Three HPU Sharks selected to All-PacWest teams ahead of conference tournament
BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MAR 6, 2024
SAN DIEGO – The Hawai’i Pacific Sharks men’s basketball team received three honors from the PacWest Conference on Wednesday afternoon as guard Melo Sanchez was placed on the conference’s 2nd-team while Diggy Winbush and Maj Dusanic each received 3rd-team recognition.Â
It was the first time any of the three had received end-of-year PacWest honors.Â
The 2nd-team selection for Sanchez is the highest placement for a Shark since the 2020-21 season when Lachlan Viney made 1st-team. The sophomore shooter returned to HPU from the transfer portal this past offseason and put in work, finishing the regular season averaging the 9th-most points-per-game of any player in the league. The 6-foot-4 sniper also finished 2nd in the conference with 70 made 3-pointers this season, trailing only Azusa Pacific’s Ken West.Â
Winbush, who joined the Sharks extremely late after last season and snatched the starting point guard job quickly, received 3rd-team honors in his first season at the Division II level. The Los Angeles, California product averaged the 4th-most assists per game of any player in the conference for the entire year and 2nd-most after league play began. Winbush also led the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio with 80 dimes to just 43 giveaways while averaging the 2nd-highest point total on the team.Â
Dusanic was also named to the PacWest Conference’s 3rd-team after a fantastic second season in blue and grey as the captain forward poured in averages of over 11 points, five rebounds and two assists per game on a scorching 62% from the field, all while starting every one of HPU’s 28 contests this season. The Slovenian forward nearly doubled his scoring output from a year ago while posting three double-doubles, helping push the Sharks to the 3rd-best record in the league. HPU was predicted to finish 9th out of 11 teams in the preseason PacWest coach’s poll.Â
Hawai’i Pacific will take on 6th-seeded Azusa Pacific on Thursday in San Diego, California in the quarterfinals of the PacWest Tournament with tip-off scheduled for 10:30 a.m. HT and will be broadcast on Hawai’i Sports Radio Network, 95.1 FM, AM 760 and hawaiisportsradio.com. The winner will face #2 seed and regular season co-champion Academy of Art on Friday at 10:30 a.m. HT in the semifinals.Â
The Cougars, who were selected in the preseason as the conference’s top team, are led by three-time PacWest 1st-team selection Ken West and are looking to avenge last year’s performance when APU fell to Point Loma in the title game, 80-68.Â
Kilminster’s 29 helps Hawaii Pacific push past Alaska Fairbanks
HONOLULU – Welcome back, Killa Kilminster. The Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team moved back above .500 on Friday night, using a 29-point explosion from fifth-year guard Evan Kilminster to cruise by Alaska Fairbanks on the first night...
Hawaii Pacific posts triple digits for the first time in six years in win over Alaska Fairbanks
HONOLULU – Scoring explosion Sharks. For the first time since the 2019-2020 season, the Hawaii Pacific University women’s basketball team eclipsed 100 points in a single game on Friday evening as the Sharks opened up the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge...
Mitchell gets first career win as Hawai’i hangs on against Saint Mary’s in triple overtime
HONOLULU – There’s an old saying that says you always remember your first. That adage will most certainly hold true for Hawai’i’s Khalilah Mitchell, who picked up her first win as the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine basketball program on...
Hawai’i claims outright Mountain West title behind Reid’s 20-kill night
HONOLULU – What started as a season-long goal has become a reality. After exiting the Big West in 2025 after the program’s worst-ever finish in the conference standings, the University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team entered the 2026...
Hawai‘i Returns Home Seeking Third Straight Win Against North Dakota State
After nearly a month away from home and back-to-back road victories, Hawai‘i returns to the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Saturday with an opportunity to keep its late-season momentum alive against one of the Mountain West's top teams....
Wyoming golden goal breaks hearts of Hawai’i in Mountain West semifinals
Everyone remembers their first heartbreak. The University of Hawai’i women’s soccer team certainly won’t forget the first heartbreak as a Mountain West member. The third-seeded Rainbow Wahine (9-7-2) saw their season end on Wednesday afternoon,...
Sterling Carvalho returns to high school sidelines as new Saint Louis head football coach
Sterling Carvalho is returning to the high school football sidelines, this time taking over one of Hawai‘i's most storied programs. The former Kahuku head coach, who guided the Red Raiders to three consecutive HHSAA Open Division state...
Frigid shooting sinks Hawai’i against Portland in OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic finale
HONOLULU – Colder than a penguin’s tuxedo. The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team sputtered in the second half of the 2026 OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic finale against Portland on Monday night, making five of their final 34 shots from...
Hawaii Pacific hangs triple digits on Northwest Indian College in home opener
HONOLULU – Buckets by the bunch. For the first time in four seasons under head coach Jesse Nakanishi, the Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team eclipsed triple digits in the scoring department as the Sharks took down Northwest...
HPU Acrobatics & Tumbling Builds on Breakthrough Season Under Daisha Paulino
Hawai‘i Pacific University acrobatics and tumbling enters its third season under head coach Daisha Paulino with growing confidence and a stronger team culture following one of the program's most successful recent campaigns. Paulino joined Sharks...