Rainbow Wahine out to prove NCAA wrong
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
CORVALLIS, Ore. — After 40,000 frequent-flier miles and a comeback for every setback, University of Hawai'i basketball coach Vince Goo had quit questioning the resiliency of his Rainbow Wahine. But the ultimate test could come tonight in an opening-round Women's National Invitation Tournament game at Oregon State's Gill Coliseum.
Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore. Radio: KCCN (1420 AM). I TV: Live, K5 (channel 5)
Since losing to eighth-ranked Louisiana Tech, 53-50, Saturday in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship, the Rainbows (23-7) have lived through basketball hell.
When: 5 p.m. today.
Sunday, they flew from Tulsa to San Francisco, where they heard their future was not in the NCAA Tournament. They flew home and concentrated on class Monday. They beat the sun up for 5 a.m. practice Tuesday, followed by an 8 a.m. flight back to the West Coast. From Portland, they drove two hours south.
The little black cloud that appeared with the NCAA announcement Sunday has become many massive black clouds. In Corvallis, drizzle is a constant, with the sun making only cameo appearances. The weather report goes something like this: "Same old, same old."
Goo says he won't know if his team can come back once more until tonight. His players insist they already have.
"There's nothing we can do about it, it's out of our hands," says captain Karena Greeny. "We keep talking about it and we know we can't change it. Our attitude is going to be, 'This is our NCAA Tournament and let's see how far we can go.' "
The attitude courses through Greeny and Janka Gabrielova and for the last four months their teammates have fed off their relentlessness.
"Their spirit is not just on the court," Goo says of his seniors. "It's defined more off the court, in the comments they make to coaches, to teammates — especially to teammates. They let their teammates know what needs to be done. They let them know they, as individuals, want to win really badly, but they need everyone to be with them.
"You see that before they ever get on the court, but if it doesn't show on the court, it's all smoke and talk."
Goo says flat out that he will ask no more of his team at this point, "because we've asked a lot of them all season and they've responded — I can't ask any more." Greeny and Gabrielova won't hesitate to ask yet again tonight. Their next loss is their last. Even if it wasn't, they would ask.
The most compelling question about the game might not be if Hawai'i can defeat All-American Felicia Ragland and her OSU teammates, but if the Rainbow Wahine can defeat their disappointment. It is a subject Greeny and Gabrielova — totally different off the court — answer all but in unison.
"We were all very disappointed, especially us seniors," Gabrielova says. "But then we got the opportunity to go to the WNIT and prove the NCAA was wrong. If we beat these teams, we prove we should have gone to the NCAA's."
At this point, Goo cannot question their ability to bring this team back. Hawai'i rallied immediately after its first two losses — both to ranked teams — during the non-conference season. In the WAC, two days after shooting 20 percent at Rice, the Rainbow Wahine shot 58 percent in the first half of an easy victory at Tulsa. After losing to Rice in the final second three weeks ago, they won six straight, bouncing back from an uninspired tournament opener to smash the Owls.
Greeny and Gabrielova insist they have another rally left in them — more if needed. Both believe UH is coming off its finest two games of the season and its rare balance — seven players average between 6-11 points — makes it a real WNIT threat.
They reached the semifinals last season with their best player quitting two days after the WAC Tournament. Who can question their sincerity now?
"At the WAC Tournament we felt we had to win all three games," Greeny says. "This game is no different. Obviously, there's motivation to keep playing and go to the championship game."
OVER AND BACK: If UH wins tonight, it will remain on the Mainland for the second round and play at Oregon this weekend. Oregon defeated St. Mary's, 72-61, last night. UH is planning to submit a bid to play host to the quarterfinals and championship, but cannot bid for the semifinals because of a conflict at Stan Sheriff Center. ... Oregon State has been averaging 1,602 fans at home this season. ... This is only the second time the Pac-10 has had fewer than three teams in the NCAA Tournament. Conference teams are 24-15 in the WNIT, with four championships. ... OSU senior Felicia Ragland has started 115 straight games since coming off the bench in her first game as a freshman. ... OSU sophomore Leilani Estavan, a Pac-10 honorable mention selection, was recruited by Hawai'i.
PROBABLE STARTERS
PROBABLE STARTERS
Hawai'i (23-7)
No. Pos. Name Ht. Gr.
12 G Janka Gabrielova 5-6 Sr.
(10.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.4 apg)
44 G Chelsea Wagner 5-10 Fr.
(8.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 apg)
32 F Natasja Allen 6-2 Jr.
(10.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.1 apg)
34 F Karena Greeny 5-11 Sr.
(9.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 apg)
14 C Christen Roper 6-5 Jr.
(9.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.4 bpg)
Oregon State (16-14)
No. Pos. Name Ht. Gr.
3 G Juleen Smith 5-5 Fr. (6.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.4 apg)
10 G Leilani Estavan 5-7 So. (9.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 5.5 apg)
34 G Felicia Ragland 5-9 Sr. (20.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.4 apg)
22 F Ericka Cook 6-3 Sr. (8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.3 apg)
42 C Brina Chaney 6-5 So. (5.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg)
