Young and restless Wahine ready to rise and shine
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
8:38 a.m. Practice was finished, but Christa Brossman wasn't.
She worked on her jumpers, moving around the court with obvious purpose. No one in the stands, no coaches pushing her, no teammates to high-five.
Only a sophomore, not even a starter, Brossman hopes she can provide that extra boost off the bench for the University of Hawai'i Wahine basketball team.
Until then, she continues, after every practice, improvement her focus, contributing her goal.
Brossman epitomizes the spirit of this year's Wahine: Young but driven.
"As young as they are, as inexperienced as they are, they come out with strong work ethics," said head coach Vince Goo. "They come out every day at 6 a.m. and work hard."
And that's not an easy task.
After convincing the coaching staff to move practice to an earlier time so they could attend the afternoon UH-Fresno State football game three weeks ago, the team is now paying the price.
The practice time never moved back to 3 p.m. And it probably won't.
"I hate it," said senior guard Janka Gabrielova, en route to physiology class. "On the one hand, it's good because you don't have practice in the afternoon. But I have to wake up at 5 a.m., get to the gym at 5:10 a.m., get taped, practice. It's hard."
"Ask me when 3 p.m. comes around," said senior forward Karena Greeny, hardly groggy after a grueling two-hour practice. "That's when I think (the early time) is better."
An early practice isn't the only thing that's changed about the Wahine.
With two seniors and a slew of first-year players, this team lacks the experience of last year's squad, which won 26 games and advanced to the semifinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
"To be successful you need veterans," Goo said. "And we only have two this year."
He quickly added that the team's veterans have improved and is confident they will provide the leadership and dedication to inspire the newcomers.
"Janka is playing under control," Goo said. "She's making better decisions offensively and plays with maturity. ... And Karena is a blue-collar worker. She does things that don't show up in the stats."
But losing its top three scorers — forwards Crystal Lee and Kylie Galloway, and center Dainora Puida — won't help the team.
"It was easier to play last year because the players had more experience," said Gabrielova. "But this year everyone can play and score, not just the three players. This year we've got all of them."
That was proven in Saturday's 74-52 win over the New Zealand national team.
Freshmen Chelsea Wagner and Jade Abele played an impressive 20 minutes against the Tall Ferns. Wagner hit 7-of-10 field goals, 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, for 20 points. Abele drained 5-of-6, ending the game with 13 points and six rebounds.
What they needed, they got: confidence. And they'll need that this weekend when the Wahine play host to the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"Coach had us pretty ready to get in there and play," said Wagner, 5-foot-10 guard from Springfield, Ore. "As a freshman, I just want to give it my 100 percent. I was just happy to be hitting my shots."
Off the board: The Wahine play Washington State at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. It will be their third meeting, the last time in 1995. UH leads the series, 2-0. Texas A&M faces Portland State at 1 p.m. The consolation game will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday; the championship game at 1 p.m. ... Iolani School senior Trisha Nishimoto is expected to sign a letter of intent today to play for the Wahine.
