A few days out from signing day, the spring transactions have begun for the Hawaii basketball team.
Rainbow Warriors freshmen Manroop Clair and Ozren Pavlovic will not return for their sophomore seasons, UH coach Gib Arnold confirmed Saturday. But the same night the Warriors picked up a commitment from touted Missouri transfer Negus Webster-Chan, team sources confirmed.
Webster-Chan, of Ontario, Canada, played in 32 contests as a freshman for the Tigers, starting six games. He averaged 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.5 minutes. He connected on 16 of 59 3-pointers (27.1) percent), but has the ability to play several positions, including point guard. He is 6 feet 7 and weighs 200. He’ll have to sit out a year, then will have three years of eligibility.
UH was the only school Webster-Chan visited (this weekend) since he requested his release from Mizzou — a 23-11 NCAA Tournament team — at the start of the month. Arnold can’t comment on Webster-Chan until his National Letter of Intent paperwork is received. The signing period opens Wednesday.
As for the departures, Clair and Pavlovic are the extent of movement among players eligible to return — for now. Graduating junior center Davis Rozitis is undecided on returning for his senior season.
Clair was granted a release to transfer to Seattle University, close to his native British Columbia, while Pavlovic will pursue a pro career in his native Croatia.
Both players were brought in as shooters, but neither found his stroke as a reserve in 2012-13. They were also tried out at point guard, not their traditional positions but one at which the Rainbow Warriors had a need.
The 6-foot-2 Clair started six games, including four during a five-game stretch in late December and early January.
He had his best game on the second day of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, scoring 15 points with five assists. For the season, he averaged 2.4 points in 11.5 minutes per game. He shot 28.3 percent from long range and 31 percent overall.
Clair played 22 minutes in UH’s Big West tournament loss to UC Irvine, and started the season-ending loss to Air Force in the CIT, giving some credence (however briefly) to thoughts that he might be back.
"I really appreciate all that UH and the coaching staff has done for me," Clair said in a statement. "I had a great experience here, learned a lot. Coach Gib was a big part in my development and I just feel the need to be close to home and being there for my family."
Arnold sent in a statement to the Star-Advertiser: "I support his decision to be closer to his family. I really like Manroop and want what is best for him. I believe at Seattle U he will not only be closer to his family but find a program where he will be able play more. I wish him all the best."
Pavlovic, a 6-foot-8 swingman, peaked early in Big West play; he had a season-high 13 points with four assists in a home win over Pacific on Jan. 17. He received his lone start of the season the next game against UC Davis, but struggled and would not receive more than 10 minutes in a contest the rest of the way. He shot 27 percent from the field and 25 percent on 3s, but converted 17 of 19 free-throw attempts (89.5 percent).
Pavlovic fell out of favor late in the season; he was left off the team’s final regular-season road trip for what Arnold at the time called academic reasons.
He traveled to the Big West tournament but did not play. The last action he saw was in the BracketBusters game against Northern Arizona on Feb. 23.
"I believe that Ozi will make a great pro as he continues to mature and develop," Arnold said. "He had the opportunity to turn pro during our season but after conversations decided to stay throughout the year to support our team and to finish this school year strongly. I appreciate his efforts both on the court and in the class room."
Pavlovic said: "I really enjoyed my time here and I got to know the culture of Hawaii. After receiving an offer from a pro team I decided to take advantage of it. Hawaii will always be special to me. I want to thank my coaches and teammates and fans for all the support."
Arnold noted that 40 percent of men’s college players transfer before their junior year, and that several of the best players on the 2012-13 roster started their careers at other D-I schools. He also said neither player’s departure would harm the team’s APR if they ended the spring semester strong academically. The NCAA will release teams’ APR rates later this offseason.
