UHH seeks boost from Rainbows

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

As far as Hawai'i-Hilo is concerned, the pressure on the Hawai'i men's basketball team isn't so much about winning this week.

For the first time, the Rainbow Warriors will participate in the Vulcans' Big Island Invitational, an eight-team tournament that is scheduled to begin tomorrow.

UHH athletic director Kathleen McNally and head basketball coach Jeff Law said the 'Bows were invited, in part, to help invigorate a tournament that will run without a title sponsor.

"We're hoping (Hawai'i) will bring a lot of fans with them, and that people here (on the Big Island) will come out to support the tournament as a chance to watch both us and (Hawai'i)," McNally said. "This is a very crucial tournament for us for many reasons, and we're hoping (Hawai'i) can help provide a boost."

Because the tournament does not have a sponsor, the UHH athletic department is relying on its own funds and community support to run the tournament.

McNally said the NCAA Division II Vulcans will have to provide more than $200,000 to the seven NCAA-I teams participating in the tournament for transportation and hotel costs alone.

"We're a small school trying to run a big tournament without a national sponsor," Law said. "For us, the kind of money it takes to run this thing is quite significant."

So significant, that the Vulcans may have to consider dropping the tournament in the near future if a title sponsor is not found after this year.

"This tournament has a major impact on our entire athletic program," McNally said. "But this university can not support a tournament of this level on its own."

Law, a former assistant under Riley Wallace, said he has already felt the positive impact of having Hawai'i in the tournament.

"I got a lot of calls from people in Honolulu asking me about tickets and stuff, so that's a good sign," he said. "I just hope they all show up."

• No word: No news was bad news yesterday, as UH officials did not hear from the NCAA as expected on the eligibility status of Luc-Arthur Vebobe.

Because of that, Vebobe did not travel with the team to Hilo.

Predrag Savovic and Tony Akpan, both also under NCAA investigation, traveled with the team, but may not play if the NCAA does not resolve their eligibility status by tomorrow.

"We're hoping to hear something (tomorrow)," Wallace said. "If not, we'll have to make some decisions again, which we don't want to do."

Tomorrow's schedule
At Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium

Colorado State vs. South Carolina State, noon
LSU vs. Weber State, 2:30 p.m.
Hawai'i vs. Mercer, 5 p.m.
Wisconsin vs. Hawai'i-Hilo, 7:30 p.m.