For Tuesday’s bus ride to the airport ahead of its final road trip of the season, the Hawaii basketball team faced a last-minute scramble.
It needed to find storage space on the bus for a player’s luggage.
It has become an annual dilemma for the Rainbow Warriors, who are packed for what they hope will be a long road. For the seventh year in a row, the ’Bows are ending the regular season on the road — this time with games against Cal State Northridge on Thursday and UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.
Next week, the ’Bows will participate in the single-elimination Big West Tournament in Henderson, Nev., with the winner earning the accompanying berth in the NCAA Tournament. Once again, the ’Bows will remain on the mainland until their final game.
“We packed for the longest trip,” guard Justus Jackson said. “Hopefully, we’ll be out for a while, continue to keep winning, and go from there.”
Beon Riley, a multi-position reserve said: “We’re all packed very heavily because we expect the best. We’re looking forward to winning as much as possible, and going as far as we can. I’m packed for cold weather, just prepared for cold weather. I know it’s cold in California. I know it’s cold in (Henderson). It’ll probably be cold the next place we play as well.”
At 12-6 with two league games to go, the ’Bows and Cal State Fullerton are tied for fourth in the Big West behind 13-5 co-leaders UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and UC Riverside. UC Davis is sixth at 10-7.
“This trip means a lot because we can make our last run,” point guard JoVon McClanahan said. “We still have an opportunity to win the league. We have an opportunity to win some big (tournament) games in (Henderson). There are a lot of things ahead. The way the energy is going, I think it’ll be in our favor. We have to be disciplined.”
Bernardo da Silva, a 6-foot-9 center who started the first 29 games for UH (21-9 overall), did not play in last Saturday’s senior night because of an ankle injury. “We’re shooting for this Thursday,” da Silva said of his availability. “We’ll see how it goes. It’s day to day.”
Reserve point guard Kody Williams is available to play despite suffering a broken nose against Long Beach State on Feb. 18. He missed the game against Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 20. But three days later, he played four minutes in a victory over UC Riverside.
“All I have to do is wear a mask,” Williams said. “It shouldn’t affect my play at all. It’s unfortunate I have to have surgery at the end of the season. It is what it is. It’s basically pain tolerance at this point.”
For this sixth road trip of the season, all 15 UH players are on the travel roster, including guards Juan Munoz and Amoro Lado. Munoz has not played since suffering an Achilles’ injury during an exhibition on Nov. 3. Lado played nine games before suffering a leg injury in December. Neither is expected to play this week.
Williams said Munoz, one of three UH seniors, has provided guidance during practices and games.
“He’s such a motivational piece for our team,” Williams said. “It’s pretty awesome to spend time with him on this last road trip. … He gives all the guards guidelines. He’s so experienced. He sees things sometimes we don’t see.”
“To have them both on the trip,” Riley said of Munoz and Lado, “we’re just a complete team now. When you’re playing a game, it’s a lot different from watching it. They can see things we might not see, and they’ll let us know. They’re talking to us all the time.”
While the second season-long injury in two years has been “frustrating,” Munoz said, “I just want to put all my energy into (helping) the guys.”
Big West Basketball
At Premier America Credit Union Arena, Northridge, Calif.
Hawaii 21-9, 12-6 Big West) at Cal State Northridge (7-23, 4-15 Big West)
>> When: Thursday at 5 p.m.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1420-AM
>> Streaming: ESPN+
