Big transition
POSTED: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Let the next evolutionary phase of the Hawaii big man begin.
Coach Bob Nash has had two years to bring in the type of post players he believes are best suited to the Rainbow Warriors' ideal up-and-down style of play. Speed and agility are prized just as much, if not more than brute strength down low.
As a sign of the times, the Rainbows have no true center this year. But several mobile forwards - Bill Amis, Petras Balocka, Paul Campbell, Brandon Adams and Ji Xiang - man the frontcourt and are expected to run the floor just as hard as Hawaii's guards and wings.
While last year's team (in Nash's first year as head coach) was at times caught between two generations of players, the Hawaii coaches now hope they have the personnel to match their preferred style.
In the halfcourt, Nash counts on the Rainbows' big men to keep the flex-motion offense moving. Crisp passes and screens at specific spots on the floor are required to keep things from stalling out.
It starts with Amis, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound junior and the team's lone returning starter. The lean lefty entered the program as a quiet sophomore under the tutelage of seven seniors, but now has shouldered some of the leadership vacated by their absence.
Amis weighs the same, but isn't as easy to muscle out of the way thanks to some dedication in the offseason.
“;Soon as the season was over, that was my main goal - to improve strength,”; said Amis, the top scorer among returnees at 8.5 points per game. “;Not only in the weight room, also on the court. I think it's helped me a lot.”;
Nash has noticed.
“;He's a guy who can spread the floor with his jump shot, has a nice touch around the basket, a smart player,”; the coach said. “;Probably needs to rebound a little bit better, but has shown this year more desire to go get the boards.”;
All signs have been positive so far, as Amis posted back-to-back double-doubles in the team's two exhibition wins over Hawaii-Hilo and Chaminade of the PacWest.
The coaches have also been pleased with the progress made by Campbell, who saw limited minutes last year. Strength and ball-catching were concerns after his sophomore season but the 6-10, 215-pound Canadian has made strides in both areas. Shot-blocking and offensive rebounding remain his calling cards.
“;He had a knack for being around missed shots and keeping them alive on the board,”; said assistant Larry Farmer, who works with the bigs. “;I think for us, this year, we need that and more.”;
Hawaii paired newcomer Balocka with Amis in the frontcourt in both games, and the Lithuanian responded by scoring in double figures each time. The 6-8 Balocka, who averaged a double-double at Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College, is the heaviest player on the team (250) and also the strongest in terms of lower-body strength. He also has a soft touch around the basket with either hand and moves surprisingly quick.
“;I think when it's all said and done, he will be one of the better big men that have played in our program,”; said Nash.
The wild card right now is explosive 6-7 JC transfer Brandon Adams, who has a 41-inch vertical and could be one of the most athletic players in the program's history. He awaits paperwork clearance after it was initially thought he would redshirt this season, but both Adams and his coaches want him to play.
“;He can run, he jumps, he's coachable,”; Nash said. “;He's everything you would want in a player. He's unafraid, he battles, he's a good outside shooter. He's relentless on the backboard and I think he's one of those guys who's just gonna get better and better and better. He's by far one of the more gifted athletes that we've had in our program.”;
Balocka and Ji both were accustomed to playing small forward before arriving in the U.S. While Balocka had high school and college experience playing the post in the states, the 6-10, 240-pound Ji only started playing inside this year. The native of China missed his first season with the Rainbows because of a torn ACL.
Ji, who has 3-point range, will be called upon as a deep reserve behind Adams and Campbell.
“;It'll take me a while to be a big man, I'm coming back to being a big guy,”; Ji said. “;I'm not really good at the post moves, but I'm getting there. I'll work my (butt) off.”;
Post
Returnees
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
| 41 | Bill Amis | 6-9 | 220 | Junior |
Appeared in all 30 games with 20 starts as a sophomore. ... Averaged 8.5 points and 4.6 rebounds, with team-best 40 blocks. ... Had three blocks in a game six times last year. ... Went for 20 points and six boards in best career game vs. Idaho. ... Posted double-doubles in both exhibitions vs. Hawaii-Hilo and Chaminade this preseason.
| 21 | Paul Campbell | 6-10 | 215 | Junior |
Played in 25 games as a reserve last yea. ... Averaged 1.1 points, 1.4 rebounds in 5.9 minutes. ... Blocked eight shots in limited time. ... Grabbed 10 rebounds with two blocks vs. Alcorn State. ... scored season-high six points with two blocks and two steals at New Mexico State.
| 12 | Ji Xiang | 6-10 | 240 | Freshman |
Missed all of last season with a torn ACL suffered during the team's Twilight Ohana festivities and redshirted. ... Averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds in 2006 at Zhengzhou No. 11 Middle School in China, where he played small forward.
Newcomers
| 1 | Petras Balocka | 6-8 | 250 | Junior |
Transfer from Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College, where he averaged team bests of 13.7 points and 11.3 rebounds. ... Teammates with guard Lasha Parghalava going back to their time at Pensacola. ... shot 50 percent from 3-point range. ... was selected for the Florida-Georgia Junior College All-Star game. ... played high school ball in McDonough, Ga. ... last name pronounced Ba-lowch-ka.
| 32 | Brandon Adams | 6-7 | 220 | Junior |
Attended Diablo Valley College (Calif.) for last two years. ... Was a two-time all-conference pick, led Diablo in scoring (13.4 ppg) rebounding (7.1 rpg) blocks (1.5 bpg) and field-goal percentage (56.4). ... Selected as MVP of Big 8 Conference. ... took first in California in the high jump in high school at 6 feet, 11.25 inches. ... is married to wife, Jessica.
