Vulcans host three to open PacWest season
 
Hawai`i Hilo (1-4) vs. California Baptist (6-1), Thursday, Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m., UH Hilo Gym
Hawaii Hilo vs. Biola (5-2), Saturday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., UH Hilo Gym
Hawaii Hilo vs. Concordia (6-2), Monday, Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m., UH Hilo Gym
Live Stream/Live Stats at www.hiloathletics.com
Radio broadcast on AM 670 KPUA-Hilo
 
Hilo Headlines: The Vulcans open Pacific West Conference play at home with three games in five days, against teams that have a combined pre-season record of 17-5. Conference favorite California Baptist visits first on Thursday, followed by conference newcomer Biola on Saturday and Concordia (Monday).
 
The Friendly Confines: All three games during this long weekend will start at 7:30 pm and be played on campus in the UH Hilo Gymnasium, the same facility where the Vulcans practice. The remaining home games (beginning January 3) will be played in Hilo's Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
 
Full House: After playing most of the 2016-17 season with just eight healthy players, head coach GE Coleman has a full roster at his disposal this season with 16 players to choose from. Included in that group are four players with starting experience, two NCAA Division II transfers that were starters at their schools last year, three junior college transfers, four players who were in UHH uniforms or red-shirted last year and three freshmen.
 
Cornerstone Four: Returnees that Coleman can count on are Brian Ishola, who averaged 15.5 points and 8.7 rebounds a game last year. Starting point guard Ryley Callaghan is back (11.2 ppg, 4.0 ast.), Randan Berinobis (8.6/6.2) and sophomore Eric Wattree (6.5 ppg).
 
Welcome to Hilo: Newcomers include senior guard Trey Ingram, who started the last three seasons for St. Martin's, averaging 12.6 points a game a year ago. Another Division II starter is Denhym Brooke, who put up ten points and seven rebounds a game for BYU-Hawaii. JC transfer Devin Johnson (Lower Columbia CC) was a First Team All-NWAC pick and senior guard Mike Golden (Ocean County JC) averaged nearly 20 points a game last year.
 
Northwest Tip-Off: The Vulcans began their season nearly three weeks ago with five games in ten days in the Pacific Northwest, against teams that now have a combined record of 19-9. The Vulcans went 1-4 on the trip, but the lone victory was especially impressive, coming against perennial GNAC power Western Washington, 80-76. The Vulcans hit six treys in the second half and nailed 13 of 14 free throw attempts to upset the No. 19 nationally ranked Vikings in their brand new building.
 
Ryley Rakes in Awards: Senior guard Ryley Callaghan was a key component in UHH's win over WWU, scoring a career-high 31 points, including 25 in the second half. He hit 11 of 12 free throws and 6-of-8 three-point attempts. In the two Viking Classic tournament games, Callaghan totaled 44 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and was named the Pacific West Conference Player of the Week. He was also selected to the all-tournament team and was named the UH Hilo Pepsi Athlete of the Week.
 
A Look Back: UH Hilo finished 10-16 last season and were 8-12 in the PacWest. Senior guard Parker Farris averaged 23.3 points a game and was a Second Team All-PacWest pick. The Vulcans played most of the season with just eight players.
 
Lancers, Eagles and More Eagles: Conference favorite California Baptist, playing in their final season of Division II before moving to D-I, is off to a 6-1 start. Their only loss came in their most recent game, a 93-88 setback to St. Martin's. Pre-season PacWest Player of the Year Kalidou Diouf is 6-foot-9 and averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds a contest through seven games. But the Lancers have four other players averaging in double figures, including Jason Todd (11.3/6.9) and Gabe Taylor (10/5), both Division I transfers from the University of Portland (Todd transferred two seasons ago). California Baptist has won all 10 games previously against UH Hilo, including last season's 97-56 setback in Riverside. PacWest newcomer Biola is off to a hot start in its first year of NCAA Division II play. The Eagles are 5-2, but all five of those wins are against NAIA or NCAA Division III opponents. But they do bring a five-game winning streak to Hawaii (they play Hawaii Pacific on Thursday) and are led thus far by 6-6 forward Levi Auble (16.3 ppg) and 6-4 guard Trevor Treinen (16.1). The Eagles lost four starters off a squad that finished 26-6 last season and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. Concordia is also off to a great start at 6-2, which includes wins over Chico State and Central Washington. 6-5 guard JT Roach leads the Eagles with 18.1 points a game. Concordia has won both games in the all-time series against the Vulcans, including last season's 77-69 Eagle win in Hilo.
 
Around the Loop: In pre-season play, conference favorite California Baptist has the best record with a 6-1 mark, and are ranked No. 14 nationally and second in the West Region. Concordia is No. 8 in the region and 6-2 on the year. The region's top team is Western Oregon (6-0), while UHH opponent St. Martin's is tied for fifth.
 
Looking ahead: After this three-game homestand, the Vulcans will take some time off for final exams before resuming play on December 9 with an exhibition game at Hawaii (Manoa). After that will be three more games in Honolulu, with a PacWest match-up at Chaminade on Dec. 16 and tournament games on the 17^th (Montana State-Billings) and 18^th (Tampa).
 
Head Coach Vulcan head coach GE Coleman begins his fifth season in 2017-18 as the leader of the program. Prior to arriving on the Big Island, Coleman was the associate head coach at Central Washington for six seasons, and an assistant with the Wildcats for another five years prior to that. He was an assistant for two seasons at Eastern Washington.