Senior guard provides spark in reserve role

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Mike McIntyre couldn't have chosen a more appropriate number for his jersey. Advertiser library photo • Jan. 10, 2002 'Mac' facts HEIGHT: 6-3 WEIGHT: 205 2001-02 STATS: 9.4 points per game, 25 3-pointers CAREER STATS: 121 3-pointers ranks fourth on UH's all-time list HIGH SCHOOL: Played basketball at Long Beach Poly High, the same school that produced rapper Snoop Dog and actress Cameron Diaz

Probably always will.

Linda White realized that some 10 years ago when she grounded her oldest son for staying on the basketball courts past his curfew.

"He was 12 or 13 years old, staying out to 11 o'clock at night playing basketball," White said. "I was so upset, I had to ground him to show him I meant business. But he broke out in tears because all he wanted to do was play basketball. From that time on, I understood how much it meant to him."

McIntyre has not forgotten those days growing up in Long Beach, Calif.

These days, without any curfew, he is still the first one to arrive and the last one to leave the gym after every practice with the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team.

"I love that time being by myself and just shooting jump shot after jump shot," McIntyre said. "It's the only time you can get the gym to yourself, so I don't mind staying late after practice."

The extra work paid off last week as the player nicknamed "Mac" came up big two Western Athletic Conference victories. He tied his career-high with 22 points in a win over Louisiana Tech, then scored 17 in a victory over Southern Methodist.

The 6-foot-3 senior guard is averaging 9.4 points per game for the 'Bows, and is second on the team with 25 3-pointers.

"I used to count my shots, but I don't do that anymore," McIntyre said of his solo sessions in the gym. "I just keep shooting until I feel content. Everybody has a role on this team, and I'm just trying to work on mine."

As a senior tri-captain, his role goes beyond points and rebounds. Perhaps his biggest play this season was accepting a reserve spot in the playing rotation.

"I'll be honest," he said. "At the beginning of the year, it got to me. I felt like I was a senior and I deserved to be starting. It took me a while to realize that it doesn't matter. I get as much playing time as anybody else, and we're winning. That's all that matters."

After nine consecutive victories, the 'Bows are 15-2 — their best start in 30 years — and alone atop the WAC at 6-0.

"It's been a process of us coming together as a family," McIntyre said. "We respect the differences of each other and respect each others' talents. Individually, we all bring something different, and that's what makes us so hard to defend."

McIntyre brings long-range shooting and in-your-face defense to the mix.

Although he was never a regular starter during his four seasons at UH, McIntyre likely will finish his career ranked third on the school's all-time 3-point list, behind only Alika Smith and current teammate Predrag Savovic.

McIntyre credited UH's motion-oriented offense for much of his success.

"The defense has to chase you all over the place, so they end up getting tired," he said. "And I feel like all I need is a step on somebody and I can make my shot."

On the other end of the court, McIntyre is a tireless defender who is often assigned to the opposing team's best guard.

"One-on-one, I can be pretty hard to get by," he said. "I try to keep the mentality that you're not going to get past me."

It's a determination he inherited from his mother. White, a single mother, worked full-time as a nurse while raising three children. McIntyre has an older sister, Shantell, and younger brother, Carnell.

"I really love and respect my mom for all she did for me," McIntyre said.

As McIntyre reached high school, that meant White letting him stay on the basketball courts until midnight, and accepting his "girlfriend" as part of the family.

"One morning I went to wake him up and he had his basketball tucked in bed with him," she said. "He didn't need a real girlfriend because he was always bouncing that basketball around, even in the house."

Now, her family — White has six brothers and six sisters — makes it a weekly ritual to watch UH games via satellite.

"I'm so proud of him because he's made himself into a good player," she said. "But I still get mad when he misses."