Posted on: Friday, December 28, 2001
Hawai'i dials long distance
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist
As if there was any lingering doubt, no longer can the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team be taken cheaply.
In the Western Athletic Conference?
Well, there, too.
But especially at pizza parlors across the state. Like at a certain national chain that has a promotion whereby the day after the Rainbows make good on eight or more 3-point shots fans can show their ticket stubs for free breadsticks.
After a season-high nine 3-pointers in a resounding 83-73 WAC-opening victory over Fresno State in front of the largest home turnstile crowd in more than two seasons, there were suddenly 8,238 potential breadstick beneficiaries. And, as many believers in the 10-2 Rainbows.
"They (the pizza chain owners) are gonna go under, man," joked Predrag Savovic, who contributed two of the 3s.
Clearly, this is a team that has the potential to keep its fans rolling in dough for the rest of the season.
When point guard Mark Campbell begins hitting treys — and he arched in his first of the season last night — look out. When he joins what Savovic termed, "the club," you know what kind of a night it is.
But it was Carl English, with a career-high five of seven from behind the 3-point line, that set the arena-rocking tone for this one on a night when the Rainbows made good on 43 percent ( 9-of-21) of their 3-point attempts.
"He was on it," marveled Damon Jackson, of Fresno State.
Indeed, you knew this had the potential to be a big night all around when English popped in a fadeaway, off-balance rain-maker from 22 feet just 4:22 into the game and added two more in the first 11:08.
"That (first one) looked like the shot he hit in the WAC tournament," said Riley Wallace, the UH coach.
The others, including a 23-footer in which he whirled around a defender, cut back and got off a shot before skidding across the floor with 5:19 left, drove home the point. Several of them, in fact.
Against the kind of an opponent for which the Rainbows needed to bring all their offensive elements together, they did.
Their two big guns, Savovic and English, found the range for a combined 45 points (23 by Savovic and 22 from English) on the same night for the first time since Savovic became eligible Dec. 14th — four games ago.
Later, Savovic and English preferred to talk more about the fans and the numbers they turned out in than their own shooting.
"There's an adrenaline rush when you hit a big shot," English said. "As soon as it (the ball) leaves your hand and is in a high arch you just hear, 'aaaahhhh.' Then, when it goes in, they just explode, it is amazing."
Said Savovic: "They don't know how much they mean to us. It gives you chills. I wish I could buy them all tickets. But I can't do that."
Maybe they did the next best thing.
They gave them breadsticks.
