2 UH hopefuls at summer league

While many fans wait for the 2013-14 Hawaii men’s basketball players to arrive in the coming week and showcase their skills in the College Summer League, two players already in action are hoping to latch on with the Rainbow Warriors as walk-ons for the coming season.

Malik Fields of Jackson Community College (Mich.) and 2011 Moanalua graduate Wesley Armbrust (most recently of Division II North Greenville in South Carolina) are eager to showcase their skills for a chance at the Division I level.

Fields, playing for Clark Hatch Fitness, confirmed he met with Gib Arnold and the other UH coaches on Tuesday prior to his game against Central Medical Clinic. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Fields plays small and power forward. He averaged 9.8 points on 46.4 percent shooting with 7.4 rebounds in 26 games as a freshman at JCC. He said he ended up in Honolulu because he heard about UH’s meteorology program and is enrolled in summer school.

Fields said he was invited to the UH players’ open gym next Tuesday and would receive further feedback from there. “It was pretty good,” he said of meeting the coaches. He didn’t seem blown away by the coaches’ reception — it’s clear he will have to prove himself — but said “my confidence stays the same.”

Armbrust, the younger brother of former UH football player DJ Armbrust, said he hadn’t received an open gym invitation yet, but believes he has what it takes to make the team.

The 6-foot-1 guard didn’t record any official statistics (that I could find, anyway) at North Greenville before he came home. From what I’ve seen so far in summer league, he’s got decent speed and rebounds well for his height and position.

Both players would have three years of eligibility in the event they latch on at UH or elsewhere.

—————


Before the current UH players arrive, Central Medical Clinic and National Fire Protection have the early league lead at 3-0 apiece. CMC got 26 points from Kyle Pape and 24 from Bill Amis to rout Clark Hatch Fitness, 95-71. The nightcap was a much closer affair, with Jeff Greer leading NFP to a 85-79 win over defending champion Solar Universe. Kalaheo graduate Josh Ko had the go-ahead basket in transition in the final minute.

Fields went up against 6-foot-9 Amis for some of the first game. He held his own at times, but also picked up a couple fouls on the taller Amis late in the game. Fields managed six points in a blowout loss.

Armbrust had a few pretty plays for eight points for NFP, including a coast-to-coast drive for a layup.

—————

I’m hearing from a couple places that the possible extra game against Akron on UH’s 2013-14 schedule isn’t going to happen. The teams had been trying to work out a game on either side of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic but it apparently isn’t going to work out.


This could mean an extra road game for the ‘Bows around one of their announced trips at Missouri or at Northern Arizona.

Who knows, UH could still meet LeBron James’ hometown team in the DHC.

COMMENTS

  1. chawan_cut July 3, 2013 9:23 am

    are all the UH players back? I thought I saw somewhere that Fotu had problems leaving NZ and is delayed. I’ll probably stop on by on Sat and see who’s back.


  2. poorboy July 4, 2013 9:21 am

    Brian:

    Question: Since Gib has been here, has he always invited UH students to audition for team, i.e. open gym with the other players, as potential walkons? Thanks in advance!

    Thanks for update on possible walkons. Interesting how Gib and UH MBB program has athletes that are willing to walkon and be part of roster, despite paying their own tuition and working as hard as the scholarship athletes. Kudos to those guys.

    Michael Harper, Dyrbe Enos, Aaron Valdes. It is almost like the UH MBB team is developing a Walk on program, similar to UH FB team.

    That Malik Fields is an interesting potential addition. I think that is the size , SF/PF, that UH could use as an extra body to supplement, Fotu and Standhardinger, and complement Michael Thomas and Aaron Valdes. We shall see, any help for UH BB would be great.

    Mahalo for the updates Brian!


  3. poorboy July 5, 2013 9:35 am

    Brian,

    Maybe , I am looking at wrong part of sports online and in hardprint copy, for Manoa College Summer league scores and game high scorers. Will that information be in the Sports SA calendar/scoreboard, even if a day or two late?

    Mahalo Brian!


  4. Brian McInnis July 6, 2013 4:20 pm

    They’re getting in separately, so no, they’re not all here yet. Yep, Fotu got delayed a bit with visa problems. Unclear when he will arrive.


Comments are closed.