Rainbows back home for 4th game in 5 days

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

The comforts of home never felt so good for the Hawai'i men's basketball team.

"It's nice to feel air conditioning again," senior captain Mindaugas Burneika said after yesterday's practice at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Rainbow Warriors barely had time to cool down after a humid weekend in Hilo.

After placing third in the Big Island Invitational — with all three games played in muggy Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium — Hawai'i had only one day of practice yesterday to prepare for its next opponent.

The 'Bows are scheduled to play Northwestern State tonight at 7 at the Stan Sheriff Center. It will be Hawai'i's fourth game in five days.

"You just have to prepare for what's thrown at you," said sophomore Carl English, the team's leading scorer at 17.6 points per game.

"We get a 13-day break after this, so we have to give it our all (tonight) and still be all right later."

With star guard Predrag Savovic sidelined for all five games this season, UH has started 4-1, with its only loss by two points to Colorado State.

UH officials still did not hear from the NCAA yesterday, so the eligibility of Savovic and teammates Luc-Arthur Vebobe and Tony Akpan remains in limbo. Unless the NCAA announces a ruling today, the three will likely sit out again.

"Every night will be a test until we get those guys back," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "We've shown a dark side with two 17-point halves (against Drake on Nov. 18, and Colorado State last Saturday). I don't think that happens if we have Savo in there."

Still, the 'Bows have emerged with a balanced scoring attack in the absence of Savovic. Five players are averaging more than 9 points per game, led by English's 17.6.

"That's what we are — a team," English said. "I know if my shot is not on, somebody else will step up."

They'll need it again tonight against a Northwestern State team that, like UH, played in the NCAA Tournament last season.

"They're very athletic and they do a lot of one-on-one creating stuff," Wallace said. "This is not a chippy, in other words."

Strange as it might seem, the Demons have been in Honolulu longer than UH this week. They arrived on Friday, and have visited Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay and Diamond Head.

"It's nice to be back home," Burneika said. "But it doesn't mean anything unless you win."