Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
The University of Hawaii women’s basketball team departed for a 10-day trip to Japan on Tuesday with two exhibition games on the itinerary.
The program’s first international trip in six years will begin in Tokyo, where the Rainbow Wahine will play Thursday at the University of Tsukuba and Saturday against Tokyo Healthcare University.
UH will also visit Osaka, with a day trip scheduled for Kyoto as part of the trip.
“The obvious reason for the trip is for the team building and team bonding experience for these young women,” UH coach Laura Beeman said in a press release. “The less obvious reason is the experience they’re going to get in a different culture in a beautiful place like Japan, and also spreading the aloha spirit to Japan, because this is an amazing group of young women.”
Hawaii will take 14 players on the trip — 11 returnees and three freshmen (Danijela Kujovic, Rebecca Moors and Ritorya Tamilo).
“They’re going to get to know their teammates very quickly,” Beeman said in the release. “I think it develops confidence, it’s going to develop relationships, and it’s going to help to form a glue to our program that we’ll see in March.”
The program last traveled internationally to Australia and New Zealand in 2018.
Hawaii finished this past season 20-11 and won the Big West regular-season championship. The Rainbow Wahine made a third consecutive postseason tournament appearance, losing to Cal in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
