HONOLULU — Consistent challenges for conference crowns in March have meant perennial plaudits for the Hawaii women’s basketball team in October.

UH topped the Big West preseason coaches poll for the third straight year, it was announced Tuesday, as the defending regular-season champion Rainbow Wahine edged BWC tournament champ UC Irvine by a point.

UH received six first-place votes and UCI five.

Senior guards Lily Wahinekapu and Daejah Phillips were named to the six-player preseason all-conference team, along with UC Santa Barbara guard Alyssa Martin, UC San Diego guard Sumayah Sugapong, UC Davis guard Tova Sabel and UC Irvine guard Deja Lee.  

Led by that backcourt pairing plus eight other returnees, the Wahine have high hopes to avenge their shortcoming against Davis in the Big West semifinals. They were 20-11 overall and 17-3 in the BWC and had to settle for a spot in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

Thirteenth-year coach Laura Beeman touched on that during Tuesday’s UH press conference to announce full membership in the Mountain West starting in 2026. UH still has two seasons to play in the Big West before the move.

“I think all of the girls anticipated we could go 1 or 2 based on how we finished last year and what we have returning,” Beeman said. “They’re going to look at (the poll), we’re going to talk about that and then it’s get to work. We have a tough preseason again. It doesn’t matter what the number (order of finish) is in October; it matters what the number is in March. Our goal is to win the conference, our goal is to win the tournament, our goal is to get back to an NCAA bid. We were disappointed that that didn’t happen.”

UH returns 87% of its scoring. Wahinekapu (11.7 points per game), Phillips (10.8), forward Imani Perez (9.3), wing MeiLani McBee (8.3), center Brooklyn Rewers (6.7) and forward Jacque Davis (5.2) are all back, as is team assist leader Kelsie Imai. In addition, guard Jovi Lefotu, the sister of Wahinekapu, is back from a season in which she recovered from a knee injury late in her freshman season of 2022-23.

The Wahine face Hawaii Hilo in an exhibition at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium on Hawaii Island on Oct. 27, then open the regular season Nov. 7 at Portland.

The team will appear at the Rainbow Madness free introductory event at the Stan Sheriff Center at 1 p.m. Saturday. There will be a skills challenge and 3-point contest for the women’s and men’s teams, plus a keiki dunk contest, prize giveaways and an autograph session.

“I’m going to put on a show for you guys,” said wing MeiLani McBee, who will compete in the 3-point shootout against members of both UH squads. “I’ll come out on top because that’s how I roll and that’s how I play.”

2024-25 Big West Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.