2023-24 Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball Season Summary
4Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball Season:
Overall: 20-14
Big West: 11-9 (3rd overall; 4th in standings if you count UC San Diego)
Last Win: 3/14/24 Vs. CSUN, 75-68, Big West Tournament Quarterfinals
Last Loss: 3/15/24 Vs. UC Davis, 68-65, Big West Tournament Semifinals
The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team saw its road to glory end in heartbreak in the 2024 Hercules Tires Big West Tournament Semifinals on Mar. 15, 2024 in a 68-65 loss to the UC Davis Aggies.
After falling behind early in the first half, UH came back to within two points at halftime, 31-29.
Davis came firing out of the second half while UH couldn't buy a bucket (other than free throws) for the first seven minutes.
UH fell behind by as many as 17, but they would not give up. While Davis went cold, UH chipped away little by little, but in the waning seconds, JoVon McClanahan's late jumper did not go, and Justin McKoy was called for a foul on the rebound.
With six seniors on the roster, Head Coach Eran Ganot chose to end their season following the loss to UC Davis.
UH started conference play with only two wins in the first eight games and found themselves in 10th place in the standings ahead of Cal Poly.
When things could not get any worse, they did. UH would lose 7'1" center Mor Seck for the season due to an ACL knee injury. That was before UH took on UC Santa Barbara at home on Jan. 25. UH would also lose senior point guard JoVon McClanahan for four games due to a shoulder injury.
UH would put things together and win 9 of their last 12 conference games before the tournament. They ended the conference season 4th in the standings, but 3rd overall due to UC San Diego still transitioning to Division I and being ineligible for the Big West Tournament.