Posted on: Saturday, January 19, 2002
BASKETBALL
Hawai'i's 9-game win streak on line
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| WALLACE: "We can't just show up and beat them" |
The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team visited Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco yesterday.
Unlike the Pali Highway, there were no speed traps along Highway 101 waiting for the Rainbow Warriors during the 90-minute drives to and from San Jose, Calif.
They are hoping not to find any in The Event Center today, either, when they play a Western Athletic Conference game against San Jose State. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
The 'Bows have been in the fast lane this season, with records of 15-2 overall and 6-0 in the WAC. Hawai'i is on a nine-game winning streak and currently sits alone atop the conference standings.
In contrast, the Spartans are 5-13 overall, on a six-game losing streak, and 0-6 and alone on the bottom of the WAC.
UH head coach Riley Wallace describes the scenario as "a bad set-up for us."
"The biggest concern is making sure we're ready to play at our best," he said. "(The Spartans) are a better team than their record shows. We can't just show up and beat them."
Still, the 'Bows appear to have several advantages, even on the road. Las Vegas casinos are even listing Hawai'i as a 6›-point favorite.
For starters, Hawai'i is already 2-0 on the WAC road this season after going just 1-7 last season. What's more, last season's lone WAC road victory came at San Jose State.
"Last year was a big turning point for us (in San Jose)," Wallace said. "It kind of got the whole thing going for us for the rest of the season and into this one."
In addition, last season's game at San Jose State marked the emergence of Carl English for the 'Bows. He scored 15 points in that game, earning a spot in the playing rotation for the rest of the season.
English, now a 6-foot-5 sophomore, is averaging 14.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a starting forward. There is a feature on his fascinating life story — his parents died in a house fire when he was 5, and he was then raised by relatives in a tiny fishing village in Newfoundland — in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine.
But until he found his way in San Jose last year, English spent most of his time on the bench.
"It was a breakout game for me and for the team also," he said. "Everybody remembers that game because we knew after that that we could win games away from home. It was a stepping stone for all of us."
This year, San Jose State is hoping to breakthrough with a WAC victory, period.
The Spartans feature one of the WAC's top point guards in Brandon Hawkins, a 6-3 junior who transferred from Iowa State. He has already recorded a statistical triple-double this season, and leads the Spartans with 18.9 points and 5.0 assists per game, and is second with 5.1 rebounds per game.
"They're strength is their perimeter play, and the strength of that perimeter is Hawkins," said UH associate head coach Bob Nash, who scouts opponents. "He's the main distributor, but he can also shoot it when he needs to and create his own shots one-on-one."
However, the Spartans are 2-7 in games Hawkins has played this season (he was ineligible for nine games due to NCAA transfer rules).
"They probably had to re-do their whole team once he came in," Wallace said. ""They're probably a player short of being a really good team because most of their losses have been close."
The Spartans' six WAC losses have been by an average of 7.8 points. The missing link is Carlton Baker, a 6-6 forward who left the team during the preseason. He was selected by the WAC media as the conference's Preseason Newcomer of the Year.
"That was a big loss," Wallace said. "But they're putting things together. Let's just hope they don't put it all together against us."
