HPU to sign 6-foot-5 JC forward
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
After losing eight players, including the two leading scorers, and its head coach, the Hawai'i Pacific University men's basketball program is facing a year of rebuilding.
And part of the new architecture may feature a junior college transfer with some serious scoring ability.
Forward Mike Baron is expected to sign with the Sea Warriors this week, according to his coach at the College of the Siskiyous. The 6-foot-5 sophomore averaged 13.3 points and 5.6 rebounds at the school in Weed, Calif.
Baron, a native of Leverkusen, Germany, led Siskiyous in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks last season. He earned All-Golden Valley Conference honors as a freshman.
"He's a very talented player," said Eagles coach Pat Condon, whose team finished 6-20 last season. "He's very athletic and very coordinated."
Condon said Baron can play both inside and outside, and shoots about 40 percent from beyond the arc. He was also recruited by Metro State and New Hampshire.
"He likes to work on his game," Condon said. "He shoots a lot, he's in the gym a lot and he's gotten much stronger. But he still needs to work on defense."
HPU is also looking at five more junior college transfers and a couple of incoming freshmen. None are from Hawai'i.
Tennis
• BYUH seeking history: They've already made a mark on collegiate tennis, but the Brigham Young University-Hawai'i men's and women's teams have a few more things on their to-do lists.
The Seasiders made school history by earning the top rankings in the nation at the same time, according to the latest Omni Hotels/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings released yesterday.
And if both teams win Pacific West Conference titles this weekend at the championship tournament in La'ie, they may have a shot at another historic milestone: becoming the first school to win both NCAA II championships in the same year. Finishing undefeated for the season might be another NCAA first.
"Obviously we have a chance (at winning both championships)," said David Porter, who coaches both BYUH teams. "On the women's side, we're more the team to beat than the men ... you just hope you stay healthy and play well."
Stanford won the NCAA I titles five times, most recently in 1997. Trinity College (Texas) and Williams College (Mass.) both won NCAA III men's and women's titles in the same year. And of that group, only Trinity can boast of having both teams led by the same coach (Butch Newman).
The BYUH women have won two NCAA II national titles and two NAIA titles, while the men are seeking their first national championship.
"The girls are thinking if they play well, they'll have a chance to win — and wouldn't it be great if the guys won, too," Porter said. "The guys haven't won a championship yet. ... This is definitely something they're shooting for."
The Seasiders open the PacWest tournament at 3 p.m. today against Montana State Billings. Should both teams win the conference titles BYUH will play host to the NCAA II Regionals Championships, May 3-4. If the BYUH men lose, Hawai'i Pacific could wind up as regional host, although matches will likely be held at BYUH because of court availability. The NCAA II National Championships will be held May 9-12 in Kansas City.
BYUH received unanimous support in both polls after sweeping top teams in Florida last week.
In the women's poll, HPU moved up from No. 17 to No. 14 and Hawai'i-Hilo went from No. 22 to No. 19. HPU's men, meanwhile, plummeted from No. 4 to No. 10.
"I'm just stunned because Hawai'i Pacific played us closer than anybody," Porter said. "I can't imagine they can, without losing, drop from fourth to 10th place. We beat teams ranked ahead of them by a much greater margin. I just don't understand."
This week's schedule
Softball
Saturday
HPU at Chaminade, noon, Palolo field
UH-Hilo at BYUH, noon, BYUH field
Sunday
UH-Hilo at HPU, noon, HPU Windward Campus
Tennis
PacWest Conference Tournament
BYUH courts in La'ie
Men and women
Today
Match 1: HPU vs. Western New Mexico, 8 a.m.
Match 2: UH-Hilo vs. Chaminade, 11:30 a.m.
Match 3: BYUH vs. Montana State-Billings, 3 p.m.
Tomorrow
Match 4: Winner of Match 1 vs. winner of Match 2, 8 a.m.
Match 5: Loser of Match 1 vs. loser of Match 3, 11:30 a.m.
Match 6: Winner of Match 3 vs. loser of Match 2, 3 p.m.
Saturday
Match 7: Winner of Match 5 vs. loser of Match 4, 8 a.m.
Match 8: Winner of Match 6 vs. winner of Match 4, 11:30 a.m. (championship)
Match 9: Loser of Match 6 vs. loser of Match 5, 3 p.m.
