Turn on the lights, the parity has started.
The Hawaii basketball team closed its home schedule Saturday with senior night against UC Riverside, a rematch of a meeting played nine days earlier.
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Rainbow Warriors are on track to earn between the second and sixth seed in the league’s postseason tournament. Before Saturday, the Highlanders had dropped five of their past six games, with an average losing margin of 2.8 points.
“There’s a lot of parity in this league,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “There are a lot of battles in almost every game we’ve been in and, obviously, the game we were in with Riverside a week ago. It came down to the wire. It came down to the last possession. The teams are very familiar with each other.”
In the previous meeting, Dawson Carper’s putback was the decisive basket in the ‘Bows’ 56-55 victory. But it was an old formula — an attacking defense — that has recently fueled the ‘Bows. UH has expanded its rotation and options with the return of 6-foot-9 post Bernardo da Silva and 6-6 wing Samuta Avea.
Each missed five games because of injuries.
“That’s what we’re getting back to,” Ganot said of the defensive-minded approach. “I think the depth has helped us. Hopefully, that continues to go in the right direction. It allows us to get into a consistent 40-minute effort.”
John Montgomery, who coordinates UH’s defense, said applying all-points pressure was intended to increase the ‘Bows’ intensity. It was somewhat successful in the second half of a 64-60 loss to Long Beach State. “We looked at it this week as maybe that’s a good recipe for us,” Montgomery said.
In Thursday’s victory over Cal State Fullerton, the ‘Bows forced 22 turnovers that were parlayed into 18 points. In a game of limiting production per possession, Ganot noted the Titans lost 22 scoring opportunities. “It was successful for us, and maybe it’s something that will get us going moving forward.”
The ‘Bows continued that tactic of cramping ball screens and trapping the wings against Riverside, which prefers to play at a deliberate pace.
“They have a reason behind it,” Ganot said. “They can smash-mouth you inside.”
A slower tempo allows 7-foot-1, 276-pound Callum McRae to camp in the low post. When defenses collapse into the paint, it frees the outside shooters. The Highlanders led the league going into Saturday’s game with 241 made 3s.
For the ‘Bows, it originates with quickness, grit and conditioning. “We started in July,” post Zigmars Raimo said of the ‘Bows’ fitness program. “Every morning, we came into the gym to get better. We became better shooters. We became better dribblers. We became better passers. We played in open gyms, learning each other’s game. That’s what it took. Right now, it’s coming back. You can see it on the court.”
Raimo said it sometimes comes down to making a stand. Against Fullerton, Raimo absorbed two charges.
“I just want it,” Raimo said of inducing opponents into offensive fouls. “Our team wants it so bad. We talk about our goals and missions. We can’t accomplish those things if we’re not playing hard. Sometimes you have to put your body on the line. You can be scared and go away, or you can stand your ground and take the charge to help your team. Our team has been tremendous putting our bodies on the line to succeed.”