During the 24-day winter break, the University of Hawaii basketball team had breakout performances.
Between the last day of final exams on Dec. 20 and Monday’s start of the spring semester, the Rainbow Warriors went 5-2, including a two-game road sweep, rediscovered their free-throw accuracy, and watched center Tanner Christensen and freshman guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor find their groove.
“We knew we could work out and more and make that jump during winter break,” said Hunkin-Claytor, whose ’Bows play host to Cal State Northridge on Thursday in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Tip-off is at 7:05 p.m.
When school is in session, the ’Bows have to adjust their practices to class schedules. During the break, Christensen said, there are “no classes, no distractions. Everybody else is home for the holidays and we’re out here playing basketball. That really brought us together. … All we had to do was eat, sleep and play basketball.”
After losing to Grand Canyon and Big West member Long Beach State on their first trip in early December, the ’Bows regrouped during the break. UH lost to UC Santa Barbara to fall to 0-2 in the league, then won its next three Big West games, including last week’s road sweep of UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton.
Christensen, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Utah Tech, began his first UH season as a two-way force. But then opponents repeatedly dropped a second defender into the low post. For the UCR game, the ’Bows crafted a counter plan in which they spread their offense along the perimeter, discouraging the Highlanders from doubling Christensen. The ’Bows also added a wrinkle to the ball screens, with Christensen, staying put at the top of the key, firing passes to cutters in the low post for layups.
In single coverages, Christensen powered his way for dunks or pivoted around a defender for layups. Christensen scored all 18 of his points in the second half against UCR, then followed with a 19-point effort against CSUF. In the latter game, Christensen hit six of seven shots; the ’Bows converted 22 of 25 2-point shots.
“It’s always nice when you see the first basket or two go in,” Christensen said. “It builds your confidence. You don’t really think about it. You go with the flow of the game.”
In the final period of every UH practice, each player is required to shoot 30 free throws. Through the first 14 games, Christensen, who is usually accurate from the line in practices, connected on 57.9% of his free throws.
In practice, Christensen said, players can make “20 free throws in a row, but when they get to the game, they’ll miss their free throws. That’s something I struggled with was making free throws.”
But Christensen was 3-for-4 from the line against UCR. He was 7-for-8 against CSUF; the ’Bows converted a school-record 36 of 38 free throws.
Hunkin-Claytor, whose father Mario Claytor played at UH Hilo, was a prized prospect of the 2024 recruiting class. UH coach Eran Ganot said Hunkin-Claytor was pursued because of his basketball skills, intelligence, decision-making and high marks on a key personality test.
“We get to the soul test,” Ganot said. “Does he love the game? Does he love to compete? Does he love being part of the team? And then the feel for the game, the instincts. He’s got that and then some.”
But Ganot said it “doesn’t happen overnight” for a talented freshman to earn minutes, that it takes steps in workouts and then in games.
Hunkin-Claytor said he gained playing time “probably in practice. I feel we have so many practices you could see a jump each practice.”
Beginning in the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic, Hunkin-Claytor ran the offense for 28 minutes. In the past five games, he has averaged 19.2 minutes, hit 54.5% of his shots, and assembled an assist-to-turnover ratio of 12 to 3.
Rainbow warriors basketball
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Hawaii (11-5, 3-2 BW) vs. Cal State Northridge (11-6, 3-3 BW)
>> When: Thursday at 7:05 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: 1420-AM; 92.7-FM
