Gameday: Southern

Will he, or won’t he? (UPDATE) He will.

That’s the question surrounding Hawaii shooting guard Garrett Nevels, who pledged to play tonight vs. Southern University despite having to play with a tear next to the thumb of his right (shooting) hand.

Nevels had thick cast made up surrounding the hand to protect it before he goes in for surgery on Wednesday.

During warmups right now, Nevels is dressed to play, and will start. He’s been able to take jump shots effectively in warmups.

Some might question the wisdom of the move — exactly how much will UH need Nevels against SWAC teams Southern (Monday) and Prairie View A&M (Tuesday)? But Nevels was adamant about playing, and received the blessing of coach Benjy Taylor.

If Nevels can’t perform at anything close to his normal level, look for more time for freshman Isaac Fleming, and perhaps junior Brandon Jawato.

Point guard Roderick Bobbitt and swingman Negus Webster-Chan are recovered enough from their illnesses over the weekend to play.