“Firefly Lane”? “Bridgerton”? “Cobra Kai”?
This week, Hawaii assistant basketball coach John Montgomery’s binge-watching choice has been Cal Poly’s recent games.
Montgomery’s assignment was to scout Cal Poly and then collaborate with the rest of the UH coaches in creating strategies for the games between the Big West teams tonight and Saturday night in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
“The last couple days have been pretty exhausting for me because I had to watch the last five (Cal Poly) games in league to get a really good feel,” Montgomery said.
It was deja vu for Montgomery, who prepared the scouting report for the initially scheduled games against the Mustangs. UH and Cal Poly were supposed to meet on Dec. 27 and 28, but that series was axed because of contact-tracing concerns surrounding the Mustangs’ program.
Montgomery also was the scout for what was supposed to be a two-game series against UC San Diego this weekend. Following UH’s comeback victory over UC Irvine last Saturday, Montgomery studied videos of UCSD in search of tendencies and schemes. On Tuesday, the ’Bows learned that instead of traveling to San Diego, they would play host to Cal Poly.
“The advantage of Cal Poly is I had the scout pretty much done, thinking we were playing them on the 27th (of December),” Montgomery said. “And so I had pretty good legwork done. I hadn’t watched any of their conference games. … Obviously, they’ve added stuff. But I had a general feel on their personnel, that kind of stuff. It was more like adding to what I knew and then refreshing what I learned a couple months ago.”
Cal Poly has a roster of polar experiences. Alimamy Koroma, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, is the youngest in a starting lineup of seniors — point Keith Smith, off guard Colby Rogers, wing Mark Crowe and forward Riley Till. In the past three games, Koroma is averaging 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. Till, a graduate transfer from Iowa, has connected on 52.8% of his shots.
But the Mustangs also have six true freshmen.
“They play hard, they’re well coached, they’re going to come in here and give us a battle,” Montgomery said.
The ’Bows are seeking to avoid offensive lapses. The ’Bows were scoreless for 11 minutes, 41 seconds against UCI before rallying to win in overtime. UH coach Eran Ganot said the scoring glitches could be traced to players drifting from the offensive flow or missed techniques.
But the ’Bows’ defense has remained efficient. They have been able to sag a second defender to help in the post. With a wide rotation of energetic guards and wings, the ’Bows have been able to apply more traps and full- and half-court traps. UCI appeared to be worn down late in Saturday’s game.
The ’Bows’ improved defensive play was apparent following a team meeting two weeks ago. Before the meeting, Big West opponents were hitting 48.3% of their shots, including 39% from behind the arc. In the past three games, the ’Bows have held opponents to 40.1% shooting, including 17.4% on 3s. UH’s rebounding average is 38.7 the past three games, up from 31.8 in the first five Big West games.
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Big West Men’s Basketball
At SimpliFi Arena
Cal Poly (3-11, 1-7 BWC) vs. Hawaii (5-5, 3-5)
>> When: Today and Saturday, 7 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports (Ch. 12)
>> Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM