Wahine try to put snub behind them
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
It will be a bittersweet homecoming for Chelsea Wagner.
The freshman guard will play in her home state for the first time as a Rainbow Wahine.
But that opportunity comes with its share of disappointment. Overlooked by the NCAA to compete in its post-season championship tournament, Hawai'i will face Oregon State in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament tomorrow.
"I felt we deserved (the at-large bid)," said Wagner, who hails from Springfield, Ore. "I thought we had worked so hard all year to get there."
Wagner is not alone.
The entire team watched in disbelief as the selection committee slighted Hawai'i for the fourth consecutive year.
"I thought we did excellent this year and through the (Western Athletic Conference) tournament," said senior guard Janka Gabrielova, who had a feeling Hawai'i wouldn't be invited again. "Of course I wanted to go. But I was thinking the worst because I didn't want to be disappointed."
Wagner was shocked at how pessimistic some of her teammates were on selection day, saying the NCAA would probably leave Hawai'i out again.
"I kept saying our RPI was right there, of course we'll get in," Wagner said. "It made so much sense."
The veterans filled her in: Hawai'i hasn't been to the Big Dance since 1998, when it was 24-4. Even last year, when the team posted a 26-8 record and finished second in the WAC Tournament, Hawai'i was left off the list. (UH advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT before falling to New Mexico.)
"I was more confused than disappointed," Wagner said. "I didn't understand what was going on more than anything else. How could we have not made it in?"
But some of that confusion turned to excitement when the Women's Collegiate Sports Association announced who Hawai'i would face in the WNIT.
Tucked away in Corvallis, Ore., Oregon State is about an hour away from Wagner's hometown of Springfield.
The Beavers (16-14 overall, 11-7 Pac-10) make their second consecutive appearance in the 32-team tournament, their fourth in the program's history. Oregon State won the title in 1980 and 1982, but was eliminated in the first round last season.
"They've got good posts that play physical and perimeter players who are very fast," said UH head coach Vince Goo. "And they've got one of the best guards (Felicia Ragland), not just in the Pac-10 but in the country."
Motivating a deeply disappointed team isn't easy. But Goo, who told his team Monday that they had nothing to prove to anyone, said he's leaving it all up to them.
"I'm not going to ask them to do anything special because they've done everything we've asked them to do all year long," he said.
Gabrielova is confident the team will perform its best during the post-season tournament, despite the disappointment.
"We have to get over it," she said. "I'm just happy we got more games."
Said Wagner: "I want to beat them so bad. I got all my emotions back. Hey, we didn't make it to the NCAA, let's move on. Now let's win the WNIT."
