Savovic used his savvy to earn MVP honors
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By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
TULSA, Okla. — Perhaps it was fitting that Predrag Savovic and the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team wore white uniforms last night.
It was Savovic and the Rainbow Warriors who rode off into the Tulsa night with the top prize — the 'Bows winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship, and Savovic taking Most Valuable Player honors.
Savovic, a 6-foot-6 senior, scored 28 points in a title-clinching 73-59 victory over Tulsa last night. In three tournament games, he amassed 74 points, including 11 3-pointers, and 22 rebounds.
"It's a team effort," said Savovic, who is from Herceg Novi, Yugoslavia. "Sometimes, one guy steps up; another time, another guy steps up."
All at once, Savovic was both the anticipated and doubtful star of the WAC Tournament.
In a special edition tournament preview, the Tulsa World ran a full-page, cut-out photograph of Savovic, unofficially proclaiming him as the WAC Player of the Year. He has been Hawai'i's leading scorer for the past two seasons, and the only player in UH history to make the All-WAC first team twice.
But Savovic suffered muscle spasms in his lower back at Nevada Feb. 28, and sat out Hawai'i's regular-season finale at Fresno State. He was listed as questionable in the days leading to the tournament.
By the end of it, there was no question who the MVP was.
"As you mature as a man, you mature as a player," Savovic said. "So I feel obviously more comfortable with this team."
He proved that last night by relying on a rarely seen inside game after his long-range shooting faltered.
Savovic shot just 9-of-21 from the field, including 3-of-11 from 3-point range. However, he scored 16 points during the decisive second half when the Golden Hurricane tried to defend him with 5-foot-10 Dante Swanson. Most of those points came within 12 feet of the basket.
"(Savovic) started calling for the ball, wanting the post-up because he had the smaller man on him," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "It helps to have bigger guards, there's no question about that."
At 25, Savovic is also older and wiser than most of his opponents, something Tulsa head coach John Phillips was quick to point out.
"He's playing a different game than everybody else out there," Phillips said. "It's like an old man playing against boys because he knows every trick and he's very, very good. Hopefully, he can be playing in the NBA some day because he's got the ability to do that."
Savovic even proved to be unflappable as the chosen bad guy by Tulsa fans throughout the tournament. During a Reynolds Center record 31-point performance against Nevada in Friday's semifinals, Savovic waved and smiled to the taunting crowd after shooting an air ball.
Last night, one section of fans chanted "USA! USA! USA!" every time Savovic touched the ball.
"I feel very comfortable with a crowd," Savovic said. "I feel like that is something to play for, and I like big arenas and crowds like Tulsa has."
But in the end, the small contingent of Hawai'i fans had the last chant for him: "MVP! MVP! MVP!"
