Teamwork went long way for Wahine

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

One senior, Janka Gabrielova, was a Slovakian whose stilted English was often delivered in a teammate's face and whose defense frustrated opponents.

The other came from Port Angeles, Wash., and fortunately for Rainbow Wahine basketball, Karena Greeny stayed long enough to not only fulfill her potential, but go beyond.

The University of Hawai'i post players were at times dominant. Its 2001 Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, April Atuaia, blew out her knee and was replaced by a freshman, Chelsea Wagner, who got off her sweet shot as quickly as she learned Division I basketball.

The team's most productive backup, Kim Willoughby, was still on a volleyball court in December. Ultimately, the reserves made up the Rainbow Wahine's deepest team in more than a decade.

Quick. Pick the best wahine on this season's University of Hawai'i team.

The answer is none of the above.

Hawai'i's best games were its last two at the WAC Tournament, a blowout payback against Rice and a heartbreaking three-point loss to eighth-ranked Louisiana Tech. Its best half came in Tulsa when it shot 58 percent. Its best quality was its tenacity.

But there was never a "best" player in a season than ended Thursday, at 23-8, in the first round of the WNIT. This was a group effort from the moment the basketballs were rolled out in October, through the sub-zero offensive slides and the nationally ranked defense that set new standards for making opponents look bad.

There was no Crystal Lee or Raylene Howard or Nani Cockett or Tania Brunton or Judy Mosley. Not one Rainbow could take over a game. Gabrielova was the only Rainbow on any of the all-conference teams (second) and she was picked for her ability to disrupt offenses more than anything else. Hawai'i barely had players averaging double-digit scoring.

Coach Vince Goo analyzed this group in October, with a healthy Atuaia, and saw a .500 season in his future. He looked at it again the morning after the WNIT loss at Oregon State Thursday and admitted the talent on this team was "pretty close to the bottom" relative to his 15 years at UH.

There was no weapon, particularly on offense. For the last month of the season Goo's mantra was that this group had simply exceeded all his expectations. That didn't change in Corvallis.

"The weapon," Goo said, "was that they played together and played good defense ... didn't want to get beat. It was their work ethic, focus and concentration."

Greeny and Gabrielova take that, and their disparate leadership styles with them. Goo is confident their wide-ranging talents can be replaced — even the invaluable ability to bring a team together. That might fall to Michelle Gabriel, Christen Roper and Natasja Allen, who will be seniors next season. Atuaia is a logical choice if she's healthy, which Goo says is the team's No. 1 offseason priority. Wagner's confidence going into her sophomore season could make her a precocious option.

They haven't done it yet, nor had to do it. But neither had Greeny and Gabrielova before this season.

"I'm sure Karena wasn't born with that ability to lead," Goo said. "She learned it. For some people, it never clicks in. Janka is all determination, will to win. We will have those kinds of people again."

Four freshmen signed early: 6-foot-3 center Callie Spooner, 6-2 forward Penny Jones, 5-11 wing Amy Sanders and 5-5 point guard Trisha Nishimoto. Spooner and Jones are wild cards. Goo already says Sanders will have "a big impact."

"She can play," he said. "She's just a good all-around player. Way above average defensively, but excellent offense too. She could be a mix between April and Chelsea."

Nishimoto, out of Iolani, is in the three-player mix to replace Gabrielova. Gabriel has the edge experience-wise, Milia Macfarlane might be the most compelling offensive threat and Nishimoto the best defender. "That's pretty good choices to have," Goo said. "It's going to come down to who does it in the summer."

In the fall, Connecticut, Oklahoma, UNLV and North Carolina will be among those visiting Stan Sheriff Center. Until Thursday, this team hadn't lost to a team outside the Top 50, but its inability to upset a Top 25 team kept it out of the NCAA Tournament. There will be more opportunities next season.

Missing out on the NCAA was Hawai'i's only regret this season. "And maybe," Goo added, "if we played with the maturity early in the year that we had later in the season, maybe we could have beat Baylor or Stanford. But this team just kept coming back. Next year's team can be better if we have the kind of heart that Janka and Karena had because I think the talent level is going to be better because we'll be older."