Court Sense

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 Football Throwbacks: New Mexico

By Brian McInnis on October 26, 2019

Hawaii football’s all-time series with New Mexico has been one of the more unique of any between UH and a current or former conference opponent. UH, which leads it 14-10, had a nine-game winning streak against the Lobos spanning 1983 to 1991. But UNM has since won seven straight, including the last three in Albuquerque, site of today’s game. UH hasn’t won in the land of “Breaking Bad” since Oct. 10, 1987, a 41-31 defeat of the Lobos. The meetings […]

Hawaii soccer: Wahine salvage point against Cal Poly

By Brian McInnis on October 25, 2019

Thursday night had letdown written on it from the opening minutes for the Hawaii soccer team. By the end of 110 minutes of a double-overtime match against Cal Poly, however, the Rainbow Wahine had picked themselves up, finishing somewhere between satisfaction and disappointment with a 1-1 draw against the Mustangs. UH (5-6-3, 3-0-2 Big West) picked up a single point toward Big West tournament qualification — not the three they were hoping for entering the night, but not nothing, either. UH […]

Hawaii soccer: Midseason Q&A with Michele Nagamine

By Brian McInnis on October 24, 2019

The Hawaii soccer team plays two of its biggest matches of Michele Nagamine’s nine years at the helm of the program this week. Those matches — Thursday night against Cal Poly and Sunday against UC Santa Barbara — happen to be the last two home matches of the season. UH (5-6-2, 3-0-1 Big West), after a tough start to the season that included losses to three ranked Pac-12 opponents, has turned things around at midseason to post the program’s best record through […]

Hawaii women’s basketball: Rainbow Wahine picked fourth in Big West preseason polls

By Brian McInnis on October 23, 2019

Coaches and media around the Big West Conference expect the Hawaii women’s basketball team to be in the running for a conference championship this year, although the Rainbow Wahine are not seen as one of the favorites. UH (15-17, 10-6 Big West in 2018-19) was selected fourth in both the coaches and media preseason polls announced Wednesday. The Wahine garnered a first-place vote from someone in the media poll, while three-time defending regular-season champ UC Davis collected eight to be […]

Hawaii football: Opportunities arise with Stovall gone

By Brian McInnis on October 22, 2019

Slotback Melquise Stovall was one of Hawaii’s most productive players in blowout losses the last two weeks. The Rainbow Warriors hope they can find someone else to match that productivity in their coming games — ideally in victories. Stovall was dismissed from the team on Monday, UH announced, in the wake of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the 56-26 loss to Air Force on Saturday. Head coach Nick Rolovich is looking for the next man up in the receiving corps for […]

Hawaii women’s volleyball: Brooke Van Sickle rides to the rescue

By Brian McInnis on October 21, 2019

Brooke Van Sickle didn’t think she’d be playing over the weekend. The junior hitter only just returned to practice with her Hawaii teammates on Thursday from a knee injury that’d caused her to miss three matches heading into the week’s games against UC Riverside and UC Davis. She warmed up for Friday’s match against Riverside, but wasn’t needed, as the Rainbow Wahine made quick work of the lowly Highlanders despite not playing all that well. Sunday was a different story. […]

Hawaii soccer earns first result against Cal State Fullerton

By Brian McInnis on October 20, 2019

Sometimes, a draw feels like either a win or a loss, not something in between. Hawaii’s 1-1 tie with Cal State Fullerton at the Titans’ field Sunday most definitely was a win for the Rainbow Wahine. Thanks to Kayla Ryan’s goal to begin the second half — off of assists from Kayla Watanabe and Kelci Sumida to work the ball ahead, then to the middle — UH squared the match and held on tight through double overtime for their first […]

VIDEO: Fourth-quarter timeline of Hawaii football’s 56-26 loss to Air Force

By Brian McInnis on October 19, 2019

The fourth quarter started off so well for Hawaii on Saturday night. The Rainbow Warriors, for a moment, appeared poised to launch into full comeback mode against Air Force, opening the final period with a touchdown connection between Cole McDonald and JoJo Ward. >> PHOTO GALLERY: HAWAII VS. AIR FORCE But it was not to be. Air Force would score three more touchdowns and roll to 56-26 road win — dealing UH its first defeat at home in a 4-3 (1-2 […]