Bolla, Wahine get to
know each other
The challenge for Hawaii first-year head coach Jim Bolla, associate Pat Charity and assistant Natasja (Allen) Odermann has been to get to know the capabilities of the 19 players on the Rainbow Wahine roster.
The reverse is true for the players, especially the 15 returnees, who have to adjust to new coaches and their personalities and a new way of playing the game.
The returning players are Janevia Taylor, Jade Abele, Trisha Nishimoto, Amy Sanders, Dalia Solia, Bryony Crouch, Milia Macfarlane, Callie Spooner, Pam Tambini, Brittney Aiwohi, Amber Lee, Brittany Grice and Alofa Toiaivao. Also back are Shannon Nishi and Amy Kotani, who walked on last year and redshirted.
The recruits are guard Saundra Cariaga from Kealakehe High School and forward Tanya Smith from Sydney.
There were 15 more players who tried out as walk-ons this fall and two, guard Emily Helmly from Northwest College, and Krista Pritchard, a guard from Clover Park High School in Lakewood, Wash., made the team.
"I like to give people an opportunity. We will only take 12 or 13 on the road, so my biggest concern is keeping them all happy. We have 15 on scholarship and they were all used to playing a lot in high school, but we won't be able to play 15 in a game. We'll use about 10 on a regular basis, but that 10 can change," said Bolla.
To help the getting-to-know-you process, every practice session is videotaped. That way, when the coaches tell a player she is doing this or that or not doing something, the evidence is on tape.
Bolla incorporates fitness training into most of his drills. He stated from the day he was hired that he wants the Wahine to play an uptempo game.
"If we have a jump shot drill in practice where you dribble to one side of the floor, stop and shoot, that is just like a fast break where you stop and shoot," said Bolla.
"If we don't have to run an offense, I'm happy because that means we are getting layups. I want our opponents to take a bad shot or a quick shot so we can get into transition."
Bolla only has two positions with the 1, 2, 3 (point guard, shooting guard, wing) spots being interchangeable and the 4, 5 (forward, center) being interchangeable.
"Jade and Dalia can play all five. When we break down in practice we have 12 or 13 guards and 5 or six posts," said Bolla.
His goal is to reach a point where he does not have to call plays from the bench. He wants his players to know his system so well that they can read what is happening on the court and run the plays with all the options.
"We will take what the defense gives us and the players will have to recognize what that is. I want them to know that when they get the ball, if there is someone under the basket to rebound, they can drive and shoot," said Bolla.
"On defense we want to run the clock, force a team to stop and set up so they take a shot that is not in their comfortable time zone as far as the shot clock is concerned. We're going to be used to getting a shot off in 10 to 15 seconds."
The Wahine play the alumnae Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center in a doubleheader with the men's exhibition against Hawaii-Hilo at 4 p.m.
Tickets for the doubleheader cost $17 (lower level), $5 (lower level, Super Rooter/Manoa Maniacs and upper level for students), $13 (adult upper level), $3 (upper level UH students).
