Sellitto likes makeup of experienced Sea Warriors
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Tony Sellitto may not be a chemist, but his men's basketball team has a lot of chemistry.
Eight seniors return for Hawai'i Pacific University, including seven returning letter winners and the team's top two scorers from last season.
Definitely one of the most experienced HPU squads, and hopefully one of his most successful.
"I'm not a chemistry kind of guy," admitted Sellitto, who begins his 14th and final year at the helm. "But chemistry is important to every team. It's just whether or not the coach can tell if it's there."
In this case, the team has chemistry and history.
After spending countless practices together, a season's worth of games and an entire summer in the weight room, this year's squad has the advantage of knowing what to expect and how to play HPU ball.
"It's a real advantage for us," Sellitto said. "They know my mindset and I know theirs. I know the different personalities of the kids. And if you can stay pretty consistent as a coach as far as personality goes, they don't have to guess what you'll do and say."
Senior guard Nash Subotic, who averaged 17 points per game last season, returns to ignite an offense that already boasts junior college transfer Leandro Maruoka, who hit 5-of-7 shots from the field for 10 points and pulled down 10 rebounds during HPU's win over the Northwest All-Stars, 82-74 on Monday at the Blaisdell Arena. Subotic led the Sea Warriors with 19 points.
Fellow senior Nick Spajic, last year's leading scorer at 18.3 points per game, is out with an ankle injury. He will not play in Saturday's season opener against Division II No. 20 University of Nebraska-Kearney at Mid-Pacific gym.
Armed with experience, Sellitto is only concerned about one thing: consistency.
"When we play, and I mean really play, I'm not afraid of anybody. And I mean that," he said. "Our problem is our inconsistency. We're not as consistent as we want to be, our whole game. And at this time of the year, that's a problem."
More basketball
The University of Hawai'i-Hilo men's basketball team opens its season 7:15 p.m. tomorrow against University of Nebraska-Kearney at UHH gym.
The Vulcans easily put away the alumni, 120-66, on Saturday in Hilo. Junior guards Derek Mgbeke and David LaQua led the Vulcans with 35 and 25 points, respectively. Junior forward Kyle Bartholomew pulled a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
The Brigham Young University-Hawai'i men's basketball team kicks off its season this weekend in the Davis (Calif.) Tournament. It plays UC-Davis at 6 p.m. (Hawai'i time) tomorrow. Humboldt State faces Barry at 4 p.m. Winners face-off at 6 p.m. Saturday; losers at 4 p.m.
The Seasiders let loose on the Northwest All-Stars last Saturday, handily defeating them in an exhibition game, 97-84, in La'ie.
Coming off an injury, junior center Scott Salisbury nearly out-rebounded the entire squad of All-Stars, pulling down 28 boards to the opposition's 31.
Junior forward Alexis Foyle posted a game-high 26 points. Senior forward Keli'i Naihe and Salisbury added 25 and 19 points, respectively.
Chaminade University begins its season in the Maui Invitational Monday-Wednesday at the Lahaina Civic Center in West Maui. The field includes defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Duke, perennial powers Kansas and UCLA, Ball State, Houston, Seton Hall and South Carolina.
The Silverswords' first-round game against South Carolina on Monday will be shown 9 a.m., Hawai'i time, on ESPN.
Volleyball
No. 16 HPU competes today in the six-team, single-elimination NCAA Division II Pacific Region Volleyball Championship tournament at Coussoulis Arena at Cal State-San Bernandino.
Seeded fourth, the Sea Warriors (18-4 overall, 12-3 PacWest) will face fifth-seeded Seattle Pacific at 5:30 p.m. HST. The winner will meet top-seeded CSUSB at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow. The championship match will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday.
The defending national champions are 4-0 all-time against former conference foe Seattle Pacific and defeated the Falcons in three-straight last year to win the PacWest Conference championship.
BYUH was not selected to compete in the regional tournament, despite a second-place finish in the conference and two wins over HPU. This is the second year in a row the Seasiders (14-6, 10-5) stayed home.
Cross Country
Four HPU runners are lacing up for Saturday's Division II National Championship in Slippery Rock, Penn.
Nina Christensen and Christian Madsen, both this year's West Region and PacWest individual champions, have legitimate shots at placing, though they'll be up against tough competition from Western State, UC-Davis and Edinboro.
Both top-ranked Western State's men's and women's cross country teams will try to defend their national titles Saturday.
Lisa Blomme, who finished second at the regionals, and Sayuri Kusutani, who placed fifth, claimed the other two individual spots. Blomme placed second at regionals and seventh at nationals last year to garner All-America accolades.
