Near the end of any given practice, with the energy level below quarter-tank, the Hawaii basketball players break into two groups to shoot free throws.
“A strength of ours is getting to the line,” guard Hunter Erickson said following Friday’s practice at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. “We’ve got to keep building on that, practicing free throws every day, keeping the balance.”
The line has been set — the free-throw line — when the Rainbow Warriors host 3-5 UTEP. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
“A lot of challenges with Hawaii because they have so many shooters on the floor and they’re so skilled with the basketball,” UTEP coach Joe Golding said after Friday’s two-hour practice. “We’re going to have to be aggressive and also not foul. That’s a big key. We have a tendency to foul a lot, and they don’t foul a lot. They’re really good free-throw shooters. We don’t want to put them on the foul line. I think that will be a huge key to the game.”
At 20.9 fouls per game, the Miners are ranked No. 338 (out of 361 Division I teams). In contrast, the ’Bows are 10th in free throws made (20.7 per game) and eighth in attempts (29.0). UH center Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson, has converted 92.5% of his free throws, including a since-ended run of 38 in a row. Harry Rouhliadeff, who rotates between the four and five positions, has made 80.8% of his free throws; Erickson is 76.9% accurate from the line.
“Games are won and lost at the free-throw line a lot of times,” Johnson said. ”When you step up to the line, even in practice, it’s business. We’ve done a good job of finding a balance.”
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With 10 newcomers, the Miners are seeking offensive stability. Jamal West Jr. is a physical 6-6 forward who averages 5.6 boards, with 22 of his 45 rebounds claimed off the offensive glass. Elijah Jones is a stretch-post who has launched 24 3-point shots, second most among Miners. Kaseem Watson, who began his career at Cal State Bakersfield, is a creative 6-9 wing-forward.
“They have a lot scorers and a lot of good players,” UH assistant coach Rob Jones said.
Golding said: “We’re getting better ball movement. I think we’re getting some structure to what we’re doing. We’re getting better the last couple weeks.”
Golding has established a system of aggressive defensive schemes that pressure at midcourt, switch matchups frequently, and attack the passing lanes. The Miners force 16.5 turnovers per game. They average 17.6 points off turnovers.
“We’ve been married to that aggressive style on the defensive end,” Golding said. “We’re trying to get this team to buy into it. Winning helps, and we haven’t won a lot.”
Erickson said: “We have to hone in on being strong with the ball. When they’re reaching for the ball, we have to be strong with it. We’ve got to make the officials call those fouls so we can get to the line. We need to impose our will in the paint.”
UH’s game plan is to stick to their strengths: rebounding, point-of-attack defense and drawing fouls.
“They are very good defensively,” Golding said. “They’re one of the top 20 defensive teams statistically in the country right now.”
The ’Bows are 19th in defensive rebounds (30.0 per game), 14th in rebounding margin (plus-11.0), 13th in scoring defense (63.3) and 10th in defending 3s (26.3%).
“Rebounding is a cause of concern,” Golding said. “We’re a little smaller. We have to get more physicality and more toughness.”
