A fall-from-ahead loss in the Pacific West Conference semifinals could not shake Hawaii Hilo’s basketball foundation.
After the 74-69 season-ending defeat to host and top seed Point Loma at Golden Gym in San Diego, Calif., on Friday afternoon, upperclassmen Zoar Nedd and Cameron Wall spoke of their conviction that more opportunities will come for the Vulcans under coach Kaniela Aiona.
“All year long, the first guy on the floor to the last guy on the bench, we were all bought in,” said Wall, a guard from Folsom, Calif. “It’s special when everyone accepts their role and just roots for each other. We’ve been building up. Last year we were in this spot and we lost and this year we got one game further. I think we’re going to keep rolling and future Vulcans will keep getting better and better.”
Hilo (19-12), which won the program’s first PacWest tournament game on Thursday, tapped into its strong basketball roots that endured through a fallow period in the 2010s.
Kalique Mitchell scored 16 and Nadjrick Peat and Carlos Ramsey Jr. scored 12 apiece for the Vulcans, who led by 11 points at halftime and by eight with 8:51 to play. Ramsey, UHH’s second-team all-conference guard, returned from an ankle injury that caused him to miss Thursday’s win over Biola and played 23 minutes off the bench. He hit a step-back 3-pointer to get his team within 69-67 with 1:09 left.
“Hawaii Hilo’s a really talented team, especially if you don’t know whether Carlos Ramsey’s going to play or not,” Point Loma coach Justin Downer said. “We were trying to keep them out of the paint; we did a really bad job giving up 44 paint points.”
Mitchell stuck a putback to bring the Vulcans within a point with 19 seconds left. But Point Loma went 4-for-4 on free throws down the stretch and Charles Elzie III missed a driving layup.
PLNU (21-8) got 23 points from forward Wynton Brown and showed veteran poise with timely shot-making from its guards, Zack Paulsen and Coby Barnes. The Sea Lions will go for a fourth PacWest title in five tournaments against sixth-seeded Azusa Pacific on Saturday.
“We felt confident coming into the game,” Aiona said. “They made big shots they needed to make, and we couldn’t quite get enough stops there in the end.”
Nedd, a transfer from UH Manoa, enjoyed a meaningful role in his sixth and final year of college basketball. He scored eight points off the bench Friday.
He said he was impressed with the Vulcans’ team culture upon his arrival.
“It’s been a long journey for me,” Nedd said. “I’m just real thankful. I really wish we could’ve finished the season off with a championship, but the memories that were made with my teammates and the things that we did as a group this year will carry on for years to go.”
Hilo bids farewell to five seniors in Nedd, Wall, Mitchell, Drew Yezbak and Charles Elzie III. Point guard will be a particular offseason target for Aiona and his staff; the Vulcans have found success with junior college and Division I transfers.
Underpinning UHH’s success over the last three years – it did not have a single PacWest tournament appearance prior to that – has been a connection and understanding of the blue-collar community it represents. Aiona, a Hawaii Island native who was hired in 2020 after five years leading Menlo College, told Spectrum News that people about town are attuned to college hoops once again.
“First and foremost, whoever is on our team, we are an extension of our community,” Aiona said. “The people of Hilo accept and embrace our players no matter where they come from.
“Having good basketball in our town just continues to build more interest in the game,” he continued. “Back in the day, basketball was it in our town. And there’s a buzz and an energy that these guys and the teams before them have been working towards bringing back. That’s how the game will continue to grow in our community.”
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.