Posted on: Tuesday, May 14, 2002

Basketball recruits fill Warrior needs

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Recruiting season for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is expected to come to an official close today when Michael Kuebler faxes his letter of intent to the Rainbow Warrior coaches.

Kuebler, a 6-foot-4 guard from Clackamas Community College (Ore.), will be the fourth recruit to sign with UH.

The others are: Jason Carter, a 5-10 guard from Barton County Community College (Kan.); Dane Dmitrovic, a 6-10 forward from Slovenia; and Vaidotas Peciukas, a 6-6 guard/forward from Lithuania via Weatherford College (Texas).

Seven scholarship players return from last year's team that finished with a 27-6 record and the Western Athletic Conference championship.

UH head coach Riley Wallace responded yesterday to 10 questions about the recruiting season.

Did you fill your needs with this recruiting class?

"I think we did. We needed offensive firepower, and we got three players who can do that. We also needed a little bit of size, and we got that in (Dmitrovic)."

Emigijus Lukosius chose Southwest Missouri State over Hawai'i last week. Does that put a damper on the recruiting season?

"No. He wasn't the perimeter player we were looking for. He could have helped us inside, but he's not an inside-outside player like Mindaugas (Burneika). He would have made our recruiting class better, but we're not hurt by him not coming."

With the signings of Dmitrovic and Peciukas, you added two more international players to your roster. Why continue to take that route?

"Why not? These guys come in with good athletic credentials and good academic credentials, and they're all good kids. We've had great success with the Lithuanians recently, and (Peciukas) gives us a chance to keep it going. We also get (Dmitrovic) for four years and (Peciukas) for three years, so it helps strengthen our program for the future."

How much did winning the WAC and playing in the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons help the recruiting process?

"A lot. A lot because the word is getting out there on us. We've been on TV, we had that story in Sports Illustrated, we were in USA Today, we were on CBS. All that helps with recruiting."

How much does being isolated in Hawai'i hurt the recruiting process?

"This year it didn't hurt any. Of all the kids we brought in (for official visits) we signed four out of five, and we were really close to getting all five. Being isolated wasn't an issue for any of those guys we brought in."

Which of the new recruits do you see contributing immediately?

"It's hard to say with (Dmitrovic) because I don't know enough about him other than what I've seen on film. But I know that the other three can come in and contribute right away, and that's what we're expecting."

Because of NCAA rules, you were limited to signing four recruits this year. That leaves you with 11 scholarship players for next season, two under the maximum 13. Is that a rule that needs to be changed?

"Every coach in the country thinks that's one of the worst rules ever put in. It's supposed to prevent coaches from running kids off and signing new ones year after year, but there are so many other reasons why a kid might leave a program. ... It really hurt us this year when Luc-Arthur (Vebobe) quit on his own in the middle of the night. He left on his own, nobody ran him off, but we can't replace his scholarship."

Why were no Hawai'i high school players recruited?

"There are a bunch of reasons. Some didn't have the grades, some are not ready for this level. Plus, we had an idea of who we wanted (to recruit) and so we focused on those guys. It's not to say that we don't want to recruit locally, because we do."

Do you foresee a time in the near future when Hawai'i can recruit high school All-Americans?

"There's always going to be a problem with getting those kids because of a lack of exposure. We know how good our program is right now, but a lot of other people don't. The top 100 high school kids in the country are going to compare schools that are on national TV all the time, and the WAC is not on that level yet."

If you had to project a depth chart for next season, what would it be right now?

"Well, you have to go with the four returning starters. Haim (Shimonovich) is our center, Phil (Martin) is one forward, Carl (English) will move to the (shooting guard), and Mark (Campbell) is our point guard. Based on what we recruited, Peciukas might be the fifth (starter) because of his size. Carter and (Kuebler) will be in there somewhere pushing for starting time, and that'll give us a good rotation in the backcourt. Milos (Zivanovic), Tony Akpan, Paul Jesinskis and (Dmitrovic) will probably all have to be in the loop with our big guys. Right now, I think all 11 of those guys will see (game) time."