Snubbery. It comes in many forms, many varieties. It’s one of the most well-discussed aspects of sports that doesn’t even involve athletic competition. It’s when we get to critique others for their critiques. Put that way, it’s pretty meta. When
Snubbery. It comes in many forms, many varieties. It’s one of the most well-discussed aspects of sports that doesn’t even involve athletic competition. It’s when we get to critique others for their critiques.
Put that way, it’s pretty meta.
When the NBA All-Star starters were announced Thursday, the first thing on everyone’s mind was “who was snubbed?” (The correct answer is every guard in the West, since Kobe Bryant will be starting.)
But the snubbery for the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team is starting to reduce a bit. The ‘Bows (15-2) are off to their best start since the 2001-02 season and with last week’s pair of road victories, Hawaii improved to 4-0 in the Big West Conference. While they aren’t crashing the upper echelon of the rankings just yet, there has been a ripple in the system; a glitch in the matrix.
If you scan down this week’s AP Top 25 — further, a bit further, there! — you’ll see that Hawaii earned three votes. It’s the second straight week Hawaii has been in the same spot, so if the list were expanded to become the Top 35, the ‘Bows would indeed be ranked.
To be honest, I still think that’s a little bit low. UH isn’t getting much credit for their Big West victories, but their resume is continuing to look better and better. This week’s unanimous No. 1 ranked team — the Oklahoma Sooners — barely escaped Hawaii’s upset bid during the Diamond Head Classic. That was an impressive performance even at the time, but Oklahoma’s stature has continued to grow and guard Buddy Hield could very well be the National Player of the Year.
That was a game the ‘Bows could have actually won and a performance that will look great at the end of the season. It came right on the heels of the sanctions levied against the program, but Hawaii hasn’t let down one bit since that difficult week. Their spirit has remained high and their intensity may have even been harnessed in a more positive way.
Lately, it seems to be harnessing most effectively for Isaac Fleming. He’s been a lightning rod since his first day with the program and has had some emotional outbursts in the past, but he’s channeled all that into some great play recently. Fleming earned Big West Player of the Week, averaging 19 points on 48 percent shooting in the team’s wins over UC Riverside and Cal State-Fullerton.
The team has needed some additional punch with both the absence of Aaron Valdes and Roderick Bobbitt’s scoring dip after a hot streak a few weeks back. Fleming has been the one to step up most, as well as Stefan Jankovic, who averaged 18 points on 58 percent shooting last week.
The ‘Bows are doing all they can to stake their claim to the Big West and to also become more than just a national afterthought. They are one of just two remaining unbeatens in the conference, along with UC Irvine (5-0).
A win at home Saturday over UC Davis (6-10, 1-2 Big West) won’t do all that much to impress AP voters, but it should continue to ward off the high level of snubbery that’s just waiting to set in if Hawaii slips up even a little bit.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
