It's Hawaii in Honolulu on Saturday

So who or what is Hawaii basketball this season?

Is it the squad 9-3 in non-conference contests (albeit with but two road games) or the team currently 1-5 in the WAC? (albeit with but two home games).

The answer depends on your perspective, your bias, whatever you wish to label it.

Coming over from an assistant coach spot at USC, Gib Arnold has taken over the reigns and quickly undertook a dramatic roster makeover -- by necessity. Greater talent was needed and there were quite the number of openings to fill. But two newcomers, freshman guard Jordan Coleman and junior college transfer backcourter Anthony Salters, have since departed, leaving the Rainbow Warrior guard depth quite lean. This is also a young and relatively inexperienced Hawaii squad.

Arnold hired one assistant with strong ties to Brazilian basketball so it will be interesting to watch if that connection pays off. He also hired a former D-1 head coach from the Chicago area to beef up the UH recruiting reach in the Midwest.

+++++

A key stat

Do keep in mind that in the last four WAC games, UH is shooting very poorly from three-point range:

* 29% against Nevada
* 17% in the Boise State matchup
* 20% versus New Mexico State
*21% in the Louisiana Tech contest

Will the trend continue, or not?

Plus, in conference play, the Rainbow Warriors are shooting 41% while allowing 43% overall to opponents, 25% to 36% from long range.

Another key numbers ratio in WAC action to date: Arnold's team is scoring 59 points a game but giving up 71.


The Rainbow Warrior Starting Five (numbers are for WAC games)

* 6-foot-10 Vander Joaquim -- progressing as the season goes on, he is scoring and rebounding more at 7.6 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, he is shooting 50% and has six blocked shots in the same number of games

* 6-foot-9 Bill Amis -- he missed a long stretch of games with a broken foot, came back rusty but put up a 22/12 double-double last game versus Louisiana Tech, averaging 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds a game, can face the hoop and play with his back to it

* 6-foot-6 Zane Johnson -- primarily a long-distance shooter, his 15.2 ppg. is tops on the team, shooting 44% and 35% respectively, 40 of his 65 shooting attempts have been three-pointers

* 6-foot-3 Hiram Thompson -- he began the season performing spectacularly but a back injury and major minutes on the court have lessened his numbers, scoring 8.3 ppg., shooting 39% and 29% respectively, he scored10.9 ppg., shooting 45% and 33% respectively in non-conference play, has 16 assists and 16 turnovers in WAC action

* 6-foot-1 Bobby Miles -- The freshman Miles wasn't expected to be playing all that much, let alone be in a starting role, scoring 2.3 ppg., on 43% shooting, with 6 assists to 11 turnovers, posted a 45 assists to 41 turnovers ration in non-conference action

Off The Bench

* 6-foot-7 Joston Thomas -- he has been a starter most of the season and may start on Saturday depending on how Arnold wants to play it, he's strong, physical and athletic plus he loves to attempt dunks, averaging 7.5 ppg. versus 10.7 ppg. in non-league games, shooting 38%, grabbing 5.2 rebounds a WAC contest

* 6-foot-7 Trevor Wiseman -- the freshman very athletic, an energy-type guy whose numbers have reduced of late

* 7-foot-0 Doug Kurtz -- the back-up in the middle, he can score inside, shooting 42% in WAC play versus 55% in non-league action

* 6-foot-4 Bo Barnes -- Another freshman who was banging in treys in the early going but his proficiency has really slowed, shooting 4-21 overall in WAC minutes with 19 of those attempts coming from long distance

Hawaii's bench has not been all that helpful since WAC games began -- is this a trend or an anomaly?


Hawaii's WAC schedule to date

12/29/2010 @ Utah State L 66-74

12/31/2010 @ Nevada L 69-86

1/6/2011 Idaho L 44-59

1/8/2011 Boise State L 55-79

1/13/2011 @ New Mexico State L 64-82

1/15/2011 @ Louisiana Tech W 56-48

1/20/2011 Fresno State


The UH Roster

Bo Barnes G 6-4 190 Fr.Bobby Miles G 6-1 190 Fr.
Zane Johnson G 6-6 210 Jr.
Bobby MIles, G, 6-1 190 Fr.
Pi`i Minns G 6-4 180 So. (walk-on)
Jeremiah Ostrowski G 5-9 175 Jr. (walk-on)
Hiram Thompson G 6-3 175 Sr.

Bill Amis F 6-9 235 Sr.
Dominick Brumfield F 6-8 215 So.
Joston Thomas F 6-7 235 So.
Trevor Wiseman F 6-7 210 Fr.

Vander Joaquim C 6-10 245 So. (Angola)
Douglas Kurtz C 7-0 265 Sr. (Brazil)
Davis Rozitis C 7-0 230 So. (Latvia) (redshirting)