Hawaii Women's Basketball Coach Mitchell Seeks Home Win in Classic

Hawaii women’s basketball coach Khalilah Mitchell is looking to secure a home victory during the Bank of Hawaii Classic starting today.

After opening the season with two road losses, the Rainbow Wahine face a demanding schedule against West Coast Conference opponents. Mitchell, who is making her official home debut as head coach today, told Yahoo Sports that the team is prioritizing focus over holiday distractions.

“We really want to honestly try to focus on basketball and not giving games away,” Mitchell said after practice Wednesday.

The team is coming off an 85-79 overtime loss to San Francisco, a game in which Hawaii held a 12-point lead with less than five minutes remaining before eventually falling in the extra period. That defeat came against a program preseason pollsters picked to finish fifth in the West Coast Conference.

Hawaii Women's Basketball Coach Mitchell Seeks Home Win in Classic

Hawaii begins the tournament today against Saint Mary’s (1-2), a team projected to finish ninth in the conference. On Sunday, the Rainbow Wahine will face an undefeated Loyola Marymount (3-0) squad that received multiple first-place votes in preseason polling.

The matchup against Saint Mary’s marks the first time these two schools have met since the Lions defeated Hawaii 67-43 in the WNIT in 2019, according to Yahoo Sports.

While the recent win-loss record is a concern, the individual statistics for Hawaii’s core players remain high. Junior Ritorya Tamilo has emerged as a dominant force in the paint, leading the nation with 15.5 rebounds per game and recording 13 blocks. In her recent outing against the Dons, Tamilo posted a career-high 27 points and 19 rebounds, the highest single-game rebound total for a Hawaii player since 2013.

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Player	Points Per Game
Bailey Flavell	21.0
Ritorya Tamilo	20.5

Sophomore guard Bailey Flavell also ranks among the conference leaders, averaging 21 points per game. Together, Flavell and Tamilo represent the bulk of the team’s offensive production, as no other player on the roster has averaged more than 6.5 points per game.

The transition to a new leadership structure has presented challenges for Mitchell during her first season as head coach. She said that her initial approach involved a steep learning curve regarding player autonomy and direct instruction.

“I made so many mistakes. I learned I needed to give myself grace,” Mitchell said.

“I learned I need to figure out times when to trust them and then when they need it. So there’s times where they really need more direction from me, and because of the vision I want, I am pushing them I think a little bit too much to let them direct themselves, and so I’ve learned I have to figure out that balance of fair direction and when I need to step in and insert myself.”

Tamilo credited the coaching staff for her increased confidence on the court, specifically noting the work done with assistant coach Derrick Florence during the offseason.

“I think I’m just a lot more confident, especially knowing that (Coach) K and the rest of the team trust me to have that ball in my hand, especially in crucial moments,” Tamilo said.

The Rainbow Wahine enter the weekend with a historical advantage against Loyola Marymount, having won their only meeting against the Lions last year and holding an 8-0 all-time record against them at home.