UH makes big signings official

Hawaii just landed perhaps its largest signing class ever.

Not in terms of number of players brought in, but rather in sheer size of the recruits. The Rainbow Warriors gain players standing 6-11, 6-11 and 7-0 with the additions of Mate Colina, Owen Hulland and Dawson Carper made official by UH on Thursday.

The plan is still for Colina to arrive at the semester break (once he finishes up the Australian high school system) and sit out games the spring for a full go in 2018-19. Hulland and Carper will arrive in the summer.

Update: Here’s a quote from Eran Ganot from UH’s release, and below about each player.

“Today is a special day. We’ve added three high-level young men that will help us continue to elevate our program and set us up for sustained success over the long term. Certainly appreciate our staff’s efforts to bolster our size and versatility in the frontcourt. We love where we’re at and where we are headed with our program and we can’t wait to work with these guys.”

Welcome the #HawaiiMBB ohana Owen! #GoBows 🌈🏀 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/3RQTFypuyC

— HAWAII BASKETBALL (@HawaiiMBB) November 9, 2017

Ganot: “Owen will be a tough matchup. He has exceptional skill for a player his size, giving him the ability to play inside and out. He’s very effective on the perimeter with his range, his ability to put the ball on the floor, and his ability to see over the defense as a passer. Owen has been a bit of a late bloomer and it’s been fun to watch him grow as a person and player over the years. He’s hungry, more confident, and has an extremely bright future.”

Welcome the #HawaiiMBB ohana Mate! #GoBows 🌈🏀 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/YygNhM7F9K

— HAWAII BASKETBALL (@HawaiiMBB) November 9, 2017

Ganot: “Mate is a throwback big man who has really come into his own. He has terrific hands, a great feel for the game, and can really run the floor. He brings physicality to the position as a guy who can score on the block and be effective in ball-screen situations. He’s also really worked on his perimeter game and extending his range to be a three-point threat. With his tremendous work ethic and desire, we expect great things ahead for Mate.”

Welcome the #HawaiiMBB ohana @Dawson_Carper! #HawaiiMBB #GoBows 🌈🏀🤙🏽 pic.twitter.com/SAS0k3i76u

— HAWAII BASKETBALL (@HawaiiMBB) November 9, 2017

Ganot: “Dawson is certainly an inside presence with his sheer size and physicality, but he also has terrific hands and has great poise on the block. He is highly intelligent, sets terrific screens, and finishes well with both hands. He also has put in a lot of time into his conditioning. Dawson has made great strides and will continue to make strides with his strong desire to be great.”

My take: These three have the potential to remake UH’s team identity. Ganot always wants to play inside-out, even in UH’s guard-heavy lineups, so it’s no exaggeration to say that should happen more than ever come 2018.

Meanwhile, UH has doubled down on its commitment to Australian recruiting. Colina and Hulland are products of the Centre of Excellence in Canberra. They shore up what could’ve become a dried up Aussie pipeline if, say, Jack Purchase completed his career in 2018-19 with none of his countrymen arriving.

Carper, like Colina, is a true center and a potentially big get. Recruits out of Colorado (Colorado Springs in Carper’s case) have been relatively rare in UH history; there are only eight in program annals from the Centennial State. Jared Dillinger was the last.

This represents a shot in the arm for UH as it finishes up preparations for its 2017-18 opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday night. It’s a 7 p.m. blackout affair.

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Meanwhile, the UH women’s basketball team signed one player for next season, 5-10 guard/forward Myrrah Joseph of Carson (Calif.) High.

Joseph has experience playing a range of positions.

Coach Laura Beeman compared her to Destiny King in her quote with UH’s press release.