HONOLULU — The 2022-23 edition of the Hawaii men’s basketball team got introductions both festive and formal over the last 48 hours.
Between a banquet on the floor of SimpliFi Arena and the team’s media day in UH Gym 1, the Rainbow Warriors were at their most visible with about a month of practice ahead of the Nov. 11 season opener.
The tipoff event fundraiser, a staple of Eran Ganot’s tenure at the helm, made its in-person return after a two-year pandemic absence; it was held only in a virtual format in 2021. About 500 diehards sold it out.
“The big deal is celebrating the start of the season, introducing our players to our fans, and raising money for some significant needs for our program,” said Ganot, the eighth-year coach who is coming off a third-place finish in 2021-22, the team's best since his first season.
Ganot told Spectrum News that the raised funds were still being tallied but that it’s certain to break the previous record total of 2019, about $150,000, by a wide margin.
Spectrum Sports play-by-play man Kanoa Leahey served as master of ceremonies for the Tuesday night event, and handled the live auction in lieu of ESPN Honolulu’s voice of Rainbow Warrior hoops, Bobby Curran, who is on the mainland awaiting a double-lung transplant. The Spectrum Sports sideline crew of Scott Robbs, Johnny White and Kawika Hallums introduced members of the team to the crowd with some Q&As.
There are 10 returners from last year’s 17-11 team — including a couple of rotation players who missed all of the 2021-22 season with injuries — and five newcomers to the program. Rob Jones, a former player under Ganot at Saint Mary’s and an assistant at UC Riverside last season, has settled in as the new assistant coach in place of Mike Thomas, who left after his rookie year on staff.
Zoar Nedd, the walk-on wing out of Kapolei High in his fifth year with the program, had perhaps the moment of the night when he performed on stage his deep-voiced impersonation of the methodical, straightforward Ganot directing the team on a road trip.
“Real fun. I’ve been waiting to do those impersonations for years now,” said Nedd, who said he has ones for the assistant coaches and some teammates. “It’s a real good event; I’m glad the guys who weren’t here before to see it in its full capacity got to see it last night.”
The next day, the team donned its black game jerseys for media day interviews and photos.
On both days, the team talked up its togetherness as a strong point as it hammers out roles and responsibilities day by day through the grind of the preseason.
Team captains were announced Wednesday as wing Samuta Avea, the sixth-year forward out of Hauula, and Kamaka Hepa, a senior forward in his second year with UH after transferring from Texas.
"Honestly, that was one of the best events that I've been a part of as far as a team and an organization putting something together," Hepa said of the Tuesday event. "It really instills more motivation in us to continue working hard."
Avea said he has recovered from the foot issue that kept him out during the first week of practice. He eagerly threw down some dunks for some photo opportunities.
While 7-foot-1 freshman Mor Seck remains the most eye-catching presence on the team, some of the most important battles to be sorted out will involve the team’s smallest players.
Juan Munoz, the 6-foot guard who transferred in from Longwood and missed all of 2021-22 with an injury, has picked up where he left off last preseason in vying for a starting job.
The seventh-year college basketball player said he’s been out of rehab for about a month and a half.
“I feel good, I feel excited to play,” Munoz said. “It’s just a blessing to be healthy. That’s just my main goal, to continue to be healthy. Just love playing basketball.”
Here's a collection of photos from the two days:
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.