As usual, Nike has the preponderance of teams in the tournament, but one of their representatives is no more. The Under Armour-clad Warriors beat the Jordan-ed Cal squad for Hawaii’s first win in the men’s tournament.

Quincy Smith led the way uncharacteristicly wearing the UA Curry 2 Suit & Tie instead of his usual Curry 1 Lows. Although as you know, the Suit & Tie has brought the team success, usually worn by Rod Bobbitt. Though in the 4 vs 13 matchup, Rod crashed in wearing the brand new Curry 2 colorway, the Surprise Party. Both he and Mike Thomas battled in the birthday cake colored shoes commemorating Steph Curry’s birthday.

  
Next up Hawaii plays the 5th seeded Maryland, hopefully wearing the same UA kicks yielding another win.

Photo by Brandon Flores Photography.

When it comes down to the wire, Warrior guard Roderick Bobbitt’s game shoe of choice is the Under Armour Curry 2 “Suit & Tie.” Black and white with red highlights, this shoe has been on Bobbitt’s feet during crunch time.

Rod’s worn many Curry colorways this season and recently has gone from the low cut Curry 1 to the high cut Curry 2. Rod’s even changed shoes at halftime during a few games when he struggled on-court. In the Big West Conference tournament, Rod wore the new Curry 2 low cut but inevitably went back to the Suit & Tie with successful results.

Early in the season, #5 favored the Curry 1 low. Rod rocked a white, home colorway and black for the road unis.

I thought he and then-Warrior Isaac Fleming had something with the South Beach-themed “Curry Camp” colorway. The bright teal and orange made for great contrast on court.

In the post season Big West Tournament against Santa Barbara, Rod changed it up showing off the Curry 2 Low.

But that was the first half in which Rod struggled. Guess what was on his feet in the second half? Yes, the Suit & Tie for a 88-75 win.

Long Beach State for the Big West Finals. You think Rod’s wearing the Northern Lights? Nope. Suit & Tie all the way to a nail biting, net cutting victory.

As the Warriors face Cal on Friday, I’m hoping to see Rod bust out something new like the Curry Two Surprise Party or the Combat Green Curry 2 Low.

But… I’d be perfectly okay with the Suit & Tie and a victory.

Awesome photos of the UH men’s basketball season courtesy of Brandon Flores Photography.

But of course, #2’s highlight was his closing seconds drive to finish the first half. In 7 seconds and three dribbles, Niko drove past all Long Beach defenders for a layup that ignited the players and fans.

Pictures from Brandon Flores.

Oh the drama! Sheriff made a good move to get to the basket as time was ticking down. But the youngster didn’t go up with authority and left the weak-hand layup short.

But there was Q, flying down the lane, slamming home the miss with the Supermoon Under Armours flashing for the cameras. I can’t identify these neon green kicks from Under Armour. I’m guessing the older Curry One Low??

Hawaii’s not looking to good headed to Irvine for a rematch. Fleming isn’t back to his old self, Valdes is sick, and to me, it looked like Roderick Bobbitt was fatigued or sick himself.

It looked like the Bison were staying at the Ala Moana Hotel as I saw logoed shirts on hotel guests and what appeared to be Bison players checking out.

Can the AppleTV stream this content natively? Seems like the best option so far is to Airplay the stream from a computer or iOS device to an AppleTV. Gotta keep looking…

Former Bow Rod Flemings would be proud.

Couple his “Fear the Fro” moniker with his rebounding prowess, and you got an instant fan favorite. But what’s #42’s secret? Could it be this?

I know nothing about chia seeds, but this dietary supplement is getting some attention.

And be sure to follow #42 (as in four two as in Fotu) on Twitter at @ifotu42.

Will Hauns Brereton keep his fiery Adidas when UH’s Big West season begins? Okay, so these red and black Adidas don’t match the UH unis, but superstition says that if you got the hot hand, you keep doing what you been doing. If Hauns can score 47 points a game then he needs to keep them kicks!

See more NCAA Summer League pics at BrandonFloresPhotography.com.

On February 9, 2013, the Anteaters men’s basketball team from UC Irvine plays the UH Warriors. Do I wear my Anteater shirt?

Zot! Zot!

A 17-0 start to round 2 against New Mexico State. A repeat of the butt-whupping at Las Cruces, NM? Not so. The Bows dug deep and battled. Back and forth, blow after blow until the Warriors finally faltered.

What a game, punctuated by this unbelievably surprising highlight from #21 Hauns Brereton. The broken fast break initiated by 6-10 Vander Joaquim. A dump pass to a streaking Hauns on the right side. An open lane, defenders closing in. One motion, one hand. Right hand under the ball, elevating up, big man Nephawe flying for the block. Posterization. Highlight. Number 2 on ESPN Sportscenter Top Plays of the Day.

The new center court screens are amazingly clear. But I’m still adjusting to the layout of the info on the screens.

Shaq Stokes is a little guy, made more obvious when the entire team stands in line for the National Anthem.

Where has Bobby Miles gone?

The Farmers Hawaii Supa Bowzooka was shooting blanks at the game. Lots of motion but no action.

After flying around our seats, the Jack in the Box blimp came back and rained coupons on us.

I don’t understand that foul assessed to Shaq Stokes. The Bulldogs guard turned around and ran into Shaq.

The Bows hit the century mark in scoring!

Go Bows!

Most momentum changing shots. This has to go to freshman, Shaquille Stokes. Coming from the courts of NYC, Shaq is a battler and keeps coming at you. Sure, he’ll make freshman mistakes, but he’s going to have moments where his shots and drives will shift the momentum of the game.

Most daggers. No doubt Zane Johnson’s triples will be the proverbial “nail in the coffin” for opposing teams. When the opposition makes a run, Z’s 3 will squelch that and demoralize the comeback.

Breakout game. Hauns Brereton will have one game where he gets rolling… and rolling… and rolling. Think Tony Akpan a few years back when he was in that magical zone. Hauns will do it from the outside, midrange, and inside with nifty drives (like a more mobile Mindaugas Burneika).

“Oh thank you.” When the clock is ticking down, who gets the ball for the last second shot? No, it’s not (yet) Bobby Miles. But, he’ll actually come through on occasion where all the fans will think, “oh thank you.”

Most ejections/technical fouls. Toss up between Joston Thomas and Vander Joaquim. Vander is playing the role of inside enforcer so by default, his confrontations will draw attention fromm the refs. Joston still will have quick fouls and his frustration will get the better of him, and he’ll let the ref know about his displeasure.

Most improved. The early candidate is Trevor Wiseman. So he’s still not a power finisher, going for layups instead of throwing it down. But it seems like he has a semblance of a growing offensive game, not purely relying on hustle and garbage points. He might be able to knock down some jumpers.

Another exciting season awaits!

Despite his on-court success, who knew his personal life was starting to unravel? ESPN chronicles the rise and fall of Chris Herren the basketball player and the eventual salvation of The Herren Project. Be sure to watch ESPN’s Unguarded for Chris’ story.

So the Supermoon on Saturday night may have affected the outcome of the Bows’ CIT loss to San Fran. Win or lose, I’m proud that the Rainbows went for it wearing their intense green Adidas adiPURE shoes aka the Supermoons.

Thanks to Brandon Flores Photography, here are some great shots of the Supermoons on Saturday.

And yes, Amazon does sell the adiPURE in the Intense Green colorway.

That’s what happens when you let the leader of Hawaii’s hottest gentlemen’s club wield your camera during Hawaii’s second round CIT game against San Francisco. Thanks to ESPN radio, we had choice seats in the fifth row where we watched the Bows’ lead vanish in the last minute of play. It was crushing. The Bows were playing tough in their Adidas “Supermoons,” seemingly going to the next round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Then like that, victory was gone.

Missed free throws, a flagrant foul, a shooting foul on a three, an errant pass, and the deal was sealed. Overall, the Bows had an excellent year after so many unknowns to start the season: injuries, mid-season departures, then more injuries. Going to the Big Dance would have been nice, but for a team picked last in the conference, playing in any post season tournament is an accomplishment. Congratulations to the Rainbows for a great season and can’t wait until the Bows hit the court next year. Until then, a few images from the Rainbows last game.

As in the Supermoon that’s happening on Saturday night as the Bows play the Dons. Who’s to say what effects the Supermoon will have?

I thought the WAC Tournament would have been a good debut for these. But after UH’s first round WAC loss, what’s not to lose showcasing the bright greens in the Bows CIT postseason? Go Bows!