So, Kamilah Martin, how tall is the tallest player you’ve ever faced?
The Hawaii women’s basketball junior forward mulled over the question for a moment.
"Mayyyybe 6-5," she said.
That will change this weekend, when Martin and her Rainbow Wahine teammates take on an unprecedented field in the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.
In order, UH plays Ohio Valley Conference defending champion Tennessee-Martin, No. 4 Stanford, and finally top-ranked Baylor, the defending national champion featuring 6-8 senior sensation Brittney Griner.
Stanford and Baylor kick off the tournament with a rematch of last season’s national semifinal at 2:30 on Friday.
First-year UH coach Laura Beeman was initially shocked by the difficulty of the nonconference schedule she inherited, but she also can appreciate the highest level of the women’s college game.
"To see some of the best players in the nation coming in, and playing against each other, and play in your arena in that setting, is tremendous," Beeman said. "I’m not going to be shocked by anything I see, but to be able to have Stanford and Baylor play against each other and watch how they battle, and to play against them and show our girls what that next level really is about, that is exciting. And I think it’s exciting for the fans."
JACK IN THE BOX RAINBOW WAHINE CLASSIC at Stan Sheriff Center
» Friday: No. 4 Stanford (2-0) vs. No. 1 Baylor (2-0), 2:30 p.m.; Hawaii (0-1) vs. Tennessee-Martin (1-1), 5 p.m. » Saturday: Tennessee-Martin vs. Baylor, 4:30 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Stanford, 7 p.m. » Sunday: Hawaii vs. Baylor, 2:30 p.m.; Stanford vs. Tenneessee-Martine, 5 p.m. » TV: UH Saturday/Sunday games on Oceanic PPV Ch. 255/1255 » Streaming Video: Friday’s UH game at bigwest.tv » Radio: UH Saturday/Sunday games on KKEA 1420-AM
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Baylor, behind the dunk-capable Griner, has shown no weaknesses in moving beyond its record 40-0 run to the title last year. The Lady Bears feasted on No. 6 Kentucky 85-51 on Tuesday. Stanford is similarly stacked with preseason All-American Chiney Ogwumike.
"As a player, you always want to go against the best, to see how good you really are," said the 5-foot-11 Martin, who had eight points and 15 rebounds in UH’s season-opening 65-52 loss at San Francisco last Friday. "I’m just excited for that, to see how good our team really is. Who’s better than Baylor? Obviously, they’re No.1 right now. So it will be a good experience for us, and I’m really excited to go against them."
Beeman said the Wahine would not employ any trick sets or defenses this weekend, as it would not help the team in the long-term. On Sunday, however, expect double- and triple-teams on Griner; UH’s tallest player is 6-2 Pua Kailiawa.
Point guard Monica DeAngelis said she’s played against Griner and All-American guard Odyssey Sims in club ball, and would not be wowed.
"We’re just going to come out and play hard, no matter who’s on the court with us," DeAngelis said. "It doesn’t matter what they have on their jersey. We’re just going to play and represent Hawaii."