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

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 a favorite to repeat despite the exit of some key players, including player of the year Morgan Bertsch. UC Irvine, featuring preseason all-conference forward Jordan Sanders, was the favorite in the coaches poll with six of nine first-place votes received.

No Wahine players were selected to the preseason all-conference team. (Three had been nominated: senior guard Courtney Middap, sophomore forward Myrrah Joseph and junior guard Jadynn Alexander.)

The Wahine were in high spirits at a recent practice, although the Wahine were light on healthy bodies over the past couple of weeks.

“We’re a little stagnant. But it’s not a bad stagnation,” eighth-year coach Laura Beeman said. “It’s just where we are. We’re a little more healthy than we’ve been, so we can see a little more excitement and growth. A closed scrimmage coming up here will help, the exhibition will help. All of those things will start to push us forward.”

Middap (8.7 ppg, 35% 3PT), Julissa Tago (5.3 ppg), Joseph (4.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg), Amy Atwell (4.8, 38.6% 3PT), Lauren Rewers (4.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Alexander (3.9 ppg) and Savannah Reier (1.6 ppg) are the team’s rotation returnees from the squad that reached the Big West championship game by successfully employing a by-committee approach to success.

UH is learning to get by without All-Big West second-team point guard Tia Kanoa, the Salanoa twins Lahni and Leah, and defensive guard Rachel Odumu. Makenna Woodfolk left the program early as well (she recently brought her weeks-old daughter to practice).

The progress of newcomers Makayla Edwards, Olivia Davies, Kasey Neubert, Nae Nae Calhoun and Barbara Rangel. Other than Rangel, a junior college transfer, they are freshmen.

“You never really know what to expect with incoming freshmen,” Atwell said. “Obviously homesickness and stuff like that plays a big part. But they’ve been getting the stuff on and off the court and they’ve exceeded in most categories. It’s always hard coming in, with how well we did last year and the expectations are high. But as I said they’re embracing it and are doing well.”

Calhoun, a 5-foot-5 native of Riverside, Calif., has been getting some looks at point guard. She’s been leaning on her defense — her favorite part of the game — while she gets acclimated to the speed of Division I.

“So far, dealing with everything has been listening to the coaches, listening to my teammates and just getting into the rhythm of how fast they play,” Calhoun said. “Yes, it’s a big adjustment. Faster pace. Everything’s just been on the go.”

Beeman said the team is at least a week away from knowing its preferred lineup. It has an upcoming closed-doors scrimmage against a local D-II team, then plays an exhibition against Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

She’s been encouraged by the play of youngsters like Calhoun.

“She’s got a huge, huge learning curve, but she is absolutely embracing that curve,” Beeman said. “She definitely is a defensive presence because of her speed, her tenacity on the floor. Offensively, I think that’s always harder for players. They have to figure out the pace of the game, the physicality of the game. Who we want the ball going to. So I think that’s where she’s going to have her biggest challenges, but she definitely can rely on her speed and on her defense.”

Atwell, for her part, is feeling strong coming off of an active offseason in which she worked on all parts of her game. That was a contrast for the redshirt junior, who was slowed by knee issues in the past.

“I was just trying to improve my personal game. I felt like I could’ve done a lot more to help us win that (title matchup with UC Davis) game and obviously that heartbreak gives you that more motivation and now that I’m finally, my body feels good and I’m healthy for the first time,” the 6-foot Atwell said. “Going through a full offseason has been really helpful, growing my personal game and stepping up for the team and showing what the expectation is.”