Hawaii women’s basketball watchers will learn pretty quickly Laura Beeman’s skill at serving up a tall order.
A daunting, front-loaded schedule featuring defending national champion Baylor will test the mettle of the first-year UH coach nearly from the moment her Rainbow Wahine step onto the Stan Sheriff Center court in November.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
2012-13 season
OCTOBER
26: Hawaii-Hilo (exhibition)
NOVEMBER
9: at San Francisco; 16: Tennessee-Martin (Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic); 17: Stanford (RWC); 18: Baylor (RWC); 23: Oregon (Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown); 24: Arkansas (RWS); 25: Oklahoma (RWS)
DECEMBER
1: Utah; 28: Long Island (Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Invitational); 2 9: Cincinnati (RWI); 30: Alabama (RWI)
JANUARY
1: *at Cal State Fullerton; 5: *at UC Riverside; 9: *UC Irvine; 13: *Long Beach State; 17: *at Pacific; 1 9: *at UC Davis; 24: *Cal Poly; 26: *UC Santa Barbara
FEBRUARY
2: *at Cal State Northridge; 7: *at Long Beach State; 9: *at UC Irvine; 14: *UC Davis; 16: *Pacific; 21: *at UC Santa Barbara; 23: *at Cal Poly
MARCH
2: *Cal State Northridge; 7: *UC Riverside; 9: *Cal State Fullerton; 13-16: Big West tournament, Anaheim, Calif.
* Big West Conference game |
And it’s not just about returning AP Player of the Year Brittney Griner and the Bears, who went 40-0 last season — although they will warrant plenty of attention in the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic on Nov. 18. National semifinalist Stanford also is in that round-robin tournament. Arkansas and Oklahoma come in for the Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown later that month.
All told, there are six NCAA tournament teams and six WNIT teams on the schedule released Tuesday as the Wahine transition back into the Big West Conference.
“A little disbelief when I first saw it,” Beeman said of her reaction to the schedule crafted largely by the previous UH regime of Dana Takahara-Dias. “Now it is what it is, and we’re going to attack our preseason hard. We need to use it to make us a better team, both emotionally and physically. That’s kind of the challenge we have.”
The 6-foot-8 Griner averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game as a junior. She’s already matched Candace Parker for most dunks during a college career with seven, and is just one of several huge factors standing between Beeman and an improvement on UH’s 11-19 record of last season.
“On the road I’m talking to quite a few people, and when I tell them about that opening weekend, they all kind of look at me and give me that look, and we all kind of crack up,” Beeman said. “Do I wish it was different? Sure, because it would be easier for the girls. But I also know the girls are excited to play the best … why not play them that first weekend at home? My biggest desire is that the fans will completely understand what we’re up against, and won’t put our entire season on our opening weekend.”
Hawaii opens the regular season Nov. 9 at San Francisco.
Even the first of 21 home dates, against Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 16, is somewhat imposing. UTM is the two-time Ohio Valley Conference champion and led the nation in scoring last year at 80.1 points per game.
UH is led by 5-foot-11 junior Kamilah Jackson, who averaged 13.2 points and 10.6 rebounds as a sophomore.
