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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, December 17, 2009

UH hoops getting healthy for holidays


By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Brandon Adams

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Good health might be a generic wish for the holidays, but it is one the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team will gladly accept.

The Rainbow Warriors are about as close to being complete this week as they have been all season.

With starting forward Bill Amis' recent decision to redshirt the 2009-10 season, the 'Bows have 13 active players on the roster for the rest of this season.

All 13 were able to practice yesterday.

"Finally," senior forward Brandon Adams said. "We were down to like six guys at one time. Now at least we can have a full scrimmage in practice."

Just about every key player on the roster has missed time this season due to an injury, illness or suspension.

Several 'Bows are still battling nagging injuries, including leading scorer Roderick Flemings (leg), center Paul Campbell (back) and forward Petras Balocka (ankle).

However, all the players on the roster are expected to be available for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic next week.

"It's almost like we're starting a new season with this tournament," Flemings said. "We got everybody back, except Bill. I think we'll be better now, as long as we stay healthy. It'll be easier knowing who's out there, and we can show the other teams a lot of different looks now."

Hawai'i's last game resulted in an 83-58 victory over Chicago State on Saturday. The 'Bows are in the midst of a 10-day break between games, as the next game is scheduled for Tuesday against College of Charleston.

"It's a good time to heal, get guys healthy," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "And it gives us a little more time to sharpen our offense, work on our defense, put in some new stuff on both ends."

The main reason for the extended break between games is because the 'Bows — like the rest of the students on the UH-Mänoa campus — are taking final exams this week.

"These guys have to concentrate on their finals, make sure they take care of business in the classroom," Nash said. "The danger with that is how do you respond and stay sharp, basketball-wise. Obviously, finals week can take a lot out of you, so we need to make sure we don't drop off what we've been doing on the court."

The 'Bows will take a three-game winning streak and a 5-4 overall record into the inaugural Diamond Head Classic. They will play three games in four days, with the potential for all three games to be on either ESPNU or ESPN2.

"My mom and my grandma and my friends back home (in Dallas) are already looking at the schedule," Flemings said.

Besides Hawai'i and College of Charleston, other teams in the field are Northeastern, Saint Mary's, Western Michigan, USC, SMU and UNLV.

"The best part for us is we don't have to get on a plane to play in this tournament like all the other teams," Nash said. "Hopefully that works to our advantage."