Hawaii is gearing up for its 10th season under coach Eran Ganot, with renewed energy and a revamped roster. With the additions to the coaching staff and with a promising recruiting window, the Rainbow Warriors look into a promising team heading into next season.
Mid-Major Basketball is previewing all Big West teams for the 2024-25 season. Up next is the Rainbow Warriors.
Last season
Hawaii finished fourth in the 2023-24 Big West regular season with a 20-14 record, including an 11-9 mark in conference play.
The Rainbow Warriors ranked third heading into the Big West Tournament, as UC San Diego was ineligible for the tournament due to its transition period to Division I. Hawaii made it into the semifinal before being defeated by the tournament runners-up, UC Davis, 65-68.
Players
Hawaii will enter this season without three of its top scorers from last year’s team.
Guard Noel Coleman, forwards Justin McKoy and Bernardo da Silva no longer have remaining eligibility. All three players accounted for around 37.7 points per game last season.
One of the players returning to Honolulu, Hawaii, is 6-foot-5 guard Tom Beattie. The sophomore averaged almost 4.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last season.
Looking to this season, Ganot filled the roster with transfers to help compete for a championship.
One of Hawaii’s notable transfers to the squad is Big East 6-foot-7 forward Gytis Nemeiksa. The Lithuanian played for Xavier last season, averaging 5.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Nemeiksa has one year of eligibility left.
Hawaii landed Southland guard Marcus Greene, who played for Houston Christian University last season. Greene was the second-leading scorer for HCU, averaging 15.1 points per game. The guard also averaged 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Former Utah Tech center Tanner Christensen transferred to Hawaii after a successful two years in the Western Athletic Conference. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 11.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game last season.
Schedule
Hawaii opens the non-conference season with the return of the Outrigger Rainbow Classic from Nov. 8-11. The event includes NAIA school Life Pacific, and Division I schools San Jose State and Pacific.
The Rainbow Warriors host their hardest matchup of the season when North Carolina visits on Nov. 22. Hawaii then goes on the road and faces Grand Canyon University on Dec. 3.
The Big West opens the regular season in early December. Hawaii starts conference play on the road against Long Beach State on Dec. 7.
The Rainbow Warriors host UCSD on Jan. 30, in the first eligible championship season for the Tritons. Hawaii closes the season with a road matchup against CSUN on March 8.
The 2025 Big West Tournament will occur between March 12 and March 15 at the Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.
Prediction
Hawaii has lost a few of its notable players from the 2023-24 team, but Ganot brought in quality players to help fill the void.
With all schools now eligible to compete for the Big West championship, Hawaii has to fight for the extra spot on the standings.
The Rainbow Warriors are on track to finish in the top half of the Big West. But with other strong teams in the conference, winning the regular-season title and then earning the NCAA Tournament automatic berth will not be an easy task.
