It’s been epic, UH-Hilo men’s basketball coach Kaniela Aiona said.
An “epic nonconference schedule” that is.
During an 18-day span, the Vulcans played nine times, visiting Alaska once and Oahu three times. They played three Division I teams, two in exhibitions, and beat the other one. They even took the top-ranked team in D-II down to the wire.
UHH has a 4-3 record to show for it, and so much more.
“It was a grind,” Aiona said. “We have a young team and we wanted to give them a chance to experience all of it so we could prepare for the marathon. We wanted to see a lot of different styles of play, because that will help us. These next two opponents each have a unique style of play.”
And now, hopefully, the payoff begins.
The grind continues Friday night when UHH opens PacWest Conference play against Concordia (4-4, 1-1) at 7:30 p.m. at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. The women’s game is first at 5 p.m.
This will be the Eagles’ third game in Hawaii. They beat Hawaii Pacific 71-54 on Monday and lost at Chaminade 69-62 on Wednesday despite 27 points from Wayne Arnold. That’s nothing new for the 6-foot-3 guard, who is averaging 26.9 points per game.
“They are really talented, and quick with quality players,” Aiona said. “Last I saw, Arnold was the leading scorer in Division II.”
Point Loma visits on Monday.
It’s the kind of stout start to conference play that makes Aiona appreciate the grind.