The University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball team has gelled quickly in preparation of the upcoming season.
On Wednesday, the team watched practice videos and ran drills to prepare for the exhibition game today against UH-Manoa at 7 p.m. on Oahu.
Five returning players and nine new faces were excited to be back on the court after finishing last season 14-13 overall and 10-9 in the Pacific West Conference for a sixth-place finish.
The incoming class features seven transfers and two freshmen to replace nine departures, three of them to graduation.
“This has been a good group to work with and they are fun to coach,” said head coach Kaniela Aiona. “They are enjoying being around each other and that makes everything a lot better for us.”
Aiona will be relying on returning sophomore guard and forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones and senior point guard Darren Williams this season as they come back as All-PacWest Conference Selections.
“We have a new group of guys, but we’ve gelled quickly and look good. I’m definitely looking forward to the season going forward,” said Tait-Jones. “I think a main goal for this year is having more of a power presence. We’re working on rebounding and communicating as a group. We’ve started well and have been training hard.”
Aiona is also working to make sure the new players step in and contribute to the team right away.
“We’ll rely on Carlos Ramsey, a transfer from Highland Community College, he’s a talent,” Aiona said. “In the middle, we’ll have returnee Erik Borg and new player Nadjrick Peat who will need to make an impact and have a productive year for us.”
While there has been a larger change to the team, Aiona is confident that the team is more well rounded this year.
“I think we have a little more balance this year. I don’t know if we shoot it all the way around as well as last year, but we’ve added more length to the team,” Aiona said.
“We’re rebounding and protecting the basketball better, which were things that hindered us last season.”
As the team practices for the first games, many of the players, returning and new, are focusing on hitting the paint hard to win.
“I am feeling the love and am ready to put on a show for Hilo and help get us a championship,” said newcomer Carlos Ramsey Jr. “The chemistry feels like it’s been there and I feel confident in my teammates and myself to get the wins.”
As Williams rounds out his final year, he will be working on leading the team and improving together.
“This is my last year of college basketball, which is interesting since it went by kind of fast,” Williams said. “With this being my last year, I’m focusing on winning and communicating better as a team. It feels great coming back.”
The Vulcans will return to Hilo to play its first home game against SAGU American Indian College at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The non-conference season will end with a home game against Alaska Anchorage at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14.
“One thing we’re all looking forward to having fans without restrictions,” Aiona said. “I’m hoping these guys are going to be able to get even more of a UH-Hilo basketball experience when more fans and families can come to games. These guys are definitely a group worth watching.”
After the first home games, Hilo will be hosting the Big Island Holiday Classic; a 22-contest slate involving 23 schools spanning seven days throughout November and December.
The Vulcans will be taking on the University of Central Oklahoma and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and Wednesday, Nov. 23. The team will then play Milligan on Saturday, Dec. 17.
Dependent on the result of the Milligan game, UH-Hilo will play the winner/loser of Central Methodist University and Valley City State University on Sunday, Dec. 18.
“There are a lot of women’s and men’s teams coming from the mainland that will be great opponents for us,” Aiona said. “It’s exciting to bring more college basketball teams to Hilo. It will be good for the community economically speaking and these are nationally well respected programs, which will be great for our development.”
As the Vulcans wait for the season to start, the team garnered 57 points and was voted to finish No. 8 in the 2022-23 Pacific West Conference Preseason Coaches Poll last week.
“I think we can turn some heads in our first game against UH-Manoa,” Tait-Jones said. “We got ranked eighth and I think that’s wrong. We have something and I can’t wait to get to conference games and show everyone what we’re made of.”
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com