For Rainbows, comparisons can't be avoided
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
For some longtime University of Hawai'i men's basketball fans, any comparisons to the "Fabulous Five" teams of the early 1970s is considered sacrilege.
Not to Bob Nash, the only link between the legendary 1971-72 team and this year's potential legend-in-the-making team.
"I can see a lot of similarities," Nash said. "Maybe not in individual personnel, but in the way both teams went about winning games."
Nash was a star low-post player for the "Fabulous Five" team that went 24-3 and made UH's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1972. He is now the associate head coach of the Rainbow Warriors, who are off to a 15-2 start — the best mark after 17 games since that 1971-72 team went 16-1.
"This team can be just as good as we were back then," Nash said.
It's a bold statement, but one the 'Bows have been backing week after week.
After a thrilling 83-74 victory over Southern Methodist on Saturday, Hawai'i increased its winning streak to nine. The 'Bows also improved to 6-0 in the Western Athletic Conference for the first time since joining the WAC in 1980.
"It's like people have their doubts and are waiting for us not to succeed," Nash said. "But we keep pushing that line further and further."
Like the team of 30 years ago, this year's 'Bows seem to feature a different star every game.
In 1971-72, the five starters — Nash, Jerome Freeman, Dwight Holiday, Al Davis and John Penebacker — played most of the minutes and took turns in the spotlight.
This year's team has seven players in the primary rotation: Predrag Savovic, Mark Campbell, Carl English, Phil Martin, Haim Shimonovich, Mindaugas Burneika and Mike McIntyre. Six of them average at least 8.9 points per game. Campbell, who averages 3.6 points per game, is the point guard who directs the offense.
"You never know where the points are going to come from," Nash said. "That's the same way it was with the Fab Five. It truly is a team effort, and that's the thing I find most similar."
Of course, there are still 12 regular-season games remaining this season, including a 10-day, three-game road swing that starts this week at San Jose State.
"Every week is a test and people want to see if you're going to pass or fail," Nash said. "It's hard to say where this team's place will be until it passes a few more tests."
If so, does this year's team deserve a nickname? The Super Seven? The Surprising Seven?
Even head coach Riley Wallace, who has described this team as "special" since the preseason, admitted his surprise at the fast start.
"I didn't think we'd lose any (WAC) games at home," he said. "But I had questions whether or not we could win on the road. So you could say yeah, I'm surprised."
• On the road again: Hawai'i will make its second WAC road trip of the season this week.
The team will leave Honolulu Thursday for a Saturday game at San Jose State. That will be followed by a Jan. 24 game at Rice, and then a Jan. 26 game at Tulsa.
"Everybody wants to win on their home court, so that makes the road tough everywhere," said senior tri-captain Burneika. "But it's going to be harder for us because everybody will want to beat us."
• Climbing the charts: Hawai'i moved up to No. 40 in the latest Rating Percentage Index (RPI). The 'Bows did not crack the top 25 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released yesterday, but received 18 points.
The Associated Press Top 25 Poll will be released today.
