By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
With one game left in the regular season, Hawai‘i-Hilo basketball coach Jeff Law finds his team in an unusual position.
In contention for the title.
It’s a long shot, but if the Vulcans beat Chaminade on the road on Saturday and Alaska-Anchorage drops its remaining two games against Alaska-Fairbanks at home this weekend, UH-Hilo will earn a share of the PacWest Pacific Division title.
UH-Hilo and Alaska-Anchorage split a pair in Alaska last month. Two season-ending losses to Alaska-Fairbanks likely would hurt the Seawolves’ power rating, giving UH-Hilo a shot at the NCAA Div. II regional playoffs, which start March 8.
"There’s still a glimmer of hope," Law said. "Right now, I’m the biggest Fairbanks fan in the world."
Whatever happens this weekend, Hawai‘i-Hilo (16-10, 11-6 PacWest) is assured its first winning season since the 1993-94 season, when it competed as an NAIA school.
The Vulcans finished 7-19 in 1998-99, Law’s first season. They improved to 12-14 last year.
"For us, it’s just nice to be talked about, to be part of the puzzle," Law said. "We have a chance to build our own tradition. It’s a nice view from here, and we want to stay here."
Law credits team chemistry — forged during the grueling six-day trip to Alaska last month — as the main reason for the Vulcans’ breakthrough season.
"Six days can be a very long time if guys are just out for themselves and not getting along," Law said. "That didn’t happen. The team really came together and that had a big impact on how we did as a team this season."
MORE BASKETBALL
 Brain trust: Four Hawai‘i small college players have been named to the PacWest Academic Basketball All-Star Team.
Hawai‘i-Hilo’s Scott Prather, Chaminade’s Kaweo Feeney and Brigham Young-Hawai‘i’s Brian Skimmer and Jason Stilson were among the 23 men’s selections.
Prather, a junior point guard from Kula, Maui, maintains a 3.85 grade point average in education.
Feeney, a senior guard from Kane‘ohe, has a 3.26 GPA in business.
Stilson, a senior forward from St. George, Utah, has a 3.59 GPA studying information systems. Skinner, a junior guard, majors in accounting and information systems and maintains a 3.56 GPA.
Forty-one women also made the team. None of the four Hawai‘i schools fields a women’s basketball team.
SOFTBALL
Conference honors: Heads up, Nomar. HPU has a formidable Garcia-Parra of its own.
That’s Holly Garcia and Jessica Parra.
Garcia was named PacWest Player of the Week and Parra joined Summer George of BYUH as the conference’s Co-Pitcher of the Week, for the week of Feb. 12-18.
Garcia, a sophomore shortstop from ‘Ewa Beach, hit 4-for-11 with five RBIs as HPU improved to 6-0 with a pair of doubleheader wins over Chaminade and UH-Hilo.
Parra, a freshman from Arizona, threw a four-hit shutout in a 6-0 win against Chaminade on Saturday and gave up one unearned run in a 3-1 win over UH-Hilo on Sunday. Parra is 3-0 on the season with a 0.64 ERA.
George, a junior from Oregon, pitched 11 shutout innings as the Seasiders downed the Vulcans, 1-0, to split a Saturday doubleheader.
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