The University of Hawaiʻi men's basketball team came off a frustrating 10-point loss to Cal State Northridge, 76-66, last Saturday, but there have been some bright moments. New Zealand import Tom Beattie has gotten more playing time and could be growing as fast as teammate Kody Williams did last season.

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Beattie came to UH during the off-season averaging over 27 points as a high school senior point guard. In his first season at UH, Beattie is averaging over three points and under two rebounds a game. His best performance so far was the opener against UH-Hilo where he earned 12 points and four rebounds in the 82-66 win.

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Teammates Justin McKoy and Juan Munoz had good feelings about Beattie's future at UH at the press conference following the UH-Hilo win on Nov. 14.

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"He's gonna be special," Munoz said. "He's always in the gym; he's always putting in work."

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"I'm a big fan of Tom Beattie," McKoy said. "Just a big guard, physical, can get downhill, looks to pass. I really think he's gonna be good for Hawaiʻi."

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Although Beattie has not scored higher than seven points since then, his impact in other areas has been noticeable. He had a season-high seven rebounds against Hawaiʻi Pacific University on Dec. 10.

 

Beattie has also shown good ball control at the point position. He has played at least 10 minutes in all but three games this season; his most minutes came against HPU with 25.

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Beattie's seven-point game came in UH's last home matchup against Cal State Fullerton when UH fell in overtime, 63-61. Beattie made UH's lone field goal in the overtime period.

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Last season, point guard Juan Munoz went down with an Achilles injury in UH's exhibition game against UH-Hilo on Nov. 3, 2022. When Big West Conference play came around, teammate Kody Williams got more playing time off the bench and became a key factor in some of UH's conference wins.

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While Beattie's numbers this season may not necessarily prove it, he is making leaps and bounds to help UH into the win column like Williams did last season. Until the last game at CSUN, Beattie had hit at least one triple in the past three straight games. His athleticism has played a key role in UH's nine victories this season and has proven his growth is at almost the same pace as Williams last season.

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Beattie, who turned 19 just before the conference season opener against Fullerton, is very likely to earn a starting job in the 2024-25 season. He is also the first player from New Zealand to play for UH in over 10 years when Isaac Fotu joined in 2012.

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Back then, Fotu was a vital player for UH under former head coach Gib Arnold and interim coach Benjy Taylor. Fotu only played for two seasons before NCAA sanctions ruled him ineligible for the 2014-15 season; he would leave the program following the sanctions to play professionally in Spain.

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When Beattie is at the point position, his athleticism is almost identical to Williams' if he were running the point. Beattie has hit four triples this season alone while Williams only made one last season against UC San Diego. Unfortunately, Williams has been sidelined for most of this season due to a groin injury and has only played limited minutes.

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Look for big things from Beattie as UH prepares for a two-game homestand against UC Irvine on Thursday, Jan. 11, and on Saturday, Jan. 13 against UC Riverside. Both tipoffs are scheduled for 7 p.m. HST.