HONOLULU — Having fun yet? As much as last season?
HONOLULU — Having fun yet? As much as last season?
Coach Eran Ganot and the Hawaii men’s basketball team are starting to, even if back-to-back late-game dramatics make their young coach age.
“I’m 35 going on 60, but you got to love it,” Ganot told OCSports on Wednesday night after Hawaii’s latest escape act.
Noah Allen reached a career-high for the second consecutive game, this time scoring 30, and freshman Leland Green drained a 3-pointer from the corner with under a second left as Hawaii edged Cal State Northridge 80-77 in front of a Stan Sheriif Center crowd of 5,304 fans, who witnessed a game that saw 14 ties and 22 lead changes.
Ganot’s new bunch may lack the bona fides of last year’s Big West champion and NCAA tournament invitee, but these Rainbow Warriors (8-9, 2-2 Big West) sure don’t mind going down to the wire.
“They stick in, they love coming back late, and they are poised down the stretch,” Ganot said. “Leland Green, he’s unbelievable. His poise for a freshman has been tremendous. It’s been coming on for a lot of guys.
“How about Brocke (Stepteau’s) decision?”
With the score knotted at 77 and the clock winding down, Stepteau brought the ball up court but stalled near half court, finally driving into the paint, cutting left and whipping a pass to Green in the right corner. Green, who scored nine points on three 3-pointers, launched a final 3 that ripped through the net.
Northridge missed a desperation heave from beyond half court as time expired. Kendall Smith, the younger brother of former UH point guard Quincy Smith, led the Matadors (7-11, 3-2) with 20 points.
In the final 2:06, the lead was swapped twice and there were three ties
Stepteau, a redshirt freshman point guard who scored 11 points and made seven assists, admitted that earlier in the season he might not have been able to make the pass that keyed the last possession.
“At the beginning of the year when I was playing a little bit, I was nervous, not trying to mess up, because I knew if I messed up I’d probably come out of the game,” he said. “As I got some more minutes, and we played some good competition and I held my own, that’s when I got my confidence up because I knew I could run my team.”
The biggest catalyst of late has been Allen, a senior transfer from UCLA who seems to have put his slump to rest. After scoring just 13 points during a five-game stretch, the 6-foot-7 swingman has produced consecutive career highs to retake the team scoring lead. He went for 25 on Saturday and hit the game-tying runner at the end of regulation, allowing UH to beat Long Beach State 114-107 in overtime.
Allen collected 12 rebounds against Northridge and his third double-double of the season helped Hawaii survive the absence of starting sophomore guard Sheriff Drammeh and the limited playing time for Jack Purchase, who was saddled with foul trouble for much of the first half.
“He’s been the man, and his leadership had been great,” Ganot said. “He plays defense, he rebounds. He’s special. The challenge for him is to keep it going.”
Winners of four home games in a row, Hawaii on Saturday welcomes a Cal Davis team that is coached by former NBA player Jim Les and led Chima Moneke, a 6-6 forward who leads the Aggies (11-8, 3-1) in scoring (14.7 points per game) and tops the conference in rebounding.
“(All games) are all tough,” Ganot said. “Jim does a great job and they have a lot of returnees. They have a big factor inside that’s done a great job for them.
“It’s going to be a great challenge, and we love challenges. Let’s go.”