University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball coach GE Coleman made the point over and over as the Vulcans finished with four consecutive victories to rescue what had been a three-win campaign in Coleman’s first season.
The culture and foundation had been set, Coleman said. The next step was to add more talent to the mix.
If Coleman talked confidently, it’s because he knew something others didn’t: Tre Johnson was on the way.
“As soon as I got the job, Tre was the first phone call I made,” Coleman said. “He has a chance to be a dominant presence in our league inside.
“He is a special player. He hasn’t hit his ceiling. There is room to grow for sure.”
UH-Hilo (1-1) hosts the Vulcans’ Thanksgiving Tournament from Monday-Wednesday, an event that will not only mark the late-night home debut for Johnson, but also the program’s return to Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Monday’s game against Washburn was moved back until 9:30 p.m. after Washburn had a travel snafu on the mainland. Seattle Pacific and Northwest Indian College will play at 7 p.m.
UH-Hilo will split its home schedule between the Civic and its home gym after playing exclusively on campus the past few years.
“Since I got the job, a lot of people always asked if we were going back to the Civic,” Coleman said. “I think it’s good for the community. I just hope that we can get people out to support us. Part of that is putting a good product on the floor.”
Those that come will have a chance to see his dynamic new big man on campus.
The 6-foot-8 junior Johnson, a former Division I player at Montana State, dazzled with a pair of 24-point performances on 68 percent shooting in the Vulcans’ first two games. In an exhibition loss to Hawaii last Wednesday, Johnson recorded his first double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds, prompting Coleman to call his forward/center the best player on the floor.
“It surprises me because I’ve never been the main guy on the team,” Johnson said, “with them looking at me to score points and get rebounds.
“Hawaii was definitely a measuring stick to see if I was going to continue that through the season. I really don’t notice how many points I have or how many rebounds I have until the end of the game. I just make sure I’m looking for them and they’re looking for me, and when I get the ball I do what I can with it.”
Two-sport star
It makes sense that Johnson felt right at home playing against Division I competition.
His first love was football, and it was the sport he most excelled at in high school. Playing wide receiver and safety for Proctor Hug in Reno, Nev., he received scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Oregon State and UNLV.
He didn’t pick up basketball until his sophomore year. Johnson waited until April of his senior year to make a college decision, turning down major college football for the mid-major route on the hardwood. In his eyes, it was the safer route.
“I realized I had to save my body,” Johnson said. “I’m a tall guy. No concussions, no broken ribs and no getting beat up every Sunday.
“But man, when I watch wide receivers, I sometimes wish I had made the other decision.”
Despite being raw, Johnson started 20 of 26 games as a sophomore with the Bobcats of the Big Sky, averaging nine points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
“Even now I rely mostly on my athleticism,” he said. “I’m still learning the game. Once I get the fundamentals down, it should click.”
While Johnson’s game has matured, so has his attitude.
Before his junior season at Montana State, he was kicked off the team for violating team rules.
“I was young, dumb and learned from it,” he said.
His dismissal led him to Central Washington, where Coleman was an assistant at the time. After what Johnson called a “long” redshirt season, he followed Coleman to Hilo.
So far he’s been the perfect fit in Coleman’s uptempo, full-court style, while also acting as the key piece when the Vulcans play inside-out in half-court sets.
“He can run and catch the ball and do a lot of things for us,” Coleman said. “When the double team comes, he’s able to pass. The nice thing is he’s unselfish and is not going to take a bad shot.”
Supporting cast
The Vulcans will roll out two more first-year players in their starting lineup Monday, 6-6 junior forward Darius Johnson-Wilson and 6-3 junior small forward Marcello Campbell.
Johnson-Wilson plays an interchangeable role with Johnson between power forward and center. Coleman likes Johnson-Wilson’s wide frame because it helps him guard taller players, while Johnson lauds Johnson-Wilson as the best passer he’s ever seen.
Campbell, himself a former football player in high school, showed off his offensive potential in the season-opening victory against Northwest Nazarene, scoring 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting.
“An explosive athlete and he should be a great defender,” Coleman said. “Everywhere he’s been in the past he’s been a high-volume scorer.
“The adjustment for him is to be a great defender for us and still score and be unselfish when it comes to the half-court.”
The two returning players in the starting lineup are senior guards, Joey Rodriguez at the point and Darnell Williams at off-guard.
Junior transfer Vandyon Lockett will back up at point guard, Yevgeniy Dyachenko returns as the team’s best pure shooter and will be tasked to spread defenses and senior Dominique Campbell’s role is to rebound and defend off the bench.
Coleman brought in more height in 6-6 freshman Victor Ruiz de Carranza, a left-hander from Spain, while sophomore Randan Berinobis, a Hilo High graduate, has earned playing time because of his work ethic.
“In the year and a half I’ve been here, nobody has outworked him,” Coleman said. “He’s the hardest worker in our program. He comes in everyday with a great attitude and that helps us on the floor.”
High hopes
The Vulcans were winning on the road in the second half Nov. 15 against nationally ranked Western Washington before a dry spell in which they were outscored 14-0 cost them.
Johnson finished 10 of 15 from the floor in the contest, but Coleman said the Vulcans failed to feed him the ball late in the game.
“He doesn’t have to shoot every time, but he has to touch it,” Coleman said.
After the game, Western Washington’s coaches told Coleman they expect to see Johnson and the Vulcans again in the West Regional.
Pacific West Conference coaches didn’t think as highly of the Vulcans when they picked UH-Hilo to finish 12th in the 13-team league in a preseason poll.
“A championship is definitely the goal,” Johnson said. “With this group of guys we have the talent level. It’s just putting it all together.”
VULCANS THANKSGIVING CLASSIC
At Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium
Monday
Northwest Indian College vs. Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m.
Washburn at UH-Hilo, 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Washburn vs. Seattle Pacific, 5 p.m.
Northwest Indian College at UH-Hilo, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Northwest Indian College vs. Washburn 2 p.m.
Seattle Pacific at UH-Hilo, 7:30 p.m.
PACWEST PRESEASON POLL
Voting by league coaches; first-place votes in parentheses
School Points
1. California Baptist (9) 159
2. Dixie State (1) 150
3. Chaminade (2) 140
4. BYU-Hawaii 133
5. Azusa Pacific 119
6. Dominican (1) 101
7. Point Loma 100
8. Hawaii Pacific 82
9. Fresno Pacific 61
10. Academy of Art 40
11. Notre Dame de Namur 38
12. UH-Hilo 32
13. Holy Names 28