The last time a sophomore was named captain for the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team, there was a new head coach named Riley Wallace, only six scholarship players on the roster and a notice had been posted in the campus newspaper inviting members of the student body to apply for walk-on tryouts.
Things are not quite as dire as they were in 1988, when sophomore Chris Gaines was tabbed to lead the Rainbows through what turned out to be a 4-24 season, but they are nonetheless historically challenging for second-year combo guard Justin Webster as he will guide the Warriors into Friday’s 2020-21 season opener against Hawai’i Pacific.