LIHU‘E — With no time to waste, head coach Gib Arnold has begun shaping a recruiting class he hopes will rejuvenate the Hawai‘i men’s basketball program. With three new recruits announced by the program Friday, the gem could be Washington,
LIHU‘E — With no time to waste, head coach Gib Arnold has begun shaping a recruiting class he hopes will rejuvenate the Hawai‘i men’s basketball program.
With three new recruits announced by the program Friday, the gem could be Washington, D.C. product Josten Thomas, who spent one year at College of Southern Idaho, leading the team in scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg). Arnold’s access and connections as the former head coach at CSI certainly helped in inking the talented youngster.
The 6-foot-7 swing man was considered a top 30 prospect out of high school by ESPN after averaging 32.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as a senior at God’s Academy in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Also joining Thomas will be Vander Joaquim, a 6-foot-10 center from Angola, and Trevor Wiseman, a 6-foot-7 swing man from Valencia, California.
“I’m extremely pleased that Trevor, Vander and Josten will be joining the team,” Arnold said in a UH press release. “We only had a few weeks before the start of the signing period and I’m thrilled to sign players of this caliber who are going to help build this program.”
Joaquim moved to the United States in 2007 and played two years of high school hoops before heading to the College of Eastern Utah for one season. He averaged 8.9 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Golden Eagles, who went on to finish third in the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament.
While still perceived as somewhat raw, Joaquim has the ability to step away from the basket and knock down open jumpers, making him a difficult matchup in pick and roll offenses.
The big man also has international experience, playing for the Angolan National Team in the 2006 Lusophony Games. He was selected to the Basketball Without Borders Africa camp in 2006 and 2007, after being one of the continent’s top 100 players selected by the NBA and FIBA.
Wiseman finished his senior season at Golden Valley High School with averages of 20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists, while being named Co-Player of the Year in the Foothill League.
He was named to the McDonald’s All-American Game watch list this season and will be showcasing his versatility in “The Battle of the Valley,” a California prep all-star game that will also feature the Warriors’ fourth recruit, Jordan Coleman.
Coleman was brought aboard during the early-signing period. The 6-foot-4 guard was named to the 3A All-California Interscholastic Federation first team, as was Wiseman.
UH finished the 2009-10 season with a 10-20 record, finishing last in the Western Athletic Conference at 3-13.
It will see five players graduate, including leading scorer Roderick Flemings (16.6 ppg). Brandon Adams, Paul Campbell, Adhar Mayen and Bill Amis will also need to be replaced, as the Warriors will be losing 36.5 points a night from a team that averaged 68.1.
Men’s volleyball topped in straights by Gauchos
The University of Hawai‘i men’s volleyball team dropped a straight-set match to UC Santa Barbara, 30-27, 30-25, 30-28, Friday night in the first of two matches at the Robertson Gym in Santa Barbara, California.
The defeat puts UH behind the eight-ball as far as hosting an MPSF playoff match. It needed to win both series matches to guarantee a home contest in the first round of the MPSF tournament.
The Warriors (17-9, 13-8 MPSF) will now need a win today, along with a loss by either Cal State Northridge or Pepperdine to earn one of the league’s top four spots.
The Gauchos (13-15, 9-12) remain in the hunt for the eighth and final spot in the tournament and will need to win today, coupled with a loss by UC Irvine.
Jonas Umlauft put away a match-high 21 kills for UH, while also equaling his career-high with five blocks.
