HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i Rainbow men's basketball team welcomed the 2009-10 season with its first official practice of the year as third-year head coach Bob Nash and his Rainbow Warriors conducted an energetic three hour-session Friday night.

 

Hawai`i returns 10 letterwinners and four starters from last year's squad that finished 13-17 overall and 5-11 in the Western Athletic Conference. Among the returnees is all-WAC and all-district forward Roderick Flemings who paced the team in scoring last year at 16.6 ppg. Also returning is third-year player Bill Amis, the team leader in field goal percentage and blocks last year. Other letterwinners returning are sophomore guard Beau Albrechtson, senior forward Brandon Adams, senior forward Petras Balocka, senior center Paul Campbell, sophomore guard Leroy Lutu, senior forward Adhar Mayen, junior guard Hiram Thompson, and sophomore forward Ji Xiang.

 

Meanwhile, six new players join the Rainbow Warriors – junior college transfers Jeremy Lay (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Douglas Kurtz (Pelotas, Brazil); Division I transfers Zane Johnson (Phoenix, Ariz.), Aleksandar Milovic (Cetinje, Montegro) and Dwain Williams (San Diego, Calif.); and walk-on Rykin Enos ('Aiea O'ahu ). Williams, a former starter at Providence College, returns to Division I basketball after a one-year hiatus. Meanwhile, Johnson (Arizona) and Milovic (Duquesne) will sit out this year per NCAA transfer this year. They are allowed to practice with the team, however, Johnson is currently sidelined.

 

The Rainbow Warriors play a pair of exhibition games versus UH Hilo on Oct. 30 and BYU-Hawai'i on Nov. 5, before their regular-season opener versus Southern Utah in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic on Nov. 13.