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

Wahine roll out 2018-19 team at scrimmage

By Brian McInnis on October 21, 2018

It was no subs allowed at the Hawaii women’s basketball 2018-19 preseason Green and White scrimmage on Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center. Ten healthy players meant those 10 were going the distance of two 10-minute periods of 5-on-5 action (plus an impromptu five-minute overtime period) in the first real look that fans had at this year’s Rainbow Wahine. Fifty or more diehards appeared to greet the team. Seventh-year coach Laura Beeman said the quality of play was “a little […]

Football Throwbacks: Nevada

By Brian McInnis on October 20, 2018

Nevada has become a new-school football rival of Hawaii, though there are a few old school meetings in the head-to-head series from which to choose an entry for this week’s “Football Throwbacks.” Reno is the rare opponent that UH has played every year since the year 2000. In fact, Fresno State is the only other. (UH did not encounter San Jose State in the Warriors’ first year in the Mountain West in 2012, otherwise the Spartans would be on that […]

UH looks to seize own destiny

By Brian McInnis on October 18, 2018

The Hawaii soccer team’s long-awaited Big West breakthrough could soon go from farfetched fantasy to doable destiny. The Rainbow Wahine (7-5-1, 2-2 Big West), who are in a three-way tie for fourth at the midpoint of conference play, have a prime opportunity this weekend to set themselves up for a run at their first Big West tournament. If they can score a win or a couple of ties at Cal Poly (1-11-4, 1-3-1) on Friday or UC Santa Barbara (9-6, […]

Wahine size diminished before season

By Brian McInnis on October 18, 2018

The Hawaii women’s basketball team is parting ways with two of its tallest players at the outset of the 2018-19 season. A pair of 6-foot-3 players, Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard and Taylor Donohue, will not be available. The two were tied for second-tallest on the team, behind sophomore center Lauren Rewers. UH announced Thursday that Clinch Hoycard, a native Australian, is returning home prior to her sophomore season. In a UH release, Clinch Hoycard said, “I valued my time here at […]

Football Q&As: Eugene Ford

By Brian McInnis on October 17, 2018

Hawaii’s home game Saturday against Nevada is a crucial one for the Rainbow Warriors, who face a challenging back-loaded remainder of their schedule. UH (6-2, 3-0 Mountain West) seeks to remain unbeaten in conference play and gets another chance to clinch bowl eligibility coming off last week’s 49-23 loss at BYU. The Hawaii cornerbacks and safeties figures to be tested against the Wolf Pack (3-4, 1-2), who run the pass-heavy Air Raid offense. Sophomore corner Eugene Ford has 18 tackles, […]

Football Throwbacks: BYU

By Brian McInnis on October 13, 2018

Hawaii. BYU. You can’t ask for more of an interesting matchup than that when you’re plumbing the depths of Rainbow Warrior football history. The BYU boys have gotten the better of the series overall, leading 22-8, including a perfect 9-0 in Provo, Utah, site of today’s game between the teams. Could fortunes change there today (4:15 p.m. kickoff, ESPN2) for a 6-1 UH team? We shall see. Would you believe UH once led the series 4-1? But then came the […]

Fun and games in Gym I

By Brian McInnis on October 12, 2018

Drew Buggs flipped a layup up and in on a give-and-go sequence moments after he’d found Zigmars Raimo on a nice dime for an inside bucket. The Hawaii point guard flashed a smile that suggested he was thoroughly enjoying himself near the tail end of yet another grueling practice in the sweaty confines of Gym I. It was the 10th practice, in fact, which put UH at about one-third of the way through the 2018-19 preseason. Until a handful of […]

Wahine hoops reeling ’em in

By Brian McInnis on October 9, 2018

If you’re a basketball player and you’ve got a college commitment to announce, Twitter is very much the place to do it these days. On Tuesday, the fourth — fourth — girls hoops player of the offseason/preseason announced a verbal commitment to join the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine for 2019-20. It was Naenae Calhoun, a 5-foot-4 point guard at JW North High in Riverside, Calif. Her full name is Tyzajahanae Fuller-Calhoun. I am proud to say I have verbally comitted to the University […]

Court Sense