The curtain will raise on the 2024-25 University of Hawai’i men’s basketball season at 7 p.m. Friday as the Rainbow Warriors take on Life Pacific in SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The game — which will be televised live statewide on OC Spectrum Channel 12 and broadcast live via radio on ESPN Honolulu AM1420 — is the first of three for UH in the 58th edition of the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic. The Warriors will play San Jose State at 5 p.m. Sunday and Pacific at 7 p.m. Monday.
The opener on Friday will be the first time most fans will get a look at Hawai’i, which played its two exhibition games in Hilo on Oct. 25 and in Pukalani, Maui, on Nov. 2.
Adding to the curiosity is the fact that the Warriors feature eight newcomers and five new starters on Friday, after losing their top six scorers from last season due to graduation and one transfer.
The lone returning starter from last season’s 20-14 team is senior guard Ryan Rapp, who has been recovering from a broken bone in his left (non-shooting) hand and did not play in either exhibition game. He is not expected to start on Friday, if he even plays at all.
“We have a lot of new faces, and Ryan is one of our most experienced guys,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “He is not yet (primed) for this tournament, but he’s right around there.”
In Rapp’s absence, and based on the two exhibitions and recent illness, the Warriors’ starting lineup may look like this:
No. Pos. Name Ht. Class
4 G Marcus Greene 6-2 Sr.
2 G Tom Beattie 6-5 Soph.
5 F Gytis Nemeiska 6-8 Sr.
34 F Akira Jacobs 6-9 Soph.
32 C Tanner Christensen 6-10 Sr.
In UH’s 85-80 exhibition victory over Chaminade last Saturday, Jacobs led the way with a game-high20 points (with six rebounds), Greene added 16 points (with three assists) and Christensen posted 13 points and a game-high 17 boards. Beattie, who has been playing both guard positions, contributed 13 points and freshman point Aaron Hunkin-Claytor chipped in with two points and a team-high four assists in 29-plus minutes off the bench.
Life Pacific University is a small NAIA Christian college located in San Dimas, Calif., about 25 miles directly north of Disneyland. Its Fall 2023 enrollment was only 504, with just 369 undergraduates. In its latest outing, LPU lost at Loyola Marymount, 99-56, in an exhibition game.