Much on the Line for Vulcans During Final Homestand
Saturday, Feb. 20 vs. Chaminade (3-3), 4 pm, Vulcan Gymnasium
Sunday, Feb. 21 vs. Chaminade, 3 pm, Vulcan Gymnasium
Wednesday, Feb. 24 vs. Hawai`i Pacific (2-6), 5:30 pm, Vulcan Gymnasium
Thursday, Feb. 25 vs. Hawai`i Pacific, 3 pm, Vulcan Gymnasium

Home Sweet Home: Four games in six days, all in the friendly confines of Vulcan Gymnasium is what is next for the UH Hilo men's basketball team. The Vulcans, 5-1, lead the Hawai`i Pod at the halfway point and these next four games will play a pivotal role in the Hawaii championship. Additionally, postseason play is on the line for the Vulcans....

So You're Saying There is a Chance: The first official NCAA west region listing came out this week, and the Vulcans are in the mix. "Listing" is the correct word, as there is not a ranking per say but only a list of eight teams "under consideration" for six playoff spots. Another listing will come out next week, with the NCAA selection committee making their final choices on Sunday, March 7.

Rockies Westward: The NCAA also announced a restructured regional bracket, to better equalize the number of teams in each region across the country. With the CCAA opting out of basketball this year, the new west region includes teams from the PacWest (10), the GNAC (three teams this year) and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), which has 14 teams playing this winter. The host site has been predetermined, with the regional tournament being hosted March 13-16 in Golden, Colorado at Colorado School of Mines. Here follows, in alphabetical order, the eight teams currently under consideration for six spots in the regional tournament. Records listed are against Division II schools only. Biola (5-2), Colorado Mesa (14-1), Colorado School of Mines (12-0), Fresno Pacific (4-0), Hawaii Hilo (5-1), Metro State-Denver (7-6), Northwest Nazarene (7-1), Point Loma (5-0). 

Vulcans on Video: Because of Hawai`i County protocols and for the safety of players, coaches and fans, only essential personnel will be allowed in Vulcan Gymnasium. But fans around the world can watch live via video stream through the Vulcans website at hiloathletics.com. The link to the broadcast will be on the website's schedule page 24-48 hours before the contest. The cost will be $10 per game. For more information, click here.

Well Rested Vulcans Host Silveswords, Sharks: The Vulcans haven't played since defeating Hawaii Pacific on Feb. 7 (71-62), but they will make up for lost time with a brutal four games in six days. They will start by hosting Chaminade on Saturday and Sunday, whom they split with on Oahu last month, following by a Shark visit on Wednesday and Thursday (Feb. 24-25). The Vulcans are 4-0 against HPU this year, but the Sharks have started to right the ship with back-to-back victories over Chaminade in the last week to improve to 2-6. 

By the Numbers: The Vulcans are a balanced group with three players averaging double figures in scoring. 6-foot-10 post Sasa Vuksanovic paces the team with a double-double per game at 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds a contest. Freshman Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is next with 16.7 points an encounter and 8.2 rebounds. Point guard Darren Williams averages 14 points, just over three assists and two steals a game and is shooting 80 percent from the free throw line. Senior Jordan Graves leads the team in assists with 21 and averages an even seven points. 

Opponent Outlook: Yesterday (Wednesday) Hawaii Pacific topped Chaminade for the second time in a week, 81-77. That evened up the Silverswords record at 3-3. Isaac Amaral-Artharee, last year's PacWest Freshman of the Year, paces his team with 18 points a game, followed closely by Hawaii transfer Jessiya Villa at 15.3 points a game and 4.2 assists a contest. Sharpshooting Kevin Kremer adds 14 points a game, is shooting 44 percent from three-point range and has 8.5 boards a contest. Back the end of January on Oahu, the Silverswords pounded the Vulcans 97-76 and then lost to UHH the following night, 69-68. Hawaii Pacific also lost to Chaminade on Feb. 12 in lopsided fashion (113-80), only to turn around the next night and knock off the Silverswords for their first win of the season, 83-80. 5-10 guard David Rowlands remains HPU's leading scorer (15.9) and has 20 three-pointers made, but Rodney Hounshell has been a force lately for the Sharks. He has scored 22 and 18 points in his last two outings, boosting his average to 12.8. Lachlan Viney adds 12.6 points and Jacob Foy is in double figures at 10.6 ppg. 

Series Snapshot: With the split in 2021, Chaminade still leads the all-time series versus UHH 69-45. Despite a 4-0 mark thus far versus the Sharks, Hawaii Pacific still leads the all-time series versus the Vulcans, 61-58.

National Notice: The Vulcans were "among others receiving votes" in this week's D2SIDA Men's Basketball Media Poll. Teams in the new west region that were ranked included No. 3 Colorado Mines, No. 9 Point Loma, No. 14 Northwest Nazarene, No. 20 Colorado Mesa and the Vulcans.

Around the Loop: The Vulcans lead the Hawaii Pod (5-1) and Fresno Pacific leads the NorCal Pod at 3-0 (4-4 overall). Point Loma paces the SoCal Pod at 4-0 (5-0 overall). Biola is right behind the Sea Lions at 5-1. Point Loma plays Biola this weekend, while Concordia and Azusa Pacific face off twice. Academy of Art and Fresno Pacific will also play a doubleheader.

Last Year: The Vulcans finished 12-14 overall and 10-12 in the Pacific West Conference, good for a tie for sixth place—but for the second year in a row just missed out on a PacWest tournament berth. It was the final season for head coach GE Coleman, whose team upset Azusa Pacific and Concordia early in the season but also dropped three of its final four games.

New Era: It's a new era for Vulcan basketball and Big Island native Kaniela Aiona. The former Menlo leader is just the sixth head coach in the history of the UH Hilo program. Aiona led Menlo to a 19-11 record last winter and a berth in the NAIA national tournament before COVID-19 ended their season. The Honoka`a native turned the Oaks program around, taking a team that was 3-23 upon his arrival and improving to 20-11 in just three seasons. In five seasons and six games, Aiona is now 77-72 as a head coach. Aiona brings lead assistant Jamison Montgomery with him and also hired Humboldt State Hall of Fame coach Steve Kinder. Prior to Menlo, Aiona was an assistant coach at St. Leo (Fla.), Benedictine (Ill.), Lake Forest (Ill.), Central Methodist (Mo.) and Webster (Mo.). He played collegiately at Webster. He grew up in Honoka`a and used to go to the Vulcan Basketball camp as a child.