Hawaii Warrior World

Formerly about Rainbow Warriors basketball, but now covering all University of Hawaii sports.

About the blog host

Brian McInnis has covered sports on Oahu full time since 2007, when he joined the Honolulu Star-Bulletin staff as a general reporter. He was the UH basketball beat writer from the 2008-09 season through 2017-18. Follow him on twitter @Brian_McInnis

Latest news

Hawaii women’s volleyball: How have Rainbow Wahine fared as NCAA tournament host?

By Brian McInnis on December 5, 2019

When the Hawaii women’s volleyball team takes to the Stan Sheriff Center’s court Friday against Northern Colorado, it will mark the first time since 2013 it played an NCAA tournament match at home. You might already know that much. But do you know how the Rainbow Wahine fared that year — and in all past years they’ve been awarded hosting duties? They’ve done very well, as you’d expect, though the days of regular hosting, and automatic wins, are long gone. UH […]

Hawaii softball: 2020 schedule officially released

By Brian McInnis on December 4, 2019

Hawaii softball’s official 47-game 2020 schedule was officially released. Thirty of those games take place at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, with the highlight the inclusion of Women’s College World Series team Minnesota of the Big Ten in the Rainbow Wahine Classic. UH will face the Gophers on March 11 and 13, just prior to the start of Big West play. The opener is against Northern Colorado on Feb. 6 in the Paradise Classic. Notably, UH is not participating in UNLV’s […]

Hawaii football: Rainbow Warriors ready for redemption in Boise; Dayton Furuta tabbed for Hula Bowl

By Brian McInnis on December 3, 2019

Hawaii went up to Boise, Idaho, in mid-October with the best of intentions. The Rainbow Warriors might not have been afraid of any ghosts at Albertsons Stadium, but there were definitely some demons of struggles past that spawned early in a 59-37 loss to the then-No. 14 Broncos. Fortunately for all involved, that wasn’t the end of the line. Resurgent UH (9-4, 5-3 Mountain West) will contend with now-No. 19 BSU (11-1, 8-0) at 11 a.m. (HST) Saturday in an […]

Hawaii men’s basketball: Jesse Nakanishi embraces assistant duties on staff

By Brian McInnis on December 2, 2019

“Next man up, every man up” has been a mantra of the Hawaii men’s basketball team for the entirety of Eran Ganot’s tenure as head coach of the Rainbow Warriors. That was proven true in an unusual and unexpected way over the first month of the 2019-20 season. When Ganot stepped away from the program on Nov. 6, two days before the season opener for unspecified medical leave, it caused a domino effect. Chris Gerlufsen, who was hired by Ganot […]

Hawaii basketball: Rainbow Wahine earn signature win over Texas; Warriors grind past Hawaii Pacific

By Brian McInnis on December 1, 2019

Going into Sunday, the last time the Hawaii women’s basketball team beat a Power Five team was two years ago, at Arizona. There was a span of five missed opportunities against Power Fives since then, including Saturday’s close loss to No. 12 North Carolina State. The last win over a Power Five team at home? You have to go back a bit further, to exactly six years ago, Dec. 1, 2013, for a 77-71 overtime defeat of Minnesota, in which […]

Hawaii Football Throwbacks: Army West Point

By Brian McInnis on November 30, 2019

There’s a limited selection of games from which to pull in the Hawaii-Army all-time series. Just four, in fact, and all of them of fairly recent vintage. Last year, we looked at the Greg McMackin-era road win at West Point on a Scott Enos field goal. But this time the Rainbow Warriors get the Black Knights at home … so we’re looking back at the first date between the teams, at Aloha Stadium, on Nov. 22, 2003. The significance of […]

Hawaii basketball: Rainbow Warriors play ‘Fabulous’ in defeat of San Francisco

By Brian McInnis on November 30, 2019

The Hawaii men’s basketball team made it a season-long emphasis to honor its past — more so than usual, being that it was the 100th season of Rainbow Warrior hoops. While every home game to this point has had an honorary captain from the past (including some very recent players), Friday night’s game against San Francisco was special in that regard. Four members of the “Fabulous Five” — John Penebacker, Bob Nash, Dwight Holiday and Jerome Freeman — plus three other players on […]

Hawaii Football Throwbacks: San Diego State

By Brian McInnis on November 23, 2019

Hawaii football has had its fair share of difficulties with San Diego State over the years. But in the teams’ first meeting in the islands? Not so much. The date: Dec. 7, 1940. The site: Old Honolulu Stadium. The score: Hawaii 33, San Diego State College 7. If that date caught your eye, it’s because it was exactly a year before Hawaii would be attacked by Japan, launching America into World War II. While the front-page headlines of the day […]

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