Atuaia will be missed on Wahine's trip
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
In April Atuaia's mind, the basketball season is not over. The only question is whether she will play for the University of Hawai'i Wahine in the next — and last —two months.
Hours after learning she had a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, Atuaia was hobbling around Wednesday's 6:30 a.m. practice. It didn't take long for her to learn how to work the clock, boost tired teammates' spirits and realize there was suddenly a strange void in her life.
"It's funny," Atuaia said, managing a small smile. "I'm usually trying to get out of stuff at practice. Now I really miss it."
Surgery is assured, but how soon is up to her. She admits her season is probably over, but the plan is to let her rehabilitate her knee over the next two weeks while her teammates take on a four-game WAC road trip. When they get home, her condition will be re-evaluated.
If she wants to play, is not in pain and the knee can be safely stabilized, there is a possibility she can finish the season before undergoing surgery. Micah Kroeger suffered the same injury in the WAC Tournament a few years ago with the Rainbows and played through the NIT.
"We'll see how she feels when we get back," UH coach Vince Goo says. "The No. 1 factor is her well-being. Now, it doesn't seem she can get any worse if she does play. If there's a chance of that, then obviously she's not going to play."
What the Wahine will miss without last season's WAC Freshman of the Year goes beyond Atuaia's diverse collection of statistics.
"She just has that basketball instinct," UH manager Gavin Petersen says. "You can't teach it, you can't coach it. You just have it."
Assistant coach Serenda Valdez calls "composure" Atuaia's greatest gift: "She has that calming effect. Last year we had three seniors. This year, she is the veteran. She just does not panic."
The third-place Wahine (13-4, 6-2 WAC) open at fourth-place San Jose State (11-7, 6-3) tomorrow, then go to UTEP, Louisiana Tech and SMU. Three of their opponents revolve around the play of their wings. Atuaia always guarded the opponent's best wing player.
Hawai'i will try to compensate for her defense, rebounds, points, assists and steals by committee. Freshman Chelsea Wagner will start in Atuaia's place and everyone else on the floor will pitch in.
Replacing Atuaia's composure will take more creativity, particularly against the seventh-ranked Techsters, who have blown away every WAC opponent but Hawai'i.
Louisiana Tech is on a 12-game winning streak that includes the first nine WAC games in its history. Its closest conference win came in Hawai'i, by 12 points. No other team has come closer than 24 and Rice, currently in second place, was beaten by 46 in Ruston Saturday.
Tech leads 14 of the WAC's 19 team statistics. It is second nationally in rebounding margin (plus 13.2) — a category that was enhanced by the 41 offensive rebounds it grabbed against Tulsa. It is also ninth in scoring (80.4) and 14th in scoring margin (plus 16.4).
OVER AND BACK: Tomorrow's game at San Jose State will be broadcast live on 1420 AM, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Monday's game at UTEP will also be broadcast, starting at 4 p.m. HST. ... Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore and Hawai'i's Vince Goo are the only WAC women's coaches with at least 300 victories. Goo got his 300th Saturday, while Barmore has 565. ... Hawai'i received nine votes in this week's USA Today/ESPN Top 25 and four in the AP Top 25. ... In the three power ratings, the Wahine are 43rd, 41st and 41st. ... Louisiana Tech and Rice are the only other WAC teams in the Top 100 of the power indexes. The Techsters are 18th in the WBCA and 20th in CollegeRpi.com and Basketball News. The Owls are 50 in the WBCA and 48th in the other two. ... UH senior Janka Gabrielova is second in WAC 3-point percentage at .403. She has made 29 3-pointers and is on pace to break Kylie Page's school record of 48, set four years ago. ... San Jose State's six conference victories are the most it has managed since 1994, and more than its previous three seasons combined.
