Wahine basketball coach Beeman has good vibes about new group

Hawaii women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman would not go as far as calling this a new era of Rainbow Wahine basketball.

With eight newcomers, only three players who have been with the program for at least three years, and no longer any fifth- or sixth-year eligible COVID seasons existing, it does feel like something new heading into the final season of Big West play before moving to the Mountain West in 2026.

“It feels different. I don’t think I would call this a new era simply because what we do kind of translates year after year,” Beeman said before the first official fall practice on Wednesday. “Yeah, we have a lot of international kids. That’s very different. We do have a lot of new faces but still pretty confident and excited about the players that we have coming back.”

Entering her 14th season as UH head coach, the four-time Big West Coach of the Year is coming off a 22-win season with a second straight BWC regular-season title and a berth in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament.

UH suffered a second consecutive stunning loss in the semifinals of the Big West Conference Tournament, but the chip on the shoulder that existed for a returnee-heavy team last season does not exist this year.

This new group of players is ready to create its own legacy at UH with the only fourth-year senior, 6-foot-4 forward Imani Perez, leading the way.

“It does feel a little different. We have basically a whole new team,” said Perez, who was named to the All-Big West second team and All-BWC defensive team last season. “I’m pretty excited. I think everybody else on the team is really excited just to get a fresh start and let the people see a whole new team in the Stan (Sheriff Center).”

Hawaii will replace six of its top nine leading scorers. The newcomers include freshman guard Bailey Flavell, who was the top scorer on the 2024 New Zealand U20 National Team with 25.3 points per game.

Fiamma Serra is a 6-foot-4 forward from Italy who has played on the national team, and Izzy Forsyth is a 6-foot transfer guard from UC San Diego.

“I think we’re going to play really exciting basketball,” Beeman said. “I know we’re going to get up and down the floor. We are going to pick up our pace. We are going to score more points.”

Returning 6-5 sophomore Ritorya Tamilo’s right foot was in a boot when she took questions from the media Wednesday.

The reigning Big West Freshman of the Year sat out practice, but after a long summer of playing basketball all over the world, Tamilo said she’s in a much more comfortable place with a full year of playing Division I basketball in the United States behind her.

“I obviously learned a lot from the seniors last year and so now I think I can use a lot more of my voice to pump up the freshmen,” Tamilo said. “Last year I think a learned more about the pace and physically, so just continuing that this year and just knowing I need to be sharper in the paint.”

Hawaii added exhibition games to the schedule against Chaminade on Oct. 21 and Hawaii Pacific on Oct. 28.

UH won’t play on the road until opening Big West play on Dec. 4 at UC Davis and Dec. 6 at Cal State Fullerton.