Hunter Erickson stayed calm during the chaos, delivering the most memorable moment of the University of Hawai‘i men's basketball team's season so far on Saturday.
Down by one point against UC Irvine, the Rainbow Warriors called their final timeout with 9.1 seconds remaining. A broken play left the 'Bows stuck until their trusty senior guard got the ball with two seconds remaining.
Erickson took two dribbles to his right and swished a fadeaway jumper from near the free throw line as time expired, lifting the Rainbow Warriors to a 67-66 win over the Anteaters in the final matchup between the teams at the Stan Sheriff Center with UH as a Big West Conference member.
"Once it left my hands, it felt good," Erickson said after the game.
As discombobulated as the 'Bows may have looked in the final seconds, Erickson says it's a shot he's practiced thoroughly over the years.
"More times than I can possibly remember, honestly," he said. "Luckily, I was able to get to the spot. That's a shot that I practice a lot, that mid-range, pull-up fadeaway. Obviously not the go-to shot during the game but at the end of the day, when teams are playing good defense, that's a shot you can always get off no matter what."
The turnstile crowd of 4,895 on Saturday night featured Erickson's in-laws, AAU coach and friends from high school.
"That makes it really cool," Erickson said of his game-winner. "All the emotions, amazing. I couldn't even hear myself talking. It was awesome. That's the kind of crowd you live to play for."
Erickson has been the ultimate all-around player for the Rainbow Warriors. The 6-foot-3 BYU transfer had seven points, five rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal, playing 35 minutes against UC Irvine. He's started all 15 games for the Rainbow Warriors, averaging 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists. His duties often include guarding the opposing team's top guard, as well as playing spot minutes at point guard when regular starter Aaron Hunkin-Claytor is on the bench.
"Hunter's my guy," standout UH center Isaac Johnson said. "That's my golf buddy, my AAU teammate from back in the day. He's a great dude, and so I think he himself didn't have the best game, and for him to just stay in it and stay locked in to that moment, that shows what kind of a guy he is, what type of player he is. He's an amazing dude."
Added head coach Eran Ganot: "You know why Hunter makes that shot? Because he's incredible person. He misses (a game-winner) early in the year, which is a tough one. And he's ready to take the next one, which was a tough one, but it's a moment for him and the team will never forget it."
The Rainbow Warriors improved to 12-3 overall and 4-1 in Big West play, establishing themselves as an early contender in 2026 after missing the eight-team conference tournament in 2025.
Though the 'Bows enjoyed the win on Saturday, they were back in the practice gym on Monday ahead of its road trip to Coastal California. Hawai‘i will play at Cal Poly on Thursday and at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.
"I think momentum wise, that's a huge deal," Johnson said on Monday. "We drew up a play, the play didn't go to plan. And basketball players make basketball plays. Hunter Erickson was electric. I was talking to Gibson Johnson this morning, and he was saying he couldn't fall asleep until 3 in the morning, it was pretty fun. We're amped. And that's one of those things that can just sway a season a little bit going forward.
"We need to use that momentum but not be hung up on that moment. It was great that it happened and it's done now. We paid rent that day. We got rent to pay coming up."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
