(by Russ Blunck, former SID and guest writer)

One year ago in the Fall of 2020 because of the pandemic, the UH Hilo men's basketball team played just one game, an exhibition in December where they held their own against the University of Hawai`i.

In November of 2021, they are making up for lost time.

The Vulcans will open the 2021-22 season this Wednesday (Nov. 10) against the Rainbow Warriors. What happens next separates 2020 from 2021.

Second-year head coach Kaniela Aiona's team will play an unheard of six games in seven days, three of those contests against Division I schools. That grueling stretch includes three games in the Outrigger Resort Rainbow Classic, two games in Hilo against Simpson and a contest (with a day off inbetween, what??) on Nov. 16 against Alaska Anchorage at the Civic. 

The games against Hawaii and the University of Pacific (Nov. 11) will be exhibitions for the Vulcans, while the Simpson games (Nov. 12 and 14) count, as do the battles against Northern Colorado (Nov. 13) and Alaska Anchorage.

Coach, what were you thinking?

"When we received the invitation to the Rainbow Classic, we already had Simpson University scheduled in for two games that weekend and no wiggle room," he said. "When teams plan their trip to Hawai'i, I know how important these opportunities are to them, it wouldn't have been right to cancel or postpone.

"So the motto is Carpe diem - our guys are here for unique opportunities and this is one of those moments they will remember. We will test lineups, play deep into the bench, and work on our chemistry. We have a young team that will benefit greatly from this stretch. Hopefully it pays dividends as we prep for a difficult conference schedule."

When Aiona's team takes the court against Hawai`i, he will get his first look at a team with a lot of new pieces.

Only two starters return from a 2021 Spring team that had a magical 10-2 run in the Hawaii Pod of the Pacific West Conference, just missing out on posteason play. Additionally, there are six returnees with experience, seven when you count redshirt transfer Jaime Strong. Still, newcomers will play a big role in some key spots. 

But no matter how you slice it, the key to a successful season hinges on guard Darren Williams and swing man Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones. Williams, a 5-8 point guard, averaged 14.4 points last spring and led the Vulcans in assists (37), steals (25), three-pointers made (26), minutes played (33.8 per game) and free throw percentage (.83%). He was named to the All-Hawaii Pod team.

Tait-Jones, just a freshman, was named the PacWest Newcomer of the Year for the entire conference. He led the Vulcans in scoring (16.5 ppg) and was second in rebounds (8.5). He shot 50 percent from the field and led the squad in blocked shots with 14. He had a season high of 26 points and pulled down a monster 18 rebounds in another game. He was also named to the All-Hawaii Pod team.

Other returnees that add experience are guards Steven Hubbell, Anthony Haskett, Kia`i Apele, and Jackson Culhane, along with forwards Ethan Jetter, Tom Power, Payton Grant and Strong.

"The returning cast has the right mindset," Aiona said. "They are hungry to prove themselves versus the rest of the PacWest. I'm really excited to see our seniors taking ownership in this team (Hubbell, Haskett, Power and Strong). Aniwa and Darren both have their own unique leadership styles. No question that their continued growth in this area will have a major impact on the story of this year's team."

The Vulcans graduated PacWest Defender of the Year Jordan Graves and versatile post Sasa Vuksanovik, so that aforementioned group of newcomers will have to step in right away. 

Two freshmen from Milwaukee, Wisconsin have been impressive from the first day of practice. Donald McHenry (6-1 guard) averaged 38 points a game at the Milwaukee Academy of Science, and Max Kunnert (6-4) put up 19 points a contest and shot 58 percent from the field at Brookfield Academy. They will vie for starting positions. 

Kameron Ng is a name familiar to followers of Hawai`i prep basketball. He was the Hawaii State Player of the Year, helping to lead St. Francis School to a pair of state titles. The 6-0 guard averaged 25 points a game his senior year before spending a season and a half at the University of Hawaii. Two freshmen round out the roster and give the Vulcans some height in 6-10 Erik Borg (Norway) and 6-6 Emery Eberhard from nearby Honokaa.

"We return only two starters so our young guys will have an opportunity to compete for playing time from the jump," Aioina confirmed.. "Don and Max have already begun to carve a role for themselves. Kameron is fitting well into the system and gives us another great point guard option alongside Darren and Kia'i. Erik gives us a different look in the front court that we are excited about and Emery is growing by leaps and bounds every day. This has been a really fun group to work with thus far."

The Vulcans went 10-2 last year, which provided a bandwagon to jump on for local fans, if only they could have attended games. But you won't hear Aiona refer to it much.

"I mean this in a good way, but we haven't talked much about last year and we probably won't," the Honokaa native said. "Our focus is on being present, winning each day, doing our job individually and growing tighter collectively. Culture is everything. We want a sustained winning culture. The vision is to proudly represent Hilo. We are working on it."

UH Hilo was picked fifth in the PacWest Preseason Coaches Poll, higher than they have been in many years. Aiona and the Vulcan fans will learn a lot about this team with the tough November schedule, which also includes a trip to Hawaii to play visiting Lubbock Christian and two games in Alaska against Fairbanks and Anchorage before opening up PacWest play in Hilo on December 3 against tradition contender Concordia and powerhouse Point Loma (Dec. 6).

"We are so grateful to our Hilo basketball community, the PacWest and our UH Hilo administration for helping us get back to a sense of normalcy," Aiona added. "We can't wait for the chance to play at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in front of our fans and represent the community the best that we can."