The season started with promise.
The season started with promise.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo gave nationally ranked Western Washington a scare on the road. Afterwards, the Vikings told Vulcans coach GE Coleman that they’d see his men’s basketball team again in the postseason.
But that’s not where UH-Hilo’s season came to an end. Instead, it concluded Saturday night with a 88-82 overtime loss to Dominican at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium to cap a 12-14 campaign.
So while that was promise was premature, that’s OK, Coleman said, pointing out the Vulcans improved by five wins from the season before.
“As a head coach you want it all at once,” Coleman said. “But I’ve got to understand it’s a process, and we have to take steps to get where we want to be.”
When he arrived in Hilo in the summer of 2013, Coleman inherited a six-win team that had just four players. He quickly added three pieces in Yevgeniy Dyachenko, Dominique Campbell and Darnell Williams, and also welcomed Joey Rodriguez, who was signed by former coach Jeff Law.
“(Derek) Owens and (Lucas) Swanson last year, they started the development of setting a foundation,” Coleman said. “I think this team has done it.”
Everything appeared to be moving along well on Senior Night until the Vulcans hit a late snag.
Rodriguez, as well as Dominican’s Matt Hayes took over the first half with 21 points apiece. Rodriguez finished with a game-high 28, Williams added 15 and Campbell and Dyachenko had 10 and eight, respectively.
But the Vulcans committed three turnovers and Rodriguez missed two free throws as the Penguins (13-5, 10-10 Pacific West Conference) erased an 8-point deficit during in he final 3:05 to force overtime.
At 11-12, the Vulcans wound up ninth in the PacWest and three games out of a playoff spot.
UH-Hilo is set to return its top three scorers next season, including Tre Johnson, who is sure to garner PacWest accolades for his first season as Vulcan.
The 6-foot-8 forward was second in the league in scoring (17.6 points per game) and was sixth in rebounding (7.3). Junior point guard Vandyon Lockett came on strong and averaged 11. 4 per game.
“Van played well,” Coleman said. “The next step is consistency.”
Junior Darius Johnson-Wilson also scored in double-figures and gives UH-Hilo another inside presence. A fourth junior, Marcello Campbell, left the program midseason because of what Coleman called a coach’s decision.
Coleman said he would look to add six or seven players by signing day April 15, and his primary objective will be to add guards and to cut into the 78.8 points the Vulcans allowed on average this season.
“I think we’ve got to get bigger on the perimeter and better defensively on the perimeter,” Coleman said. “Shooting has got to get better on the perimeter and just the all-around defense as a program has got to improve.”