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West Valley City • For three quarters last Friday, Hunter freshman Noah Togiai was content to drift around the fray, a splinter of wood circling a slow-moving whirlpool.
The game against visiting Herriman was just about out of control, on and off the court. Midway through the third quarter, the Wolverines were down 20, and discord on the bench threatened team unity.
Then slowly, subtly at first, Hunter worked its way back.
Guard Lorenzo Dudley pressured Herriman — which had also started to miss foul shots — into turnovers. Then Togiai came alive, snapping home a pair of 3s as well as a dribble-drive 3-point play.
Finally, Tre'Von Johnson — who only moments before was a frustrated wreck after losing a tooth and going nose to nose with fuming Hunter coach Dave Filimoehala — took his aggression to the defensive side of the ball.
He also started to score and, with two seconds to play, took a bounce pass from Dudley inside the key and delivered the improbable game-winning basket. Hunter won 61-59 to an explosion of cheers and hugs.
So it goes with Hunter High. Despite Tuesday's heartbreaking loss to Skyline in which another dramatic Wolverine comeback bid fell short, Hunter is off to a 3-2 start and has displayed indications that it won't be the doormat of class 5A Region 2 this season. The Wolverines, winners of only 33 games since earning a state championship in 2004, look like a team to be taken seriously.
"We're rebuilding this program," said Togiai, one of the inexperienced but talented parts of Filimoehala's team. "We're going to try and make the state tournament."
Ah, raw youth.
Like Togiai, Hunter remains a work in progress.
"We're playing a lot of first-year players," a tired but pleased Filimoehala said. "They have to learn. They're going into the fire. We're putting the heat on them right off the bat.
"This one [Friday] is really satisfying. They're learning valuable lessons that will serve them well down the stretch."
So far, Togiai has made Filimoehala's gamble of starting a freshman pay off. The slender 6-foot-3 wing had averaged 10 points through four games. He totaled 15 against 4A Herriman, 10 in the fourth quarter.
"We knew what he could do from the first day we saw him in open gym," senior point guard Dimitri Saliba said. "He's always been above average for a freshman."
Saliba, who himself averages more than 15 points, welcomes the chance just to win games. It's an unusual sensation for Hunter, coming off years of 4-17 and 1-19 records.
"I'm trying to make sure everybody is on track," Saliba said. "We always knew we could win, but we never had the will to win. Last year we didn't know how to win. This year we do."
At least Hunter has learned how to make games interesting. The Wolverines also came back from a large deficit against Logan to win by 6 and edged East by 3.
Togiai scored in double figures in three of those four games, all victories. He scored 2 in a loss to Juan Diego.
"On Wednesday, I injured my hip and I was trying to get my game back," Togiai said. "In the fourth quarter [Friday], I looked up at the scoreboard and thought I had to put it up.
"I'm still kind of nervous at the beginnings of games."
Togiai learned the game while playing with older players in open games at recreation centers. Filimoehala noticed the freshman's skills immediately.
"He's a unique talent, no question," Filimoehala said. "He didn't have a very good game last time out, but he was going to show everybody tonight. It's up from here."
Filimoehala knew he was going to start Togiai. There was no way to ignore the shooting range, quickness and drive to the basket. Mistakes were going to happen, but that was part of the learning process.
"He does this every day in practice," Filimoehala said. "If he puts on a few more inches, he can play [college basketball] anywhere he wants."
For now, Togiai is content in his efforts to help turn Hunter into a winning program. This includes attempts at intimidation. "They try to bump me around," he said, admitting with a laugh that the tactic works, "most of the time, yes."
He adds: "There are players on this team better than me. I have to work at it."
At least, if Friday is anything to go by, Togiai, Saliba and Johnson will be interesting to watch this season.