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

Scrimmage observations

By Brian McInnis on October 14, 2013

Stay dry, all. Weather’s looking nasty. While you take cover, here are a few observations from Saturday’s UH basketball officiated intrasquad scrimmage. >> The frontcourt can’t afford to sustain losses. If Isaac Fotu or Christian Standhardinger miss time for any reason, the rotation of bigs is in trouble. Standhardinger was out sick Saturday and, though he’s not the biggest of bigs at 6-8, it felt like a smallball session in Gym 2 (combined with Caleb Dressler’s continued absence due to […]

Two-day recap and roundup

By Brian McInnis on October 11, 2013

This seems like a good time to recap the last couple days of events in UH hoops. So, after what coach Gib Arnold considered the worst practice of the young season Tuesday — featuring his first five getting booted from the proceedings — how would the Rainbow Warriors respond on Wednesday? Pretty well, actually. Arnold called it the best session so far. The previously shunned five of Keith Shamburger, Garrett Nevels, Brandon Spearman, Isaac Fotu and Christian Standhardinger set the […]

No playing favorites

By Brian McInnis on October 8, 2013

With great playing time comes great responsibility. Hawaii coach Gib Arnold had seen about enough of his current first five — Keith Shamburger, Garrett Nevels, Brandon Spearman, Isaac Fotu and Christian Standhardinger — for lackadaisical play while working through a new offensive set in Tuesday’s practice in Gym 2. The five were excused for the last half hour or so of the abbreviated (roughly two hours) practice, then allowed in afterward to work on their game independently. Spearman and Standhardinger […]

Injury ins and outs

By Brian McInnis on October 5, 2013

Even at this early stage of the preseason, some wear and tear and taken hold on the Hawaii men’s basketball team. Center Caleb Dressler remained out with back tightness on Friday, and is doubtful to participate in the team’s first practice scrimmage with referees in the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday afternoon. Joining Dressler on the sideline Friday — also with a sore back — was point guard Keith Shamburger, meaning increased reps for Quincy Smith, Niko Filipovich and Dyrbe […]

Ex-UCR forward Fox visiting

By Brian McInnis on October 3, 2013

Apparently, Josh Fox wants another crack at the Big West Conference. Fox, a former forward at UC Riverside, is taking an official visit to Hawaii this weekend as a recruit for the 2014 season. He attends City College of San Francisco this season and would have two years of eligibility should he complete his associates degree on schedule. (Should he pick UH, there would be no penalty wait time for his prior affiliation with the Big West, because of the […]

Rainbow Wahine get started + UHMBB notes

By Brian McInnis on October 2, 2013

It feels right to have some semblance of equality again in the practice start dates of the Hawaii men’s and women’s basketball teams. This year, they opened up just a day apart after the last two years of the Rainbow Wahine operating about two weeks ahead. Laura Beeman‘s crew got under way on Tuesday in Gym 2 on the UH Lower Campus. Her no-nonsense approach was back in a hurry. Beeman played no favorites with familiar faces, getting on returning […]

And they're off

By Brian McInnis on October 1, 2013

The Hawaii men’s basketball team got under way with the first of 30 full preseason practices at the Stan Sheriff Center on Monday. “I thought the defensive intensity was outstanding,” UH coach Gib Arnold said afterward. “You could really see nice quickness defensively. And I was pleased with that. I don’t expect us to be perfect, but I expect us to go hard. They did exactly that; they weren’t perfect, but they went hard. … Overall I thought it was […]

Das Boom rules King of the Beach

By Brian McInnis on September 28, 2013

Christian Standhardinger was the favorite to repeat as “King of the Beach” champion today, for good reason. He’s got a ridiculous motor. He’s insanely competitive. And he’s a little sneaky. Well, that all came into play in the Hawaii senior forward’s narrow victory over the field in Saturday morning’s UH basketball preseason fitness competition at Queens Beach in Waikiki. Standhardinger edged senior center Davis Rozitis by a point, and redshirt freshman Dyrbe Enos, holding it down for the local boys, […]

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