it’s funny how some of you question Shoji’s coaching on who should be playing, going, starting, stopping…. imagine how many wins he would have if he actually made the “right” decisions. Right? LOL
15 is an odd number, which might require an extra hotel room (and airline tickets) if it’s just 2 athletes to a room.
October 8, 2014 at 10:38 am I don’t think of it as Doubting Dave but fans learning, as Shoji is, who & what the Wahine have when the points count. Shoji frequently admits player eval is a process. He didn’t expect Greeley to come along so fast. He probably didn’t anticipate Long’s struggle w/confidence (hope she comes around; too much vball exp not to help the Wahine somehow). I see and agree w/your point about 2nd-guessing everything. But longtime WVB fans probably see most of the same things Shoji does. They just say it before Shoji can since coaches don’t have time to comment/tweet every thought going thru their heads.