Hawaii Warrior World

Formerly about Rainbow Warriors basketball, but now covering all University of Hawaii sports.

About the blog host

Brian McInnis has covered sports on Oahu full time since 2007, when he joined the Honolulu Star-Bulletin staff as a general reporter. He was the UH basketball beat writer from the 2008-09 season through 2017-18. Follow him on twitter @Brian_McInnis

Latest news

Gameday: Long Beach State + more

By Brian McInnis on January 30, 2014

Coming off a remarkable 2-0 road trip, one should expect a pretty good turnout at the Stan Sheriff Center for tonight’s Hawaii basketball game against three-time defending champion Long Beach State. UH (14-5, 3-2 Big West) was down forward Isaac Fotu in Wednesday’s practice for general fatigue, apparently, but coach Gib Arnold said he’d be available for today’s game. The ‘Bows dodged a bullet with Fotu’s hand injury in December (no games were missed) and his importance to the team […]

Gameday: UC Irvine

By Brian McInnis on January 25, 2014

Hawaii spoiled Cal State Fullerton’s homecoming night last season. Can the Rainbow Warriors do the same at league leader UC Irvine today? It will be a tall task. Irvine (13-7, 4-0 Big West) ranks among the national leaders in blocked shots, rebounding, assists and defensive field-goal percentage. UH (13-5, 2-2), however, has put up an average of 95 points in its last two games, including a breakthrough 90-73 road win at UC Davis on Thursday. Tonight’s ESPN3-streamed game (5 p.m. […]

The gates hath opened

By Brian McInnis on January 20, 2014

The doors opened up again for Hawaii basketball practice on Monday, coming off Saturday’s 100-69 demolition of UC Riverside. Whatever concerns existed about team focus coming off an 0-2 Big West road trip were apparently solved during a week of closed-door practices preceding the UCR game, because the Rainbow Warriors displayed a killer instinct against the woeful and overmatched Highlanders. However, fifth-year senior center Davis Rozitis missed that game for uncharacteristic academic reasons. The graduate student is a two-time academic […]

Closing up shop

By Brian McInnis on January 15, 2014

In a somewhat expected move, Hawaii coach Gib Arnold said after team practice today that the remaining UH practices this week would be closed to media and the public. Tuesday’s session in Gym 1, the team’s first coming off its 0-2 Big West road trip was also closed. Arnold has closed UH practices in the past three years when his teams have hit difficult stretches of losses, as well as during one preseason while new players got accustomed to things. […]

Mental block

By Brian McInnis on January 10, 2014

A mental block. That’s gotta be it, right? How else to explain Hawaii’s ongoing futility against Cal Poly, a team with inferior resources, facilities — and a case could be made — talent? UH’s 77-65 loss in San Luis Obispo on Thursday made it five straight since 2010 that the Mustangs have taken over the ‘Bows (albeit one that probably should have gone to UH, a controversial one-point loss in the BracketBusters return game in November of 2010). What’s your […]

That's a wrap

By Brian McInnis on January 4, 2014

Isaac Fotu put his “brick hands” behind him at precisely the right moment. The Hawaii sophomore was a man among boys in the second half of Friday night’s 77-73 thriller over Omaha. Fotu scored 22 of his season-high 26 points in the period, going 8-for-11 for the game and 10-for-12 from the line. It didn’t take a hoops genius to figure out he was far more comfortable at the line without the thick protective wrapping on his formerly fractured right […]

Gameday: Norfolk State // Spearman wins PoW

By Brian McInnis on December 30, 2013

The Hawaii men’s basketball team got some recognition to kick off its gameday preparation for Norfolk State on Monday. Senior guard Brandon Spearman was named the Big West Conference player of the week for his efforts in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. UH won the last two games of the tournament over Saint Mary’s and Oregon State to take the event’s consolation championship (fifth place) for the third time in four years. It was the captain’s first career weekly […]

Gameday: Saint Mary's

By Brian McInnis on December 23, 2013

Turnaround time comes at a premium for Hawaii today. The Rainbow Warriors had only about 20 hours to get over their 62-61 loss to Boise State in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic first round on Sunday night, and be ready for today’s 6 p.m. (7 p.m. in reality) game against Saint Mary’s in the consolation semifinals. You can bet the Gaels (9-1), featuring assistant coach Eran Ganot, will come out motivated after dropping a game they should have won […]

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