HONOLULU – University of Hawai`i men's basketball coach Gib Arnold announced the addition of a multi-skilled guard in the late signing period as well as the departure of a pair of Rainbow Warriors. Negus Webster-Chan, a transfer from the University of Missouri has signed with Hawai'i, while freshmen Manroop Clair and Ozren Pavlovic have decided to leave the program.
 
Webster, a  6-7 guard and native of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, played his freshman season for a Missouri squad that went 23-11 overall and 11-7 in its first season in the SEC. The Tigers lost to Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a game in which Webster-Chan scored four points in 14 minutes of action off the bench.
 
For the season, he averaged 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds, while appearing in 32 games with six starts. Webster-Chan recorded 12 points and five rebounds in his first career start versus VCU last November. One day earlier he contributed six points and six rebounds against 2013 national champion Louisville.
 
“Negus is an extremely skilled and athletic player who can play four positions,” Arnold said. “I'm thrilled to have a top 100-caliber player join our program and we expect great things from him. The future is very bright with Negus coming on board.”
 
A member of Canada's U17 and U19 national teams, Webster-Chan was a teammate of fellow Canadian Clair at nationally ranked Huntington Prep in West Virginia where he developed into a highly-rated national recruit. He will sit out the 2013-14 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2014-15. Webster-Chan joins early signees Stefan Jovanovic and Michael Thomas in this year's UH recruiting class.
 
Meanwhile Clair, who completed his freshman season at UH in 2012-13, will transfer to Seattle University. The native of Burnaby, British Columbia played in 26 games in his first season of Division I basketball, while earning six starts at the point. Clair averaged 2.7 ppg and 1.2 apg while playing 11.5 minutes per game. He enjoyed his best game of the season when he posted 15 points and five assists in a win over East Tennessee State in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
 
“I really appreciate all that UH and the coaching staff has done for me,” Clair said. “I had a great experience here and learned a lot. Coach Gib played a big part in my development, but I just needed to be closer to home and to my family.”
 
Fellow freshman Pavlovic will also depart UH after one season to pursue a pro career. The native of Zagreb, Croatia played in 22 games as a Rainbow Warrior and averaged 2.7 ppg and 1.4 rpg. Among Pavlovic's highlights was 13-point, four-assist performance in a crucial conference win over Pacific.
 
“I really enjoyed my time here in Hawai'i,” Pavlovic said. “After receiving an offer from a pro team, I decided to take advantage of it. Hawai'i will always be a special place to me. I want to thank my coaches, teammates and fans for all the support I was given here.”
 
2013-14 Recruiting Class
Stefan Jovanovic, 6-10, 235, C, Fr., Belgrade, Serbia., Bishop Montgomery High School
Michael Thomas, 6-6, 200, F, Fr., Woodland Hills, Calif., El Camino Real, High School
Negus Webster-Chan, 6-7, 200, G, So., Scarborough, Ontario, Huntington (West Va.) Prep