Rainbow Warriors
Rainbow WarriorsNCAAB Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
General Information
- NCAA Division: Division I
- Conference: Big West
- City: Honolulu, Hawaii
- Stadium: Stan Sheriff Center
Championships:
- NCAA Tournaments: 1972, 1994, 2001, 2002, 2016
- National Championships: 0
- Conference Titles: 4
Past Conferences:
- Big West
- WAC
- Ind
Team History
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors men’s basketball team was established in 1912 but did not play its first intercollegiate game until 1914. Information about the program, and how the foundation was built, is relatively scarce and hard to find, leading to the 1970s.
However, notable head coach Ephraim J. “Red” Rocha helped bring the school to its first NCAA Tournament in the 1962 season. Prior to taking the helm of the Rainbow Warriors men’s basketball program, the coach in question established his reputation by coaching the Detroit Pistons from 1958 to 1960.
In addition, he led the Hawaii Chiefs of the American Basketball League. These experiences helped him develop his coaching philosophies, which helped him through the tough challenges of changing the Rainbow Warriors’ culture because it required a full-fledged effort.
In the 1971-72 season, the team earned its first NCAA Tournament invitation due to posting a regular season record of 23-4. Compared to the present, the dance had fewer rounds and teams. In the opening round, the Rainbow Warriors were defeated by Weber State, but qualifying to participate in the tournament was a monumental achievement.
After making history, their next opportunity would come over two decades later. Regardless of the drought, the program found some success elsewhere by participating in the NIT three times, signaling decent odds to make something happen. During those three separate years, the school compiled four wins and four losses.
Under the leadership of head coach Riley Wallace and as members of the Western Athletic Conference, the program punched its second ticket NCAA Tournament bid in the 1993-94 season after an absence that lasted over two decades. However, their spirit to make a run was short-lived, as they had no answers against a formidable opponent in Syracuse.
Despite the blowout loss, Wallace helped raise the university’s profile moving forward. Due to its geological location and seclusion from the mainland United States, the program faces unique challenges that stem from scheduling, recruiting, and getting national exposure.
Before making its third NCAA Tournament appearance, the program participated in the NIT twice during that span. Riley Wallace and his team had the opportunity to face Syracuse again in the opening round, but the outcome was essentially the same. The Orange continued to be a formidable opponent for the Rainbow Warriors.
The program made its fourth appearance the following season, but could not find any momentum to end its losing streak on the national stage against Xavier. Their next chance came over a decade later, but in school notched two trips to the NIT and CIT in the long grueling process.
The program made its last trip to the NCAA Tournament while being coached by Eran Ganot. The Rainbow Warriors made the process of making a post-season appearance easier by securing the Big West Conference tournament title, which translated to an automatic bid.
The Hawaii team stats had shown promise leading up to their fifth and final appearance to date. Having a resilient unit of players who were ready to give it their all on both ends of the court gave them an edge against California. The team notched its first March Madness victory in school history. Despite losing in the second round against Maryland, the program made history in both the regular season and postseason.
Coach Eran Ganot will be leading the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors for his eighth season. Despite putting together a solid 2022-23 year campaign the program faces tough NCAAB odds to win the Big West.
All Time Records
Points Scored
Chris Gaines 1,734
Alika Smith 1,415
Predrag Savovic 1,414
Rebounds
Melton Werts 1,098
Vander Joaquim 827
Bob Nash 721
Assists
Drew Buggs 436
Troy Bowe 412
Anthony Carter 403
Steals
Roderick Bobbitt 168
Alika Smith 152
Troy Bowe 146
FAQs
What is the highest win total in program history?
Who is the winningest coach in program history?
Riley Wallace holds the record for the most wins as a coach in the program’s history and is the only coach to have served for more than ten years. Eran Ganot may have the opportunity to hit the 10-year benchmark in two years.
During his impressive 20-year tenure, he achieved an impressive record of 344-265. Moreover, he is the only coach in the program’s history to have reached both the 200 and 300-win milestones in the program’s history. Currently, Ganot will need to win at least 200 more games to have a shot at tying the record.
Who is the greatest player in program history?
A number of players who played for the program went on to play in the NBA. There are, however, only a few players who could arguably be the greatest player to come from the program, such as Anthony Carter and Tom Henderson.
Carter retired from the NBA in 2012 after playing for several teams for 13 years. In contrast, Henderson played just nine seasons in the league but won an NBA Championship with Washington Bullets in the 1977-78 season.
