Amis back at it

“He’s back!” decreed strength and conditioning coach Chris McMillian.

It was good news all around for the Hawaii men’s basketball team today, as senior forward Bill Amis made his long-awaited return to practice off a stress fracture in his right foot.

On Monday, Amis’ chances for this week’s two home games didn’t look good, as he missed that practice with strep throat and coach Gib Arnold sounded highly doubtful of his prospects for a return vs. Idaho and Boise State.

But the tri-captain was back in a big way today, and his presence was immediately felt in both morale and court impact.

“Good to have you back,” Arnold told him.

Though Amis was limited to halfcourt drills, fullcourt action is expected tomorrow in preparation for Thursday’s home game against Idaho.

He looked like his old self, blocking shots, hitting mid-range jumpers and crashing for tip-ins.

UH performed reasonably well for the most part over the last 10 games — the length of time Amis missed — but the Rainbows are unquestionably a better team with him and need the tri-captain for their best possible placement in the WAC tournament.

Meanwhile, freshman point guard Bobby Miles was limited to riding an exercise bike for the second straight day after getting some wisdom teeth pulled.