UH re-energized in preparation for San Jose State

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

TULSA, Okla. — Riley Wallace is feeling unusually good for this time of year.

UH coach Riley Wallace is pleased with how hard his team has been practicing. Advertiser library photo

He has every reason to be. For starters, the 'Bows are the No. 1 seed for this week's Western Athletic Conference Tournament. They will play No. 9 San Jose State in a quarterfinal game tomorrow at 8 a.m. (Hawai'i time).

"We're practicing good, working hard and seem to have a little more energy than we've had in a long time," Wallace said after a two-hour practice at Hale High School yesterday. "When we're like that, I like it."

Even mild insults were being deflected by Wallace, who was named the WAC Coach of the Year this week.

While scouting a game between Rice and San Jose State last night, Wallace was approached by a Tulsa fan who said: "Hey, congratulations Coach. I think you guys are a great team ... It's just too bad we're going to have to kick your butts later on."

Wallace simply smiled and responded: "That's OK. If we're in the championship with (Tulsa), that means we're in the NCAA (Tournament), so I'll take that."

In truth, tomorrow's game against San Jose State may be the most crucial for the 'Bows this week. A victory over the Spartans would be Hawai'i's 25th win of this season, and would probably — emphasis on probably — secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Wallace, however, would like to win at least two games in this tournament as a precaution.

"If you lose to one of the bottom teams, that's an excuse for (the NCAA) not to take you," Wallace said. "So we can't afford to lose the first one. But I'd feel better if we made it to the championship, and then win that, too, just to make sure."

Hawai'i is 24-5 overall and the co-champion of the WAC regular season at 15-3. San Jose State defeated Rice, 58-57, last night to improve to 10-21 overall. The Spartans completed the WAC regular season 4-14.

However, one of those victories came Jan. 19 against Hawai'i, 57-53.

"That should give us incentive to be even more ready," Wallace said. "They play tough defense and they're very patient with their offense. They're the kind of team that can give us trouble."

Even before playing the game, the Spartans had already foiled some of UH's plans. During yesterday's afternoon practice, the 'Bows prepared for Rice.

"Rice was the favorite, so we worked on their stuff a little bit," Wallace said. "But we didn't do too much, and we know what San Jose does and so we'll work on that (today). We wanted to be ready for either team because both can cause problems."

Of course, Hawai'i can cause some pretty serious problems for opponents as well. The 'Bows already avenged that loss at San Jose State with a resounding 71-46 victory over the Spartans at the Stan Sheriff Center Feb. 16.

"It's going to be a very difficult task," San Jose State head coach Steve Barnes said. "What we're going to do is try to play our game and give ourselves a chance to win. But it's going to be a monumental task because (Hawai'i) is a very, very good team."

Hawai'i's leading scorer, Predrag Savovic, returned to practice yesterday for the first time since injuring his lower back in a loss at Nevada last Thursday. He is still not 100 percent, but will likely play tomorrow, although not at full-strength.

However, the 'Bows won their season finale, 82-79, at Fresno State without Savovic. Sophomore Carl English scored a career-high 33 points while starting in Savovic's shooting guard position, and Mike McIntyre came off the bench to add a career-high 27 points.

San Jose State's leading scorer, guard Brandon Hawkins, is well aware of Hawai'i's various weapons, with or without Savovic.

"We're going to have to bite, claw, scratch, and do every little thing possible just to be in the game," Hawkins said. "I think Carl English should have been the Player of the Year in the WAC, and they've got so many other guys besides him."

When asked how the Spartans were able to beat Hawai'i in January, Hawkins said: "We got lucky."

In an effort to avoid a letdown, Wallace has been keeping the 'Bows in hotel lockdown this week. Aside from practice, study hall and team meals, the players are more or less confined to their rooms.

"It's boring, but it gives you a lot of time to stay focused," McIntyre said.

As senior tri-captain Mindaugas Burneika put it: "The tournament is one week in the year. You have to sacrifice some things. We can not afford to lose, so the more time we have to get ready, the better it is for us."

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

Hawai'i (24-5 overall, 15-3 WAC)

Ht. Wt. Cl. Pts. Rbs. Ast.

G—Mark Campbell 6-4 180 Jr. 3.3 2.7 4.8
G—Predrag Savovic 6-6 225 Sr. 19.4 4.5 2.4
F—Carl English 6-5 205 So. 16.0 5.0 3.4
F—Phil Martin 6-8 230 So. 9.3 4.7 0.8
C—Haim Shimonovich 6-10 250 So. 7.6 6.7 2.8

Notes: The Rainbow Warriors are 8-4 away from the Stan Sheriff Center this season, including 6-3 in WAC road games. The six WAC road victories established a school record. ... Hawai'i is coming off an 82-79 victory over Fresno State last Saturday. It was UH's 15th WAC victory of the season, setting another school record. ... The 'Bows are the No. 1 seed for the first time in the 19-year history of the WAC Tournament. ... Hawai'i won the WAC Tournament last year as a No. 5 seed. Only three teams have been able to repeat as WAC Tournament champion — Wyoming (1987-88), UTEP (1989-90) and Brigham Young (1991-92). ... Savovic saw his streak of consecutive games with double-figure points stopped at 21 after he scored five points in a 79-69 loss at Nevada last Thursday. He sat out much of the second half with a back injury but still managed to make one 3-pointer, extending his streak of consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer to 31. ... English scored a career-high 33 points in the victory at Fresno State, including 27 in the first half. He is averaging 24.2 points per game in his last five games. ... Senior guard Mike McIntyre is averaging 10.2 points per game as a reserve, and is second on the team with 56 3-pointers. He set career-highs with 27 points and seven 3-pointers in the victory at Fresno State. ... Senior forward Mindaugas Burneika is averaging 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a reserve. ... In 18 WAC games, UH averaged 9.1 3-pointers per game with a .412 percentage.

San Jose State (10-21 overall, 5-14 WAC)

G—Brandon Hawkins 6-3 191 Jr. 16.0 3.8 4.4
G—Gary Black 6-4 217 Jr. 6.6 3.0 0.8
F—Andre Valentine 6-5 187 Sr. 6.2 4.6 0.7
F—David Granucci 6-9 229 Sr. 4.5 4.5 1.6
C—Marion Thurmond 6-8 264 Sr. 11.4 7.2 0.8

Notes: The Spartans are coming off a 58-57 victory over Rice in the opening round of the WAC Tournament last night. It was San Jose State's first WAC Tournament victory since it joined the conference in 1997. ... Hawkins scored 23 points and passed for six assists against Rice. He also made what proved to be the game-winning basket with 34 seconds remaining. Hawkins, a transfer from Iowa State, was named to the WAC All-Newcomer Team this week. ... The Spartans beat Nevada, 76-72, in their regular-season finale, and are now on a two-game winning streak. They have not won three consecutive games at any time during this season. ... Thurmond finished fourth in the WAC in rebounding, and recorded four statistical double-doubles this season. ... During the regular season, San Jose State ranked last (10th) among all WAC teams with 62.4 points per game, a .412 field goal percentage, and a .654 free throw percentage. ... Phil Calvert, a 6-3 junior guard, is averaging 10.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a reserve. ... Moises Alvarez, a 6-2 junior guard, is averaging 7.5 points per game as a reserve, and leads the team with 55 3-pointers. ... San Jose State pulled off the upset of the year in the WAC this season when it beat Hawai'i, 57-53, at San Jose, Calif. One month later, Hawai'i defeated the Spartans, 71-46, in Honolulu. ... Hawai'i leads the all-time series, 10-6. UH and San Jose State have never met in the WAC Tournament.