Hawaii men's basketball team ready to make contribution to Maui efforts

Oct. 8—Two months ago, the University of Hawaii men's basketball team woke up to a nightmare. It was during a tour of Japan when the Rainbow Warriors learned of the wildfires that devastated Lahaina and surrounding areas.

Two months ago, the University of Hawaii men's basketball team woke up to a nightmare.

It was during a tour of Japan when the Rainbow Warriors learned of the wildfires that devastated Lahaina and surrounding areas.

"It was heartbreaking, " center Mor Seck said, recalling the images that popped up on social media. "Maui is a beautiful island. You don't want to see stuff like that happen to it. Just heartbreaking."

Coach Eran Ganot, who has implored his team to represent all the Hawaiian islands, was overwhelmed with grief.

"Lives lost, families displaced, buildings and structures gone, community impacted ... " Ganot recalled thinking.

When the trip ended, Ganot met with school officials. "What can we do ?" Ganot asked. "How can we help ?"

Ganot then called one of his mentors, Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett, about the possibility of the teams playing a benefit game with most of the proceeds going to Maui relief. Ganot had worked two stints totaling nine years on Bennett's staff.

"I made the call to Coach Bennett, " Ganot said, "and he said, 'Let's do it. Let's raise a lot of money.'"

Now the'Bows are 12 days away from playing host to Saint Mary's in the Oct. 20 exhibition at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Tickets are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for ages 4 through high school, and are available at eTicketHawaii.com or at the SimpliFi Arena box office.

"The reason both teams are doing this is because of what's going on in Maui, " Ganot said. "This is our platform. How can we help ? This is how we can help by raising money, by raising awareness for a very tragic situation."

Point guard JoVon McClanahan said the'Bows wanted to help a community they have embraced.

"Us playing for the islands, every island, is important, " McClanahan said. "We're representing the culture, and specifically Maui because of the tragedies that happened there. Our goal is to support them in any way."

Seck said he understands helping people who have very little. Seck grew up in a Senegal village with a population of fewer than 200. "I grew up in a country that was poor, where people didn't have a lot of things, " Seck said. "Our village didn't have a lot of things. But we took care of each other. We had each other's back."

For Seck, that meant helping out on a peanut farm, stooping his 7-foot-1 frame to plant and harvest. "Anything can happen to anyone at any time, " Seck said. "This is life. I grew up helping people who didn't have much. I want to help (the people of ) Maui. I understand how they feel. We had some tough times growing up."

In previous years, the'Bows played preseason exhibitions against non-Division I teams. Ganot noted Saint Mary's is one of the top programs in the West. The Gaels were seeded fifth in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments.

"We're one of the few teams in the country playing a Top 25 team in October, " Ganot said. "They're consensus Top 25 preseason. They're big, strong. They're balanced."

The'Bows, who opened training camp on Sept. 28, return three starters—post Bernardo da Silva and guards McClanahan and Noel Coleman. Guard Juan Munoz, who missed the past two seasons because of knee and Achilles injuries, received an exemption to compete as an eighth-year senior this season. Among the newcomers are Justin McKoy, a power forward who previously played at North Carolina and Virginia, and Yale transfer Matthue Cotton.

"We're still building, and getting through fall workouts, to make sure we have an identity going into the season, " McClanahan said.