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Post by Courtside5 on Dec 4, 2016 22:26:54 GMT -5
I just hope Nikki's injury is not a volleyball career ending one. And I may be in the minority here, but if this injury isn't a volleyball career ending injury, I do wish she would bypass playing beach volleyball for the Bows and give her body a much needed rest. Had the UH team not had the injuries at the beginning of the season they would have probably lost no more than 1 match...would have been a huge difference for them when the playoffs came and would have been virtually impossible for the committee too screw them like they did..... Couldn't agree more. The committee is biased and only cares about their own self-interest.
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Post by hwnstunner on Dec 5, 2016 0:01:14 GMT -5
Man, I was so sick from yesterday's match I'm only catching up now on selected threads regarding the Wahine. I hope we close this thread at some point because it'll hit 100 pages or so before next season starts. Anyways... I'll chime in on a few things before going into hibernation for a bit...
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- The last time we had THIS many questions marks following, we also had an All-American setter in Kamana'o returning that Shoji let loose with a rag tag line up in 2004. That team also went undefeated into the Sweet 16. Shoji will of course get the best out of next year's team like he did in 2004 (Boogaard, Arnott, Prince, Sanders, Hittle). I think the components are there to be a Top 25-calibre team next season, but the team will revolve more around Iosia, who will have more margin to "set" and be creative with her hitters and on her personal offense. She's clearly been kept a tight leash on the dump shot this year with the kind of hitters Hawaii has and how conservative Shoji is with setters.
- I think Shoji has only one year left IF he chooses to return next year. This year was clearly a title run. Unfortunately all the injuries happened tho. IF he comes back next year, it'll be to help with the transition to the new coach and to help establish a post-Taylor team with the players developed and in place for the next coach to then build off. I think Wong is the most likely candidate but his tenure at Pepp has been so-so. Sealy has the better resume, but he has a great thing at his alma mater already. Fisher and Hall could work, but I personally like Wong or Sealy more. I do wonder if we can do better than even the obvious. Would a Power 5 and Top 10 coach come out this way? Or is there an upcoming associate/assistant from the Power 5 that is on the rise?
- Expect next year's schedule to be similar to 2004. Again, Shoji scheduled hard this year expecting for that Final 4 run and projected wins against some Top 10 teams for RPI. But like 2004, Shoji will likely schedule weaker next year, knowing he'll have to schedule more middle-pack Power 5 or mid-major conference champs for RPI purposes and realistic wins. I think next year is an expected rebuilding year, so it'll be about development and just winning the BWC for the auto. Of course there will be UCLA, maybe another top 20 team, but after that, pile the wins and run the team to a place of cohesion before BWC play. Which realistically, will be much harder than any year so far. The down year for Hawaii might be the money year for some of the other teams in UCSB, Cal Poly, LBSU, UCI, UCD, CSUN which all return some talent.
- We are solid at setter and libero, but outside of Maglio, every position will be up for grabs. Maglio may move, but for some reason, I doubt it will actually happen. Sure, she's great on the beach and we want her more touches, but she doesn't seem to have that outside mentality in her.
- I'll probably get some major flack for saythingthis, but I want to see Granato at opposite. YES, I get it, she's short... but the girl is the closest thing to a terminator we have returning on the outside and hoping she can make improvements. No matter what anyone says, Granato has a hammer and can provide the offense needed *IF* Hawaii wants to continue with the offense being built from the opposite. We'll be losing the 6'4 block of Taylor, but we can finally hide Granato in the passing rotation and then have her just focus on hitting and always an option from the opposite or D set. I'm pretty high on her, she showed she can put the ball away against Minny and has range. Just needs to have more consistency. She has shown that when it's "just" on her, she can come through.
- Greeley will likely be on the outside, but I hope she can return to her sophomore form. She was an amazing OH2 that year. Passed nails and put the ball away on a .260 clip at 2.5KPG. Assuming she is back, opposite her will be interesting, I like Sibley over Castillo. I see more potential for Sibley on the outside, rather keep Castillo in the middle actually. Speaking of which, I hope Castillo can overtake Burns, who IMO, doesn't have the highest ceiling of potential. Castillo could man that second M2 opposite Maglio. We'll need offense more than anything next year. Of the freshman, Lipscomb is the most intriguing, but I can't pencil in freshmen as a starter until I see how they develop to D1.
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- Shoji will always look at the best local recruits. For a stretch, we saw MORE DI-level recruits coming out of Hawaii, but I think that's why more went away. Hawaii does't always have enough scholarships to give when theres 5-6 outside prospects or some recruits just not wanting to stay home. Still, Hawaii has always had a nice local pipeline, and having Taylor, Kahakai and Granato in the starting line up shows Hawaii will always have a spot for local players. I think most years hawaii usually has 2-3 starters at least from the state. Pretty big IMO.
- With that said, the talent pool in Hawaii on the outside has dropped. Hawaii will always have decent liberos, and setting is always good, but a tough one due to the level the player needs to be at. Hawaii produces fantastic setters overall with great hands and savvy, but its the height and athleticism that stalls Hawaii going after more IMO. Realistically its the outside position Hawaii can usually recruit for consistently out of the state, middles barely come out of Hawaii except for the projects like Cia Goods, Juliana Sanders and Kalei Adolpho that Shoji develops. The state had a couple recent recruiting years where we were loaded on the outside, and like many said, Shoji went with Manu-Olevao, Taylor, and Granato. It's not like Hawaii could keep EACH local outside home that people have been mentioning. And honestly, after this year, the state takes a dip in DI prospects. The Iolani freshman is obviously gonna be a Top 25 type of national recruit. But until then, there's no real major stars. Then again, I'm not as involved with local high school and club as before, so I haven't seen as much.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2016 3:16:13 GMT -5
I'm not sure this happens too often though. More times than not, the recruits that come for a visit say that it felt "right". Most mainland recruits to the program love the Islands and the culture. And, you really feel it and see it on senior night. Also, we have our occasionoal transfer out, but there haven't been a lot. When they do, its often related to lack of playing time, and not cultural reasons. Maybe not. Maybe they select out before they visit. Or maybe you just don't hear about the ones who visit but don't commit. I disagree that the culture "fit" is a big deal. Hawaii has always gotten recruits from all over the mainland and world who loved their time here. Hawaii is not going to attract the recruits who are not adventurous, independent and open-minded and that's a good thing. Willoughby from Louisiana., Gustin from Slovenia, Lundquist from Sweden, Hlavenka from Canada, Lima from Brazil, Vorster from Fla., Thurlby from Ill., K. Andersen from Minn. to name a few, all loved Hawaii and still give interviews to this day about how special their time here was/is and that there is nothing like it in volleyball. Not to mention current Wahines' Maglio and Burns from Canada, Mitchem from Texas and the vast number of other recruits from the mainland who claim to love it here. Hawaii has very few transfers out and there's good reason for that. I also take exception to Wolfgang's putdown of the facilities (Has he even seen them?) which may not be state of the art but are definitely not decrepit either. I used to work there and it is pretty impressive. I especially take further exception to the putdown of the University. I went to UH after being accepted to many mainland universities. There are certain degrees that are highly acclaimed and you can get a great education here if you want to. Anyway, I think the Power elite conferences is probably the biggest hurdle. When Hawaii, Long Beach and Pacific were perennial champions, most of the top recruits went to those schools (and of course, Stanford and UCLA) and there was no issue of culture or education. Oh, and the NCAA is a huge hurdle. Instead of encouraging and celebrating Hawaii's unparalleled love and support for the sport since the get-go, they are doing their damnedest to snuff it out and make Hawaii suffer. The good news is that there is an incredible amount of local talent and the majority of them grow up wanting to be a Wahine.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2016 3:37:44 GMT -5
Oh, I also take exception to Wolfgang's putdown of the other UH sports not being "that great." Tell me, Wolfie, what other UH sports do you follow? Both basketball teams recently won the conference championship. Baseball goes up and down but has also had it's heyday. Same with softball and soccer. Now Football admittedly had a very rough past few years but improved a lot this year. (Hey, they're in the middle of the MWC standings and are headed to the Hawaii Bowl. Go Bows!) The Athletic program as a whole does well considering the budget and how far from the mainland we are.
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Post by gogophers on Dec 5, 2016 4:34:06 GMT -5
Please pardon the digression. My question has nothing to do with Hawaii's future. But since tipshot was talking about how Hawaii historically has recruited, let me ask: Why was Kalei Mau never a Wahine? Is it that Shoji didn't offer her a scholarship, or that she wanted to go elsewhere? Mau on the outside, Taylor on the RS . . . that's a scary thought.
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Post by whoooaneli on Dec 5, 2016 4:35:04 GMT -5
You think maybe recruits don't come to Hawaii because of the conference we're in? Like maybe the Big West isnt competitive enough for them and they like playing really hard teams on a weekly basis such as the Big10 or the Pac12?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2016 4:40:43 GMT -5
Please pardon the digression. My question has nothing to do with Hawaii's future. But since tipshot was talking about how Hawaii historically has recruited, let me ask: Why was Kalei Mau never a Wahine? Is it that Shoji didn't offer her a scholarship, or that she wanted to go elsewhere? Mau on the outside, Taylor on the RS . . . that's a scary thought. My understanding is that Mau was not on Shoji's radar in high school. Apparently she's improved a lot while in college. He recruited local players Nikki Taylor and Tayler Higgins that year. I don't think he had anymore scholarships even if he did consider her.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2016 4:41:46 GMT -5
You think maybe recruits don't come to Hawaii because of the conference we're in? Like maybe the Big West isnt competitive enough for them and they like playing really hard teams on a weekly basis such as the Big10 or the Pac12? Yes, I stated that the biggest hurdle, IMO, was recruiting against the elite conferences.
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Post by wishinwestcoastvb on Dec 5, 2016 8:17:47 GMT -5
Please pardon the digression. My question has nothing to do with Hawaii's future. But since tipshot was talking about how Hawaii historically has recruited, let me ask: Why was Kalei Mau never a Wahine? Is it that Shoji didn't offer her a scholarship, or that she wanted to go elsewhere? Mau on the outside, Taylor on the RS . . . that's a scary thought. My understanding is that Mau was not on Shoji's radar in high school. Apparently she's improved a lot while in college. He recruited local players Nikki Taylor and Tayler Higgins that year. I don't think he had anymore scholarships even if he did consider her. I can understand that. It seems like Mau blossomed once she got to AZ. Happy she is having success.
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Post by Mix Breed-TEXAS,HI,LBSU on Dec 5, 2016 8:46:17 GMT -5
I feel Shoji won't return, and I think it's for the better. We need something different with Hawai'i volleyball, different style, someone fresh who will bring a new feel to Hawai'i volleyball. Who else thinks Shoji is done?
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Post by rainbowbadger on Dec 5, 2016 9:29:23 GMT -5
I'm not sure it's conference. IMO, the #1 factor is island fever / distance. Top-level recruits from Hawaii may see volleyball as their ticket out. Top-level recruits from the mainland aren't sure if they want to go that far away. Yes, you see Midwest teams with one or two Cali players, and you see Cali teams with one or two Midwest/East Coast players, but Hawaii needs many more kids to make the trip. It's a big, big hurdle, made even bigger, IMO, by the fact that kids today* aren't as independent as kids used to be, and are closer with and more dependent on their families and hometown crowd.
*Obligatory cane-shake.
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Post by soljah808 on Dec 5, 2016 10:14:20 GMT -5
Please pardon the digression. My question has nothing to do with Hawaii's future. But since tipshot was talking about how Hawaii historically has recruited, let me ask: Why was Kalei Mau never a Wahine? Is it that Shoji didn't offer her a scholarship, or that she wanted to go elsewhere? Mau on the outside, Taylor on the RS . . . that's a scary thought. Mau and Nikki played on the same High School team.....Kaiser Cougars......however, due to what Hawaii was losing due to graduation......Shoji needed a setter and he had his eye on Taylor Higgins for a few years along with Nikki. Mau also wasn't highly recruited from what I gathered. But talk about a bomber from the outside if I ever saw. Had Mau even considered Hawaii, with what Shoji needed.....Mau would have had to walk-on to the program. I don't blame her for moving on and having a stellar bunch years with Zona.
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Post by soljah808 on Dec 5, 2016 10:19:18 GMT -5
Not sure the last time Wolfgang has even seen the facilities but its not as bad now as it use to be. They have either renovated and or enlarged the Nakatani Academic Center, Saaki Training Room, renovated all locker rooms, all coaches offices, pretty much all facilities with the exception of the weight room and softball Stadium.
In fact, the University just secured $9 million dollars to fully renovate the two practice gyms as well.
So if we are talking about Big10, Pac12, SEC type of facilities?? NO because they don't have that kind of money. But the facilities improvements that were made to our facilities rivals and surpasses many mid-majors programs and lower tier BCS programs for sure.
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Post by soljah808 on Dec 5, 2016 10:20:41 GMT -5
You think maybe recruits don't come to Hawaii because of the conference we're in? Like maybe the Big West isnt competitive enough for them and they like playing really hard teams on a weekly basis such as the Big10 or the Pac12? Its not like they have a say in the matter.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2016 12:46:56 GMT -5
I'm not sure it's conference. IMO, the #1 factor is island fever / distance. Top-level recruits from Hawaii may see volleyball as their ticket out. Top-level recruits from the mainland aren't sure if they want to go that far away. Yes, you see Midwest teams with one or two Cali players, and you see Cali teams with one or two Midwest/East Coast players, but Hawaii needs many more kids to make the trip. It's a big, big hurdle, made even bigger, IMO, by the fact that kids today* aren't as independent as kids used to be, and are closer with and more dependent on their families and hometown crowd. *Obligatory cane-shake. It is definitely mainly the conference. Hawaii has no trouble keeping the vast majority of it's top recruits home This is proven by history. Anyone who actually understands how big Wahine volleyball is here throughout the community knows why. I don't see the island fever as a problem because of the amount of travel involved throughout the year and it's not like there's nothing to do in Hawaii. It's obviously paradise for a lot of people. And as I stated previously, Hawaii had no trouble landing top recruits from the mainland when it was on top of the volleyball world and even after. It may a a hurdle for some but those recruits wouldn't be good fits for Hawaii anyway. If someone is going to be off-put because their race is not the huge majority, then they need to stay home where they are nice and comfy. Fortunately, Hawaii has landed many recruits from all over who embraced and loved the experience.
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