Wahine tabbed fifth, sixth in Big West

The Hawaii women’s basketball team has some work to do to build its way back up to respectability around the Big West.

UH, coming off an eighth-place season (12-18 overall, 5-11 BWC), was picked to finish fifth by the coaches and sixth by the media among nine teams in the league’s preseason polls announced Wednesday.

“Based on last year and what we lost, yep, that’s about what I expected,” seventh-year coach Laura Beeman messaged Hawaii Warrior World.

Defending regular-season champ UC Davis and defending Big West tournament champ Cal State Northridge split the first-place prediction in the polls, but all first-place votes went the way of those two across the two polls. They are the clear-cut top tier with forward Morgan Bertsch (Davis) and center Channon Fluker (CSUN) back for their senior seasons. Fluker, the two-time Big West player of the year, has put up massive numbers against UH in her career.

Those two were named to the preseason all-conference team, along with Cal State Fullerton’s Daeja Smith, CSUN’s Serafina Maulupe, UC Irvine’s Jordan Sanders and Long Beach State’s Shanaijah Davison.

UH had nominated Tia Kanoa, Lahni Salanoa, Julissa Tago and Kenna Woodfolk for preseason voting coming off the graduation of All-Big West first-teamer Sarah Toeaina.

Salanoa is the leading returning scorer at 9.4 points per game, while Woodfolk put up 8.9 and Tago 8.8 in 2017-18. Kanoa had one of the highest assist rates in program history, dishing 5.1 per game.

You can see the polls here:

The #BigWest head coaches tab defending #BWT champs @_AlwaysFamily_ the favorites for the 2018-19 👑, just ahead of defending regular-season champs @UCDavisWBB.#BlackandBlue rivals @UCIwbb and @BeachWBB round out the top 4.#BWCWBB | #StartBig 💪🏀 pic.twitter.com/EgMeI4XCMO

— Big West WBB (@BigWestWBB) October 24, 2018

#BigWest media go with defending #BigWestChamps @UCDavisWBB to keep the 👑 in 2018-19, with defending #BWT champs @_AlwaysFamily_ close behind.

Seems like everybody agrees on #BlackandBlue rivals @UCIwbb & @BeachWBB in the top half.#BWCWBB | #StartBig 💪🏀
(corrected graphic) pic.twitter.com/WO5T3lzAuL

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— Big West WBB (@BigWestWBB) October 24, 2018