A preview of Hawaii men's basketball 2007-2008

Here's our take on Bob Nash's Hawaii squad for next season:

Bob Nash is finally helming the Hawaii team after twenty years as an assistant in Honolulu. Plus, Nash played as a Rainbow Warrior back in the 70s so it would be an understatement to say he bleeds Hawaii.

Taking over for Riley Wallace, Nash is quickly establishing his imprimatur on the team, implementing an up-and-down playing style featuring an attacking offense and a pressure defense.

But the major question he faces is does he currently have the players to do just that? On television, the saying is let's go to the tape. Here, it's let's look at the roster.

Here's the returnees:

Bob Nash wing 6-6 195 senior. Nash started all 31 games last season, averaging 11.2 ppg. He shot 44% overall from the floor, 33% on his three point attempts. He led Hawaii with 125 long range shots while grabbing 4.0 rpg.

Matt Gibson guard 6-5 180 senior. He started 30 games at point guard after sitting out the previous season due to injury and disciplinary actions. Gibson scored 10.2 ppg. He shot 44% on the season, 36% on 3's. His three point attempts numbered 122, second on the team. Gibson was credited with 107 assists.

P.J. Owsley power forward 6-8 245 senior. Owsley wasn't expected to be a starter but he did just that in the last 23 games. He averaged 6.0 ppg., shooting 42% from the floor. Owsley is an intelligent player, putting his smarts to work to counter average, at best, athleticism.

Riley Luettgerodt wing 6-5 210 senior. More was expected from Luettgerodt as he enjoyed a marvelous sophomore season in the junior college ranks prior to landing at Hawaii. He generally came off the bench -- just one start -- and averaged 6.2 ppg. on 38% shooting. His long distance accuracy was an abysmal 17%.

Stephen Verwers center 6-11 255 senior. A transfer from Colorado State, Verwers was a viewed as quite the catch out of high school. He earned eight starts last season and should see more time in 2007-2008 if for nothing else but the fact he's the tallest and beefiest Rainbow Warrior.

Alex Veit power forward 6-8 220 senior.A transfer from Monterey Peninsula College, Veit was a little used backup last season and the same is expected in the upcoming season.

Here's the new recruits:

Paul Campbell F 6-10 215 sophomore (AR JC). Campbell played on year in the junior college ranks, starting every game but averaging just 3.4 ppg. and 4.3 rpg. Coincidentally, this was for the Fort Smith Arkansas team that new San Jose State recruit C.J. Webster was going to play for before he was injured. Here's Nash on Campbell: "Paul is a talented, young, big man who is a very good student. He had a slow start in juco last year but came on late in the year. He was heavily recruited and we're happy to get him. Paul's potential is unlimited. He's athletic, long, and has very good skills for a big man. We've had success with Canadians (in our program) in the past and we feel Paul will continue that tradition."

Conrad Fitzgerald guard 6-4 208 freshman (FL HS but from California). He attended Pendleton School in Bradenton, Fla., the past two years, a prep school that is part of the IMG Academy. Fitzgerald averaged nearly 17 points and 5 rebounds per game during his senior year playing both the small and power forward positions. Prior to Pendleton, attended Calabasas High School in California for two years. Here's Nash on Fitzgerald: "Conrad is an athletic wing who has improved his scoring tremendously from the perimeter. I first saw him as an eighth grader and he's made great strides throughout his high school career. He has tremendous quickness and his athleticism fits our new up tempo style of play."

Adhar Mayen forward 6-7 185 sophomore (TX JC). Mayen played one year at Hill College in Pflugerville, Texas and was named to the all-North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference first team after averaging 13.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. He shott 61% percent from the field, playing primarily the "4" position. Nash on Mayen: "Adhar is a very exciting, explosive wing. He's very talented and has incredible upside. He made all-conference as a freshman in a very tough juco league. The best part is that he's young (18) and with more seasoning and development, he'll be a very good player for us."

Kareem Nitoto guard 6-3 185 freshman (CA HS). Nitoto is out of San Leandro High School. As a senior, he averaged 10.1 points and 3.6 assists per game. As a junior, he averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Nash on Nitoto: "Kareem is a very good student of the game on the court and in the classroom. He's an athletic guard who can play both positions for us. Above all, he provides us a much-needed athletic point guard who can beat people off the dribble. He's an excellent defender. We're excited about his potential and his development in our program. We hope this begins a new pipeline into the Bay Area."

Ji Xiang, a 6-10 kid from China, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and is lost for the season. He's a project and if he physically recovers, this year off may actually turn out to be a positive in his development.

Bill Amis, a 6-9 210 JC transfer from Pratt Community College in Kansas, was a late signee, coming in as a sophomore. Here's Nash on Amis: "Bill attended a camp this summer for the top junior college players and he stood out among the best. He has great upside, having grown from 6-6 in high school to almost 6-9. He's an athletic forward with multiple skills, a good ball handler and shoots well in transition.

Here's our projected view of the starting five:

center - Stephen Verwers
power forward - PJ Owlsey
wing - Riley Luettgerodt
shooting guard - Bobby Nash
point - Matt Gibson

Hawaii was 18-13 last season, 8-8 in conference, 6-2 at home, 2-6 away. With Ahmet Gueye (best shotblocker, best rebounder, second leading scorer, first in foul shots taken) and Matt Lojeski (leading scorer, second in foul shot attempts, second in rebounding, first in assists) having moved on, Nash will be looking for new leadership to emerge. His son will perform in that role and Gibson will also contribute but frontcourt point production could be a season long bugaboo.

Also, keep in mind that six seniors will depart after the upcoming season so not only is Nash making over the team's playing style but he also is facing an almost complete re-do of his roster. His first recruiting class, albeit with a very late start, is more athletic than in possession of polished basketball skills.