New Players A Strong Suit For Rising Sea Warrior Team
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usSome things you guess at, some things you assume, and some things you just know. A breakdown of Hawaii Pacific University’s 2010-11 Men’s Basketball season follows:
At a Glance: HPU went 19-8 overall last season and 11-5 in the PacWest Conference under head coach Tony Sellitto, who retired in March. HPU athletic director Darren Vorderbruegge, who was the Sea Warriors coach in 2006-07, has resumed the head coaching duties.
Did You Know? HPU is the only school in the state to have won a national championship in basketball. The Sea Warriors captured an NAIA title in 1993 under Sellitto.
Star Watch: On a team stocked with 14 newcomers, Sea Warrior fans should remember the name Royal Edwards. A 6-foot-6 senior from Sacramento, he transferred from Division I University of the Pacific in the off-season and figures to be among the top newcomers in the PacWest this year, if not among the top players, period. His athleticism has been much on display to date, as he tallied 32 points on 13-of-19 shooting in an exhibition win over Tianjin University Nov. 13. In HPU’s season opener on the road last week at Simon Fraser, he led a decisive run that turned the game in the Sea Warriors’ favor and finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Fellow newcomer Nick Frazier, who also prepped in Sacramento, already has been golden for HPU in the back court. He scored 18 points (and had five steals) versus Tianjin in the Laie exhibition game and followed up that performance with a game-high 22 (including four 3-pointers) in 35 minutes against Simon Fraser last week.
Junior guard LaBrent Chappell currently represents the other half of what promises to be a solid back court tandem. He logged a team-high 37 minutes for HPU in the game against Simon Fraser and scored 22 points to go with a game-high five assists. He also converted nine of 10 free throws in that game.
Local Player To Watch:
Sophomore guard Kameron Steinhoff, a Pearl City resident and former Punahou standout, made the most of his red-shirt year in 2008-09 and appeared in 24 games a year ago. He posted six rebounds off the bench versus Simon Fraser last week and is a likely candidate to have a break-out year.
Must See Game I: At home versus BYU-Hawaii on Feb. 2. The Seasiders are the defending PacWest champion and return an All-Star cast, so this game could go a long way toward determining the league champ if HPU can stay within striking distance through the first round of the conference slate.
Must See Game II: At home versus Chaminade Feb. 8. Although a trip to McCabe Gym is never easy with the way the Silverswords have protected their home floor over the years, it’s hard not to view this game as a must-win for the Sea Warriors if they hope to remain in the hunt for a PacWest title. The matchup between HPU center Jason Jackson and Chaminade newcomer (and USC transfer) Mamadou Diarra in the middle may be worth the price of admission in its own right.
Must-see Road Game:
Versus Hawaii at Stan Sheriff Center Dec. 11. Landing UH on their schedule was a great coup for HPU, and this is actually an official game that will count for both teams. It’s the dream of all of Hawaii’s Division II schools to beat the Division I Rainbow Warriors. Can they make the most of this opportunity?
Game to be on Upset-alert For: Versus Carleton College at Blaisdell arena at 2:30 p.m. Friday (Channel 11). Carleton, which is a non-scholarship Division III program, won its first-ever MIAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2010, where the Knights fell to eventual national champion Wisconsin-Stevens Point by a point on the road. Head coach Guy Kalland is the all-time wins leader in Carleton history. It may be DII versus DIII, but the Sea Warriors will want to bring their “A-game” for this one.
Fearless Prediction: 18-10 overall, 10-6 in the PacWest.
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