Plugging the holes

By all indications, last Saturday’s closed-door scrimmage against Chaminade was a challenging affair for the Hawaii basketball team.

The media and public are not allowed in the door, and the coaches and players can’t talk about such competitions before or after it happens. It’s an NCAA rule.

But the outcome was apparent with the way the Rainbow Warriors coaching staff has exhorted their players for more in recent days … of everything. Better decision making. Stronger rebounding. More toughness, especially.

On Thursday, everyone will see just how much progress the brand-new Bows have made. They take on Brigham Young-Hawaii in a 7 p.m. exhibition in the Stan Sheriff. The Seasiders are going through unique times of their own; 2016-17 is their last season of athletic competition in all sports.

Since Monday, five players have worn green (first team) jerseys exclusively in practice. They are: Sheriff Drammeh (PG), Leland Green (SG), Noah Allen (SF), Jack Purchase (PF) and Gibson Johnson (PF).

It’s looking increasingly like that lineup, or a close variation of it, will get the starting nod Thursday. Tuesday night, it was Matt Owies as a green sub. Monday, it was Zach Buscher.

Tickets are general admission ($10 for adults; $8 for senior citizens; $5 for youths). There is no radio or TV coverage, but I’ll be live tweeting it like normal here.

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I couldn’t tell you when the NCAA will reach a final, final, final decision on the interminable UH infractions case, but at the rate this thing has been crawling along, it won’t be anytime soon. Ferd Lewis weighed in on the matter in Tuesday’s print edition. (Subscriber content)

If you’d like to wager a guess when the Committee on Infractions will finish this thing off, at last, feel free to submit one below. The person closest to the date wins … pride.

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Looks like Stefan Jankovic knows where he’s going. It would appear to be Sioux Falls, S.D., to play for the Skyforce of the D-League.

Living in Hawaii spoiled me…. going to be a long winter for me this year

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— Stefan Jankovic (@StefanJ33) November 1, 2016