UH Notebook: Reports say Ganot is new men’s basketball coach

Subscribe Now Choose a package that suits your preferences.
Start Free Account Get access to 7 premium stories every month for FREE!
Already a Subscriber? Current print subscriber? Activate your complimentary Digital account.

HONOLULU – The University of Hawaii has called a press conference for 9 a.m. Thursday to announce and introduce its new men’s basketball coach, which CBS Sports and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday to be former UH assistant Eran Ganot.

HONOLULU – The University of Hawaii has called a press conference for 9 a.m. Thursday to announce and introduce its new men’s basketball coach, which CBS Sports and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday to be former UH assistant Eran Ganot.

The press conference will be streamed online at hawaiiathletics.com/LiveStream

Ganot, who served as associate head coach at Saint Mary’s this past season, spent three years (2007-2010) as a Rainbow Warriors assistant coach under Bob Nash and was Hawaii’s director of basketball operations for one year under former head coach Riley Wallace before that. According to his bio on the Saint Mary’s athletics Web site, Ganot was “involved in all phases of program operation and on-floor coaching” for the Gaels. He coordinated “all recruiting and scouting efforts” and was “responsible for game scheduling.”

During the 2013-14 season, Ganot served as acting head coach for five games and went 3-2. In the past four seasons assisting under head coach Randy Bennett, Ganot helped Saint Mary’s go 101-32 overall with two West Coast Conference regular season titles and three appearances in the WCC Tournament finals, to go along with four straight postseason berths.

Ganot also was at Saint Mary’s under Bennett for three years (2003-06) before coming to UH, serving as an assistant responsible for overseeing academics and assisting with scheduling and recruiting.

During those three seasons, the Gaels went 61-33 and advanced to the WCC Tournament finals twice. The 2004-05 team went 24-5 and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.

Ganot, known for his strong work ethic, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and sociology/anthropology at Division III Swarthmore (Penn.), where he was a team captain and played all five positions. He graduated from Tenafly High School in New Jersey in 1999.

NO. 1-RANKED RAINBOW WARRIOR SPIKERS HOST STANFORD

The No. 1-ranked UH men’s volleyball team will close out its home regular season schedule with Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches against No. 15 Stanford on Friday and Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Both matches will start at 7 p.m. and will be televised live statewide on OCSports (Oceanic Cable channels 16 and 1016), and broadcast live on radio via ESPN 1420 AM. Following Saturday’s match, seven players Rainbow Warriors (Garrett Komisarek, Scott Hartley, Alex Jones, Brook Sedore, Taylor Averill, Ryan Leung and Davis Holt) will be honored during Senior Night festivities.

UH (21-3 overall, 16-2 MPSF) is riding a 14-match win streak and is coming off a bye weekend. The Rainbow Warriors’ 21 victories are the program’s most since 2006 and they have already secured a first-round home match in the MPSF Tournament on April 25.

Averill, a 6-foot-7 middle blocker, leads the MPSF and is second in the nation in hitting percentage at .506. He also is second in the conference and fifth in the country in blocks with an average of 1.34 per set.

Junior libero Kolby Kanetake is third in the MPSF and fifth in the nation with an average of 2.78 digs per set.

BASEBALL ’BOWS BACK ON ROAD ATCAL POLY SLO

The UH baseball team is back in California for a key three-game Big West Conference series at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday’s and Saturday’s games are scheduled for 3 p.m. Hawaii time, and Sunday’s first pitch is set for 10 a.m. Cal Poly Athletics will stream all three games live on Big West TV at gopoly.com/links/1comu1

All three games will be broadcast live on radio via ESPN 1420 AM (KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona).

The Rainbow Warriors are 12-20 overall, 3-3 in the Big West after sweeping three home conference games against UC Davis followed by a non-conference loss last Sunday. UH batted. 326 in the series with 11 extra base hits and a team on-base percentage of .411.

Freshman catcher and Hilo High grad Chayce Ka‘aua batted .500 with three doubles, three RBIs and six runs scored. Junior shortstop Jacob Sheldon-Collins batted .467 with a double, triple, four RBIs and four runs scored, and senior center fielder Kaeo Aliviado batted .438 with three doubles.

Freshman first baseman Eric Ramirez leads the team in batting at .291, OBP at .413 and 22 walks, with 22 RBIs and 18 runs scored. Aliviado is batting .290 with six doubles, four home runs and a triple, with 22 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

Tyler Brashears had a career-best eight-inning, nine-strikeout performance against UC Davis and is now 4-3 with a 2.49 earned run average and 37 Ks in 50 and two-thirds innings. LJ Brewster also is 4-3, with a 2.21 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 53 innings, and No. 3 starter Jarrett Arakawa is 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 12 Ks in 22 and one-third innings.

Cal Poly SLO is 10-18 overall, 1-2 in the Big West.

SOFTBALL TEAM PLAYS HOST TOLONG BEACH STATE

The UH softball team is back home for a three-game Big West series against Long Beach State Friday and Saturday at Rainbow Wahine Stadium.

Friday’s game is set for 6 p.m. and Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Hawaii is 23-16 overall, 4-2 in the Big West after winning two of three games at Cal State Fullerton last weekend.

Sophomore pitcher Kanani Aina Cabrales won both games and extended her scoreless innings streak to 23, including a career-best eight-inning shutout in the series finale last Saturday. Cabrales, a transfer from Georgia Tech, is 12-10 with four shutouts, 11 complete games and a 2.48 ERA in 124 and one-third innings pitched. Freshman Brittany Hitchcock is 10-6 with a 2.56 ERA in 109 and one-third innings pitched, with three shutouts and eight complete games.

Sophomore shortstop Sarina Jaramillo leads the team in batting with a .340 average, including four doubles and 18 RBIs. Sophomore pitcher/first baseman Heather Morales is batting .324 with a team-high 27 RBIs and senior catcher/outfielder Kayla Wartner is hitting .318 with nine doubles, eight home runs and 28 runs scored. Junior right fielder Keiki Carlos is batting .298 with eight doubles, five home runs and 19 RBIs.

Long Beach State is 16-21 overall, 3-3 in the Big West.

WATER POLO TEAM WRAPS UP REGULAR SEASON ON ROAD

The No. 6-ranked UH water polo team will conclude its regular season this weekend at UC Irvine on Saturday and Long Beach State on Sunday, followed by a non-conference match at Occidental later Sunday.

The Rainbow Wahine are 13-7 overall, 2-1 in the Big West following a victory in their home finale last Saturday vs. No. 14 UC Santa Barbara.