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From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper:
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Hawaii Coach Bob Nash has had two years to bring in the type of post players he believes are best suited to the Rainbow Warriors' ideal up-and-down style of play. Speed and agility are prized just as much, if not more than brute strength down low.
As a sign of the times, the Rainbows have no true center this year. But several mobile forwards - BillAmis, Petras Balocka, Paul Campbell, Brandon Adams and Ji Xiang - man the frontcourt and are expected to run the floor just as hard as Hawaii's guards and wings.
While last year's team (in Nash's first year as head coach) was at times caught between two generations of players, the Hawaii coaches now hope they have the personnel to match their preferred style.
In the halfcourt, Nash counts on the Rainbows' big men to keep the flex-motion offense moving. Crisp passes and screens at specific spots on the floor are required to keep things from stalling out.
It starts with Amis, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound junior and the team's lone returning starter. The lean lefty entered the program as a quiet sophomore under the tutelage of seven seniors, but now has shouldered some of the leadership vacated by their absence. "He's a guy who can spread the floor with his jump shot, has a nice touch around the basket, a smart player," the coach said. "Probably needs to rebound a little bit better, but has shown this year more desire to go get the boards."
The coaches have also been pleased with the progress made by Campbell, who saw limited minutes last year. Strength and ball-catching were concerns after his sophomore season but the 6-10, 215-pound Canadian has made strides in both areas. Shot-blocking and offensive rebounding remain his calling cards.
"He had a knack for being around missed shots and keeping them alive on the board," said assistant Larry Farmer, who works with the bigs. "I think for us, this year, we need that and more."
Hawaii paired newcomer Balocka with Amis in the frontcourt in both exhibition games, and the Lithuanian responded by scoring in double figures each time. The 6-8 Balocka, who averaged a double-double at Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College, is the heaviest player on the team (250) and also the strongest in terms of lower-body strength. He also has a soft touch around the basket with either hand and moves surprisingly quick. "I think when it's all said and done, he will be one of the better big men that have played in our program," said Nash.
The wild card right now is explosive 6-7 JC transfer Brandon Adams, who has a 41-inch vertical and could be one of the most athletic players in the program's history. He awaits paperwork clearance after it was initially thought he would redshirt this season, but both Adams and his coaches want him to play.
"He can run, he jumps, he's coachable," Nash said. "He's everything you would want in a player. He's unafraid, he battles, he's a good outside shooter. He's relentless on the backboard and I think he's one of those guys who's just gonna get better and better and better. He's by far one of the more gifted athletes that we've had in our program."
Balocka and Ji both were accustomed to playing small forward before arriving in the U.S. While Balocka had high school and college experience playing the post in the states, the 6-10, 240-pound Ji only started playing inside this year. The native of China missed his first season with the Rainbows because of a torn ACL.
Ji, who has 3-point range, will be called upon as a deep reserve behind Adams and Campbell. "It'll take me a while to be a big man, I'm coming back to being a big guy," Ji said. "I'm not really good at the post moves, but I'm getting there. I'll work my (butt) off."
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Hawaii Coach Bob Nash has had two years to bring in the type of post players he believes are best suited to the Rainbow Warriors' ideal up-and-down style of play. Speed and agility are prized just as much, if not more than brute strength down low.
As a sign of the times, the Rainbows have no true center this year. But several mobile forwards - BillAmis, Petras Balocka, Paul Campbell, Brandon Adams and Ji Xiang - man the frontcourt and are expected to run the floor just as hard as Hawaii's guards and wings.
While last year's team (in Nash's first year as head coach) was at times caught between two generations of players, the Hawaii coaches now hope they have the personnel to match their preferred style.
In the halfcourt, Nash counts on the Rainbows' big men to keep the flex-motion offense moving. Crisp passes and screens at specific spots on the floor are required to keep things from stalling out.
It starts with Amis, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound junior and the team's lone returning starter. The lean lefty entered the program as a quiet sophomore under the tutelage of seven seniors, but now has shouldered some of the leadership vacated by their absence. "He's a guy who can spread the floor with his jump shot, has a nice touch around the basket, a smart player," the coach said. "Probably needs to rebound a little bit better, but has shown this year more desire to go get the boards."
The coaches have also been pleased with the progress made by Campbell, who saw limited minutes last year. Strength and ball-catching were concerns after his sophomore season but the 6-10, 215-pound Canadian has made strides in both areas. Shot-blocking and offensive rebounding remain his calling cards.
"He had a knack for being around missed shots and keeping them alive on the board," said assistant Larry Farmer, who works with the bigs. "I think for us, this year, we need that and more."
Hawaii paired newcomer Balocka with Amis in the frontcourt in both exhibition games, and the Lithuanian responded by scoring in double figures each time. The 6-8 Balocka, who averaged a double-double at Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College, is the heaviest player on the team (250) and also the strongest in terms of lower-body strength. He also has a soft touch around the basket with either hand and moves surprisingly quick. "I think when it's all said and done, he will be one of the better big men that have played in our program," said Nash.
The wild card right now is explosive 6-7 JC transfer Brandon Adams, who has a 41-inch vertical and could be one of the most athletic players in the program's history. He awaits paperwork clearance after it was initially thought he would redshirt this season, but both Adams and his coaches want him to play.
"He can run, he jumps, he's coachable," Nash said. "He's everything you would want in a player. He's unafraid, he battles, he's a good outside shooter. He's relentless on the backboard and I think he's one of those guys who's just gonna get better and better and better. He's by far one of the more gifted athletes that we've had in our program."
Balocka and Ji both were accustomed to playing small forward before arriving in the U.S. While Balocka had high school and college experience playing the post in the states, the 6-10, 240-pound Ji only started playing inside this year. The native of China missed his first season with the Rainbows because of a torn ACL.
Ji, who has 3-point range, will be called upon as a deep reserve behind Adams and Campbell. "It'll take me a while to be a big man, I'm coming back to being a big guy," Ji said. "I'm not really good at the post moves, but I'm getting there. I'll work my (butt) off."
