UH-Hilo basketball coach GE Coleman didn’t have to go far to find the rim protector he coveted.
BYU-Hawaii athletics is out of business, and the Vulcans could be back in it on the defensive end after signing Denhym Brooke, a 6-foot-8 forward who was second in the Pacific West Conference last year in blocked shots with 48 for the Seasiders.
To put that number in context, consider that UH-Hilo was in sore need of an interior defensive presence after finishing last in the PacWest with just 43 blocks.
Brooke, a native of New Zealand, was seventh in the conference in rebounding and averaged 10 points a contest, starting every game in BYU-Hawaii’s last season and shooting 57 percent from the field.