A prolific college-basketball rivalry will be extended when Hawaii and Utah meet in the Nov. 22 opening round of the 2018 Wooden Legacy tournament in Fullerton, Calif.
It will be the 60th game between the teams, the most of any UH basketball opponent. This also will be the third year in a row these former Western Athletic Conference members will meet.
“It’ll be a challenge right off the bat,” UH coach Eran Ganot said of the Thanksgiving Day start to the three-day tournament at Titan Gym on the Cal State Fullerton campus. “The exciting thing about the Wooden is being able to play close to home for some of our guys from Southern California. And the field speaks for itself.”
The other participants are LaSalle, Miami, Northwestern, Fresno State, Seton Hall and Grand Canyon.
The Rainbow Warriors will play UNLV, another former WAC member, in the Dec. 22 opening round of the 10th Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH and UNLV met in the second round of the inaugural tournament in 2009.
ESPN is a sponsor of the Wooden Legacy and Diamond Head Classic. All the games will be shown on an ESPN network.
“It’s consistent with our commitment toward exposure,” Ganot said. “The opportunity to get six ESPN games continues that momentum there. The exposure to our program, the branding of our program, the momentum, those are things we’re excited about, as well.”
Indiana State, Colorado, Rhode Island, Bucknell, Charlotte and Texas Christian also are competing in the Diamond Head event. Former UH assistant coach Jamie Dixon is TCU’s head coach.
Ganot also confirmed the hiring of Garrett Jackson and Dominic Drury as graduate managers. Jackson played at USC before transferring to Saint Mary’s, where Ganot was an assistant coach. Jackson, a forward, went on to play professionally in Australia.
“He’s a great up-and-coming coach,” Ganot said. “He’ll be a great mentor to our guys. I’m impressed with his character and his desire to be a mentor. His work ethic is outstanding.”
Drury was the head student manager at Saint Mary’s.
Graduate managers have taken the place of what used to be known as graduate assistants. They deal mostly in administrative work, although NCAA rules permit them limited non-coaching duties on the court.
“They’re a real big boost to our program to have them in the fold,” Ganot said.
