Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Earn 3 All-Big West Conference Honors

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team saw three players honored by the conference on Tuesday as seniors Isaac Johnson, Dre Bullock and Hunter Erickson each were named to the various all-Big West teams after helping lead the Rainbow Warriors to their best conference finish in a decade.

He became the first UH player to land on the all-Big West 1st-team since Eddie Stansberry did it for the Rainbow Warriors in 2020 and the eighth UH player to ever make all-Big West 1st team.

“It’s pretty amazing,” a gracious Johnson said of the conference honor. “Coming from a place where I felt undervalued last year, to have the opportunity to come out here and feel the love and feel the support and the belief from my coaches is a night-and-day difference. That accolade is a testament to that … the belief and the love from teammates and coaches and from the people of Hawai’i.”

Bullock clicked in right behind Johnson on the all-Big West 2nd-team, averaging 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in his lone season in the islands. The 6-foot-6 wing also led the team in steals with 48 and tied for fifth-most steals per game in the conference, 1.6 takeaways each night for a Hawai’i defense that was nationally respected all season. The senior led the team in scoring 10 times, leading to a 9-1 record for the Rainbow Warriors. Bullock tallied five 20-point games in Big West play and provided a critical buzzer-beating 3-pointer at Cal State Fullerton to help UH clinch a top two seed for the conference tournament.

“Very grateful, very happy,” Bullock said of being named to the all-Big West 2nd-team. “Definitely a good experience. I feel like I had probably my best season throughout my whole college career … I feel like my coaches just believed in me since Day 1 [and] my teammates believed in me.”

Erickson nabbed all-Big West honorable mention for his efforts in an ever-changing role for the Rainbow Warriors, starting all 30 games and averaging a team-high 31.5 minutes per night as he shifted from an off-ball role to floor general duties after Tanner Cuff and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor each suffered season-ending injuries. The 6-foot-3 guard also averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists while racking up 25 steals and hitting a team-high 39 3-pointers, all career highs for the graduate student. He also cemented himself in Rainbow Warrior basketball lore with a fallaway game-winner at the buzzer against UC Irvine back on January 10 and was the passer on Bullock’s game-winner at Fullerton.

Hawai’i (22-8, 14-6) will await the winner of the Cal State Fullerton quarterfinal matchup after securing a double bye as the No. 2 seed. It’s the first time since the Big West started giving the top two seeds an automatic spot into the conference tournament’s final four that the Rainbow Warriors have earned the straight-to-semifinal pass.UH’s semifinal game is scheduled for Friday, March 13, at 5:30 p.m. HT with the chance to play any of UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, or Cal State Fullerton.