By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Hawai‘i men’s basketball team will be bigger tonight.
But better?
"Let’s hope so because we need to get some momentum going for the (Western Athletic Conference) Tournament," coach Riley Wallace said.
If the Rainbows want to prove their worth among the WAC’s upper half, tonight will be as good a chance as any. Hawai‘i, which is 10-12 overall and 4-7 in the conference after losing two road games last week, will play host to Southern Methodist tonight at 7:05 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Mustangs have won four consecutive games, and may be on the verge of breaking into the national polls with records of 18-6 overall and 8-3 in the WAC. SMU, which defeated the Rainbows, 69-56, in Dallas last month, is in sole possession of second place in the conference.
"I think Fresno State and SMU are the two best teams in the WAC," Rainbow senior forward Nerijus Puida said. "And they beat us pretty good up there, so we know how good they are."
By comparison, the Mustangs know little about the new and, hopefully, improved version of the Rainbows who will take the court tonight. To begin with, SMU defeated a UH team that played without star center Troy Ostler, who had a severely-sprained ankle last month.
"It was frustrating," said Ostler, who watched that game on television from Hawai‘i. "But at the same time, I saw some good things. I know we’re a bigger team than they are, and that’s something we have to take advantage of."
The last time Ostler played against SMU, he had 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Rainbows upset the Mustangs in last season’s WAC Tournament.
"He’s the guy who beat us," SMU coach Mike Dement said. "So we know about him."
What’s more, Ostler is bringing backup. Freshman Haim Shimonovich, a 6-foot-10 center, will make his debut tonight. He is not expected to start, but should see significant action in relief of both Ostler and starting power forward Phil Martin.
"We play a pretty small lineup, and that could be dangerous against Hawai‘i," Dement said. "We’ve always had problems with big guys."
The Mustangs start three guards and two forwards, and none of them is taller than 6-8. Still, they lead the conference with an average of 41.8 rebounds per game. SMU outrebounded the Ostler-less Rainbows, 49-31, in the victory in Dallas.
"Their speed and quickness concern me," Wallace said. "They might not be tall, but they’re quick to get to the spots they need to be."
SMU is led by Jeryl Sasser, a 6-6 senior guard who is arguably the WAC’s best player. He averages 17.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He scored just nine points against Hawai‘i, but contributed 12 rebounds and eight assists.
"That’s what makes him a great player," Wallace said. "He does the things he needs to do to help his team win."
But Wallace is also concerned about his own guard situation. Freshman starting point guard David Hilton "tweaked" his ankle yesterday, so junior Mike McIntyre practiced with the first team. McIntyre saw limited action because of a sprained ankle in the loss at SMU.
"We’ll decide before the game who starts," Wallace said,
NOTES: Nerijus Puida and his wife, Dainora, were featured in a Valentine’s Day article in yesterday’s edition of USA Today. However, the couple did not spend the day together. Dainora, who plays for the Wahine basketball team, left for a road game yesterday morning. "We celebrated (Tuesday)," Nerijus said. "We had dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory and we exchanged gifts. I think I got the better deal. She gave me cologne, Nike shorts and some boxers. I got her body lotion."
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