HPU's Subotic hoping patience will pay off this year
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
An accurate 3-point shot, an aggressive jumper, a high-level of intensity.
HPU Thanksgiving Classic Tomorrow: Vanderbilt vs. Hampton, noon; Monmouth vs. University of Akron, 2 p.m.; University of Tennessee-Chattanooga vs. Liberty, 4:30 p.m.; Notre Dame vs. HPU, 6:30 p.m. Saturday: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, noon; Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 2 p.m.; Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 4:30 p.m.; Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6:30 p.m. Sunday: Seventh place, 11 a.m.; Third place, 3:30 p.m.; Consolation championship, 1 p.m., Championship, 5:30 p.m.
10th annual Big Island Invitational Tomorrow: Colorado State vs. South Carolina, noon; Louisiana State vs. Weber State, 2:30 p.m., UH vs. Mercer, 5 p.m.; Hilo vs. Wisconsin, 7:30 p.m. Saturday: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, noon; Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 2:30 p.m.; Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5 p.m.; Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7:30 p.m. Sunday: Seventh place, 9 a.m.; Consolation championship, 11:30 a.m.; Third place, 2 p.m.; Championship, 4:30 p.m.
BYUH Thanksgiving Tournament Today: Metro State vs. BYUH, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26: North Park University at Chaminade, 7:30 p.m.
There's not much more Nash Subotic could want to improve his game.
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THIS WEEK'S GAMES
At Blaisdell Arena
At Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium
At La'ie
But there's one thing the Hawai'i Pacific University guard needs: patience.
"When I'm trying to do something, I just want to jump over some steps, get to it," said the 6-foot-5 senior from Yugoslavia. "But now (that I'm older) I understand."
Patience will help his offense, slow him down, allow him to make better decisions.
Patience will keep him focused, to think about the next game, not the conference championships.
Patience will make him a better player.
"I'm always up, always ready to go. I need to get in the game more, be more relaxed."
So he takes 10 minutes before he leaves his apartment on game days to mediate to the sounds of Enigma. He works on his jumpers for hours after practice. He finds solace in the Serbian community that has been his strength, his family away from home.
All this, in some way, has made Subotic a better, more controlled player.
"He's an extremely good long-range shooter and when he goes to the basket he finishes extremely well," raved HPU coach Tony Sellitto. "I can see why five Division I schools were interested in him. When guys are scoring 16 points at the half, he's scoring 22 in 10 minutes. He's a great offensive player."
The pressure is on Subotic to deliver every time. And with the team's leading scorer, fellow senior Nick Spajic, out with an ankle sprain (questionable for this weekend's Thanksgiving Tournament at the Blaisdell), Subotic feels the need to overachieve.
"It's much easier playing with Nick," said the 22-year-old international business major, who led the Sea Warriors with 18 points and seven boards in HPU's 70-60 win over No. 20 Nebraska-Kearney. "The other (defenders) don't know where to go, who to focus on. I have to step it up, and the other guys have to help out. But we'll be fine."
Especially if he posts numbers similar to last year's. The team's second leading scorer with 17 points per game and third in rebounds with 4.9 boards per game, Subotic has great expectations to live up to. But it's a challenge he doesn't mind grappling.
"There's no pressure on playing the game but on having a good year," he said. "It's coach's last year, my last year. I think we can go far, really far."
He wants to be there already, in the title game, finishing his tenure at HPU with national honors, starting a professional basketball career in Europe. But he keeps telling himself, "Patience, patience."
"I thought at 22 I'd be a millionaire, but then I understand that life doesn't work that way," he said. "I never wanted to be normal. I will do something outstanding, no matter what."
More basketball
• Tournament time: Hilo hosts the Big Island Invitational this weekend at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium tomorrow through Sunday. Rounding out the eight-team tournament will be the University of Hawai'i, Colorado State, Louisiana State, Mercer, South Carolina State, Weber State and the University of Wisconsin. UH (2-0) faces Mercer at 5 p.m. tomorrow; Hilo (2-0) plays Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. The championship game is slated for 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Brigham Young University-Hawai'i plays host to its Thanksgiving Tournament in La'ie, with No. 9 Cal State-San Bernardino and Metro State today through Saturday. The Coyotes, ranked in the Top 10 in three national preseason polls and picked to win a third straight California Collegiate Athletic Association title, will open their season against the Seasiders at 7:30 p.m. today. The Seasiders (2-1) are coming off a shaky win over Chico State, 87-80, on Tuesday. BYUH committed 17 turnovers and was out-rebounded 26-15 in the first half.
Off to a slow start, Chaminade (0-3) bowed out of the EA Sports Maui Invitational with a loss to Houston, 76-73, yesterday in the seventh-place game. It was the Silverswords' 27th consecutive loss in the event. They return to McCabe gym to face North Park (Ill.) University at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 26.
Volleyball
• HPU review: Final nod to the HPU women's volleyball team, which saw its season end with a loss against Cal State-San Bernardino in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Pacific Region tournament.
Two-time All-America setter Nia Tuitele earned her second consecutive conference Player-of-the-Year award and conference first-team honors. Fitting, since she led the PacWest in assists with 12.34 per game.
HPU head coach Tita Ahuna was named PacWest Coach of the Year, after guiding the Sea Warriors to their third straight conference championship.
Also earning conference first-team honors were BYUH's middle blocker Karla Ribeiro, HPU's middle blocker Andrea Wean and outside hitter Roberta Robert, and Montana State-Billings' outside hitter Angie Hopes. Freshman outside hitter Valasi Sepulona of Chaminade was the only underclassman named to the first team. She was also selected as the conference's Freshman of the Year.
Xu Dan of BYUH earned a second-team spot and was named conference Newcomer of the Year.
