The Hawaii Swish’s first foray into the realm of professional basketball was a success.
Team owner Geremy Robinson scored 24 points and a youthful crowd of around 600 was on hand in the Blaisdell Arena for a 99-84 victory over the Yuba City Goldminers in the Swish debut in the American Basketball Association on Friday night.
The Swish overcame a 13-point first-half deficit to win going away.
“That was wonderful. This was a really big win,” said Robinson, a former University of Hawaii guard. “I’m so proud of my team. They stepped up. Imagine when they get some real experience — these guys are going to be great.”
The Swish, sporting Lakers-esque gold jerseys, are comprised of a mix of former UH and other college players. Derrick Braziel scored 18 points, Mark Veazey added 15 and Leon Ballard 14 in the victory.
“The crowd was excellent. It was more than I thought it would be,” coach Artie Wilson said. “I think we got excited and they played the music and they got energy in this building. My team really thrived from that energy.”
The Goldminers (7-4), rated No. 19 in the ABA power rankings, turned to their 3-point shooting to build a 13-point lead in the second quarter. But Robinson responded with a fast-break dunk that rattled through on 6-foot-11 center Wesley Wilson to energize the crowd.
The Swish rallied in the third, tying it on a 3 by Braziel and going ahead 64-62 on a steal and dunk by Robinson.
Veazey, a former Navy center, tip-dunked a miss by Miah Ostrowski to put the Swish up 85-74. After Yuba City pulled to within five, Robinson scored three straight buckets to push it back to double digits.
The Swish are scheduled to resume play at the Blaisdell on Feb. 28.
