Having lost three of their top six scorers from a season ago, a slow start was to be expected from the Rainbow Wahine, but I don’t think anyone expected the lopsided performances we’ve seen thus far. With Shawna Lei-Kuehu, Morgan
Having lost three of their top six scorers from a season ago, a slow start was to be expected from the Rainbow Wahine, but I don’t think anyone expected the lopsided performances we’ve seen thus far. With Shawna Lei-Kuehu, Morgan Mason and Shawlina Segovia graduating this past spring, Hawaii lost 26 points, 14 rebounds and six assists of production per game. So far it’s been a major struggle to both replace those numbers and find the chemistry that enabled coach Laura Beeman to lead UH to a 23-9 season just a year ago.
After a 4-1 start to the current campaign, Hawaii dropped its next four games by an average margin of 23.5 points, culminating in an 82-41 loss to Texas A&M on Dec. 4. Now sitting at 4-5 in the early going, the Wahine are back in action tonight at Sacramento State.
It’s not time to panic just yet. Last year also didn’t start out as successfully as it finished. Hawaii lost four of six early games to power conference teams including Cal, Stanford and North Carolina. This year’s defeats have come at the hands of Arizona State, South Carolina and BYU prior to the Aggies shellacking. They’ve managed to take care of business against lesser competition, but while the losses are understandable, the lack of competitiveness is the more worrisome trait. All four have been double-digit defeats and never really in doubt.
Conference play was when UH really developed its identity and that potential still exists for the 2015-16 season. But the Wahine are going to have to get some more help for Destiny King, who leads the team in minutes, points and steals, while sitting second in assists and third in rebounding per game. So far it’s been Megan Huff who has stepped up a bit, leading the team in rebounding despite coming off the bench in all nine contests. Huff acclimated herself well as a freshman last season and at 6-foot-3, she helped anchor the Wahine’s dominant rebounding prowess.
But Ashleigh Karaitiana may be the x-factor if UH is to again approach its recent success. She alone was responsible for 37 percent of the team’s three-point baskets last season, but she has gotten off to a frighteningly slow start from distance, connecting on just four of her first 26 shots from beyond the arc. For a team that already struggles to score and has no other proven deep threats, that inefficiency puts pressure on every other aspect of their game.
Last year’s success was predicated on defense and rebounding. Those traits can still carry them through once they gain some confidence in conference play. But that style can be problematic if facing large deficits. They’re not built to score points in bunches and a double-digit lead can feel insurmountable.
Hawaii should get back on a winning track tonight and then faces San Jose State, CSU Bakersfield and Pennsylvania before conference play begins on Jan. 7. That’s plenty of opportunity to regain their composure and enter Big West play on a high note. But these huge deficits aren’t something to just shrug off as a few off nights. If circumstances fail to turn around fairly soon, last year’s 14-2 conference mark could be a distant memory.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
