Historic win by Hawaii puts end to trying week for California

By Tim Rohan, New York Times News Service

Saturday, March 19, 2016 | 6:24 a.m.

SPOKANE, Wash. — As Cuonzo Martin paced the sideline, watching his best player get into foul trouble and his team play sloppy basketball, he kept reaching for a gold and blue towel. Every few plays, Martin, the California coach, would wipe his brow, dry his hands and clench the towel as his anger took hold.

It had been a trying week for Martin and the Cal program. An assistant coach was fired for violating the school’s sexual harassment policy. The university opened an investigation into how Martin had handled the case. Tyrone Wallace, the Golden Bears’ top scorer, broke his hand in practice.

Just minutes before tipoff Friday, Jabari Bird decided he could not play because of back spasms. And Jaylen Brown, the Golden Bears’ best remaining player, fouled out with about six minutes left in the game.

After 13th-seeded Hawaii had toppled No. 4-seeded Cal, 77-66, notching its first NCAA tournament win in history, Martin’s towel lay in a crumpled heap at the end of the scorers’ table.

“I just think what happens when you have a level of momentum,” Martin said. “You’re going into something, and you hit a bump in the road. And then the situation that took place with one of our coaches. Then all of a sudden, Tyrone goes down, and then Jabari Bird. I mean, it’s tough for young guys to overcome. But for us as a staff, as men, this is life.”

In the Cal locker room, players sat in silence, and a few assistant coaches sat in a side room staring at their phones. In the corner, Brown, a freshman forward who is projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft, was leaning forward, resting his head on his hands, and looking off into space as teammates came over to console him.

Missing Wallace and Bird, a potent scorer and 3-point shooter, the Golden Bears desperately needed scoring, but Brown never found a rhythm because of his foul trouble. Midway through the first half, he went barreling into the lane — all 6 feet 7 inches and 225 pounds of him — and crashed into Hawaii guard Sheriff Drammeh, who is listed as 55 pounds lighter.

After a charge was called, Drammeh leapt up, saw a teammate’s brother in the stands, and mirrored him, doing a dance he said was called “Hit Dem Folks and Dab.”

Minutes later, Brown went rushing down the lane again, and Drammeh took another charge and danced to the crowd’s delight.

“He’s the team clown,” said Quincy Smith, whose brother was dancing with Drammeh.

That was Brown’s third foul. He played only 17 minutes, committed seven turnovers, and shot 1 of 6 from the field. “I let that kind of take me out of my game,” he said. “I’ve just got to be better. Be better. I’ve got a lot to learn about this game.”

Hawaii had its own foul predicament. Stefan Jankovic, the Big West Conference player of the year, sat out for about 13 minutes of the second half after picking up his fourth foul. But the Rainbow Warriors’ veteran guards kept attacking the Golden Bears with confidence.

It started in the first half, when Jankovic called for Roderick Bobbitt, a senior, to come around his screen. Bobbitt made a face, as if to say he did not need it, and drilled a 3-pointer. Jankovic smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, running back on defense.

When Jankovic left, Aaron Valdes, a junior guard, assured his teammates everything would be fine when he made a thunderous alley-oop dunk. Smith, a senior guard, also asserted himself, knifing his way through the paint, scoring 8 points while Jankovic sat. “Q gets mad at me a lot because he doesn’t think that I pass him the ball,” Jankovic joked.

In 18 minutes, Jankovic scored 16 points. Smith poured in a team-high 19, and, Bobbitt, playing all 40 minutes, added 17.

When Hawaii coach Eran Ganot entered the locker room, the players rushed him and doused him with water.

“No one picked us doing this,” Jankovic said. “Other than Obama.”