HONOLULU — A nine-day tour of Japan will highlight the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team's summer plans as the Rainbow Wahine embark on the program's first international trip in six years.
The UH travel party is scheduled to depart on Tuesday, June 4 and will split the trip between Tokyo and Osaka, with a day trip to Kyoto included in the itinerary. The Rainbow Wahine will play two exhibition games during the trip, the first set for June 6 at the University of Tsukuba. The 'Bows will lead a youth clinic prior to their next game with Tokyo Heathcare University on June 8.
The trip will also include cultural activities and sightseeing before the team returns to Honolulu on June 13.
"The obvious reason for the trip is for the team building and team bonding experience for these young women," UH coach
Laura Beeman said. "The less obvious reason is the experience they're going to get in a different culture in a beautiful place like Japan, and also spreading the aloha spirit to Japan, because this is an amazing group of young women."
The Rainbow Wahine will take a 14-player roster led by 11 returnees on the trip. UH's top six scorers of last season return, including All-Big West selections in guards
Daejah Phillips and
Lily Wahinekapu and forward
Imani Perez. Three
incoming freshmen — forwards Danijela Kujovic, Rebecca Moors and center Ritorya Tamilo — will also make the trip as part of the active roster.
"They're going to get to know their teammates very quickly," Beeman said of the newcomers. "I think it develops confidence, it's going to develop relationships, and it's going help to form a glue to our program that we'll see in March."
Coming off a 20-11 season highlighted by a Big West regular-season championship, the Rainbow Wahine were allotted 10 practices, per NCAA rules, leading into the trip. Their preparations also included a class on Japanese customs and etiquette provided by the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce. The session included a visit from UH men's basketball great Bob Nash, who coached in Japan in recent years.
The trip will be the program's first international excursion since a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2018.
"There are a lot of people behind the scenes who made this trip possible and we just appreciate the aloha they've shown the players and staff to make this a once-in-a-lifetime trip," Beeman said.
Follow the Rainbow Wahine on social media (@HawaiiWBB on X, @hawaiiwbb on Instagram) for updates during the trip.
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