Rainbow Wahine beefs up schedule to improve postseason chances
By Leila Wai
Special to the Advertiser
The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine basketball team hopes to leave nothing to chance.
• Who — Hawai'i, UCLA, Sacramento State • When — Tomorrow: Hawai'i vs. UCLA, 1 p.m.; Sunday: UCLA vs. Sacramento State, 2 p.m.; Monday: Hawai'i vs. Sacramento State, 7 p.m.) • Where — Stan Sheriff Center • Radio — 1420 AM: Saturday, Monday • TV — K5: Monday • Ticket Prices — All seats are general admission. Prices are $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, $4 for UH students and children under 18.
Looking for their first NCAA postseason appearance since 1998, the Rainbow Wahine are doing everything they can to give the NCAA selection committee no reason to overlook them this season.
• What — Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic
They begin their quest tomorrow in the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic against UCLA, and Monday against Sacramento State.
"We've heard different answers, but one year we finished with 28 wins, and didn't get invited; we picked up our strength of schedule, there's another excuse; we won eight of our last 10 games ... I don't worry what their reasons are," Hawai'i coach Vince Goo said. "We just have to play the best and win the most games."
He said playing better teams gives the Rainbows a better chance of getting into the NCAA tournament.
This season, Hawai'i's schedule features five teams in this week's Associated Press Top 25 Poll: Sixth-ranked Connecticut, the reigning national champions; No. 10 Louisiana Tech, defending Western Athletic Conference champions, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 15 North Carolina, and No. 23 Oklahoma, which lost to Connecticut in the national championship game. Another opponent, DePaul, also received five points in the poll.
"They are all good teams, and we need to play at a high level in order to do well," Goo said. "We also have to win the games against the non-top 25 teams, like UCLA, UNLV and Kentucky. They aren't in the top 25 now, but you never know, at the end of the season they may break into the top 25."
Goo said that there is an NCAA exemption rule that states teams can travel to Hawai'i once every four years and play in a tournament that only counts as one game towards the limit.
He said "for some reason coming to Hawai'i is attractive" and that the teams usually call because they want to play Hawai'i.
"After they play here, they make reservations to come back again in four years," he said.
Not only will the Rainbow Wahine benefit from playing top 25 teams, but Goo said that it is a plus — and a reason — for Hawai'i's fans to watch the games.
"If you want to be good, you have to play the best. It is also good for the fans to see good caliber teams," he said.
Led by preseason Western Athletic Conference second-team selections Christen Roper and April Atuaia, the Rainbow Wahine look to build upon last year's team that went 23-8 and lost to Oregon State in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
One positive from last season was Hawai'i's strong finish. They won eight of its last 10 games, and stayed with Louisiana Tech in the WAC tournament final, before falling 53-50, after leading by as many as nine points.
"As far as the players and coaches are concerned, it shows we are right there and we have the ability to beat teams of that caliber," Goo said. "But close is not enough, we have to beat those teams."
Notes: Hawai'i has been to five NCAA Tournaments and four WNIT postseasons under Goo. Hawai'i has an 0-4 record against the Bruins (9-20 last year, 4-14 Pacific 10) and holds a 1-0 advantage over the Hornets (0-27, 0-14 Big Sky). The Bruins will be without starter Whitney Jones, who is playing on UCLA's No. 3 soccer team in the NCAA tournament. The Rainbow Wahine will be without Kim Willoughby, who is playing on UH's No. 2 volleyball team in the WAC tournament.
