A long local Christmas tradition will end at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when Hawai’i faces Oakland for third place in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
For 14 of the past 15 years, the Warriors always spent the holiday in this tournament, on national TV. But it was announced on Sunday that the 2025 edition will be moved to Thanksgiving Week.
“I do love tradition, we all love tradition, but I’m not surprised by the volatility of everything (in college athletics),” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “It’s every phase of the profession, so why would scheduling be immune? As teams have gone to 20-game conference slates, start to play a couple (league) games in early December, then come back to league in late December … there are some challenges, probably. We’ll talk more about everything that’s going behind it (later).”
In the meantime, the Warriors (7-4) have an immediate challenge in front of them with Oakland, a team that is probably better than its 4-8 record might indicate.
The Golden Grizzlies, who hail from Rochester, Mich., are coming off Monday’s 80-74 overtime loss to Oregon State. Oakland had led by six late in regulation before fading late. The Golden Grizzlies showed balanced scoring, with forward Allen David Mukeba leading the way with 21 points, followed by Malcolm Christie (18), forward Tuburu Naivalurua (14) and guard Isaiah Jones (10).
Oakland also won the inside scoring battle, with 42 points in the paint, compared to 28 for the Beavers.
The Golden Grizzlies also limited Oregon State to 42.4 percent (28 of 66) shooting from the field.
“They’re a really well-coached team, coming off an NCAA Tournament year and a win over Kentucky,” Ganot said. “They beat Loyola of Chicago, who is having a great year, and lost a close one to Oregon State, who is having a great year. It’s a quick turnaround, it’ll be a battle.”