A slice of Humboldt pie

Back in the 2015-16 season, UH Hilo made a guest appearance in the round-robin format of the modern Rainbow Classic, playing Montana State, which word had it did not want to play Coastal Carolina, a late addition to the field. That was it for the Vulcans; they obliged for that one game vs. the MSU Bobcats and went back to the Big Island, although they returned to play Manoa in a stand-alone game the next month.

Three years later, it looks like a Division II team is making a full appearance in the Rainbow — or at least for two out of three possible games — for the first time in the modern history of UH’s once-signature, storied event. The Humboldt State Lumberjacks have a Nov. 9 game at UH listed on their 2018-19 schedule, as well as a Nov. 10 game against Texas State.

Humboldt State would represent the second straight year an out-of-state Division II team was on UH’s regular-season home schedule. Last year, Adams State played UH in a stand-alone game outside of a Division II tournament that the Grizzlies were already playing here.

Credit to KKEA, 1420-AM’s Josh Pacheco, who first reported the Humboldt scheduling from the Lumberjacks’ end. UH has not yet announced any of its schedule outside of the Wooden Legacy tournament on Thanksgiving week in Fullerton, Calif., and the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Christmas week.

For what it’s worth, a non-Division I team playing in the Rainbow, before Hilo a few years ago, is not (completely) unprecedented dating back to the event’s start in 1964. The Hawaii Marines appeared three times in the ’60s and for the last time in 1971. The Army Redlanders appeared in 1965 and 1970. Subpac played it in 1964, 66-69, 1972 and 73.

Now, the Texas State listing is believed to be in error. Humboldt likely meant North Texas of Conference USA, which is listed on the schedule of the Portland Pilots for either Nov. 9 or 10 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

So, the Rainbow Classic field appears to be UH, Portland of the West Coast Conference, North Texas of C-USA, and Humboldt State of the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Strange times, indeed.

UH also had a game against Hilo slated for Dec. 8 at the Sheriff, at one point, according to the Vulcans’ schedule as recently as Monday afternoon, per Ferd Lewis, although as of Monday night it was no longer listed.

UH has played two Division II teams in the regular season four of the past five years. Lewis wrote on the subject in Tuesday’s print edition of the Star-Advertiser. (That’s a free link.)

The other announced game via opponent for UH is Northern Arizona of the Big Sky on Nov. 18.