I don’t know how good Hawaii is going to be this season, but after just a single regular-season game, one thing is clear: We don’t need to worry about Eran Ganot’s lack of experience as a head coach. Friday night’s
I don’t know how good Hawaii is going to be this season, but after just a single regular-season game, one thing is clear: We don’t need to worry about Eran Ganot’s lack of experience as a head coach.
Friday night’s season-opening 87-76 win over Montana State in the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic showed something pretty rare for any team, let alone one with a first-year coach. Hawaii was both frenetic and disciplined, showing much of the same feistiness as last year’s 22-win squad with an impressive amount of offensive understanding this early in the season.
Most of the time, teams have an identity for being an up-and-down group wanting to run opponents off the court, or a more fundamental team looking to out-execute. Hawaii wants to hasten the pace, but their offense has structure and everyone seems to understand their part in the process. When driving lanes were open, shooters were found. The ball moved side to side quickly but with purpose.
Two things are the biggest factors in that type of execution. One is having seven returning players who were all important pieces last season. The other is running an efficient system and implementing it thoroughly in practice.
Ganot seems to be a no-nonsense coach, but one who wants his team to play an enjoyable style. He came in with an understanding of this team’s strengths and was able to allow them to shine in game one. But the things that stood out most were the players’ comfort with the system and their offensive understanding. Even their out-of-bounds plays were run effectively, which is always a good sign for a coach.
Point guard Roderick Bobbitt is amazing to watch. He was the reason the team got off to such a great start, dishing out eight assists in the first half on his way to a career-high 14 for the game. Bobbitt also showed a much-improved shooting stroke, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. But his defense has been and will likely always be his calling card. He added five more steals to his career total and leads the team with a quiet confidence.
A handful of those assists benefited newcomer Sai Tummala, a senior transfer from Arizona State. Tummala was unconscious from downtown, knocking down his first five from long-range. He’s a good spot shooter with a lefty Lawrence Funderburke style stroke, but I don’t think we should be expecting many similar offensive explosions from the future doctor.
Stefan Jankovic, Aaron Valdes, Quincy Smith and Mike Thomas all played well, as did Isaac Fleming in some explosive bursts.
Hawaii ran out to a big lead and then played with a little less fire in the second half with the result essentially determined. That’s not unusual and the ‘Bows never let the lead slip below the final margin of 11, but I’m sure the second-half execution, or lack thereof, will be Coach Ganot’s focus as Hawaii gets set to take on Coastal Carolina at 4:30 p.m. today.
Overall, UH looked very good against an opponent with low expectations this season. The result may not be an accurate barometer for how they perform in the 2015-16 season, but the way they played gives plenty of reason for optimism. They were within minutes of an NCAA Tournament bid last year and getting back to that position will be a major challenge. Coach Ganot has the squad firing early, so anything seems possible.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
