UH hoops announces signings of 4 players
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
New University of Hawai'i men's basketball coach Bob Nash wants to emphasize defense next season, so it is quite fitting that his first recruiting class includes a couple of "steals."
Nash announced yesterday that four players have signed national letters of intent to join the Rainbow Warriors next season.
The four are: Paul Campbell, a 6-foot-10 power forward; Conrad Fitzgerald, a 6-4 wing player; Adhar Mayen, a 6-7 small forward; Kareem Nitoto, a 6-3 point guard.
"These are all guys who are long and rangy and can play multiple positions," Nash said. "I think are all capable of coming in and contributing right away."
"Those numbers are deceiving because it doesn't reflect how much he improved," Newman said. "His best basketball is ahead of him — he's still learning."
Campbell is originally from Toronto, Canada, and will have three seasons of eligibility at UH. Other schools that were recruiting him included Evansville, Winthrop and Kansas State.
Newman said Campbell weighed 190 pounds when he first enrolled in junior college.
"He's up to 215 now, and that's just through hard work," Newman said. "He'll come to Hawai'i as a sophomore so that gives him more time to grow and develop."
Nash said: "He's one of those big guys who can do a lot of different things. He runs well and jumps well, so I see him fitting in with what we want to do."
"He's not your normal freshman because he got that extra year at prep school," Nash said.
His grandparents live in Hawai'i, so he played with several of the current 'Bows at the NCAA Summer League last year.
He was born in Sudan, and moved to Texas with his parents when he was 7. One of his uncles is Manute Bol, the 7-foot-7 former NBA center from Sudan.
"His wing span is probably 7 feet — he's got long arms — and he's a better-than average athlete," Hill head coach Swede Trenkle said.
Mayen, who will have three seasons of eligibility at UH, was also being recruited by Texas-Arlington, Montana State, St. Bonaventure and Duquesne.
"He's a late bloomer," Trenkle said. "He is an absolute steal for Hawai'i."
Nash said: "Adhar can play anywhere from the 1 (point guard) to the 4 (power forward). He could be an all-conference type of player."
"He's a very unselfish player," San Leandro head coach Todd Peterson said. "He's a great defender and defenses have a hard time keeping him in front."
Nitoto originally signed with Saint Mary's, but changed his mind and was granted a release.
"I think the fans over there (in Hawai'i) will love Kareem," Peterson said. "He can be a real electric player. He's a steal."
Nash said: "He's a true point guard, which is what we were looking for. He could be the most athletic guy on our team in terms of speed and ability to run."
Albrechtson, a 6-4 guard/forward, averaged 16.6 points per game for state champion Kaimuki last season. Satterwhite, a 6-3 guard, averaged 17.9 points per game at Radford last season.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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