'Bows Akpan to make first start of career
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
DALLAS — In the city called Big D, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is shaking up its lineup in an effort to create better D.
Nkeruwem "Tony" Akpan is expected to make the first start of his collegiate career tonight when the Rainbow Warriors play a Western Athletic Conference game against Southern Methodist.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. (Hawai'i time) at Moody Coliseum.
"I'm excited about it," said Akpan, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound sophomore. "It doesn't really matter to me if I start or come off the bench, but knowing that the coaches have the confidence in me makes me feel great."
Akpan is slated to start at center in place of junior Haim Shimonovich. According to UH head coach Riley Wallace, the 6-10 Shimonovich has complained about a lack of physical energy recently.
"I don't know what's wrong with him," Wallace said. "I hope its just mental and maybe this will motivate him."
Shimonovich has started every game since the start of his sophomore season — a streak of 52 consecutive contests. But in Thursday's 66-65 loss at Louisiana Tech, Wallace said Shimonovich did, indeed, look lackadaisical, especially on defense.
Akpan, who has been UH's sixth man this season, worked with the first team during yesterday's practice. He will provide a shorter but more aggressive approach in the low-post.
"Nothing will change," said Akpan, who is averaging 7.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. "I want to bring the same intensity, same hustle, that I always do."
Shimonovich, who ranks third in the WAC with 7.9 rebounds per game, will be the first "big man" off the bench. Wallace said he expects Akpan, Shimonovich and 6-8 starting forward Phil Martin to share minutes at the two low-post positions.
"We're not giving up on Haim," Wallace said. "Whether he starts or not, he'll still play a lot and I still expect him to go in there and do the job."
The 'Bows will need an improved defensive effort against an athletic SMU team that has won five of its last six games.
The Mustangs are 11-9 overall and in third place in the WAC at 6-4. The 'Bows are 13-6 overall and in fifth place in the WAC at 6-5.
"They have speed and they have quickness," Wallace said of SMU. "It'll be more of an up-tempo game than the Louisiana Tech game was."
The Mustangs rank third in the WAC with an average of 74.9 points per game. However, they also rank last in defense, surrendering an average of 75.8 points per game.
SMU head coach Mike Dement said he is more concerned about his team's defense because "Hawai'i runs probably the best offense in the league."
The 'Bows have won four consecutive games against the Mustangs, including a 72-55 victory in the Stan Sheriff Center last month. That was SMU's lowest scoring output in the WAC this season.
"Hawai'i has caused us a lot of problems the last couple years," Dement said. "That last game, we couldn't score against them and we couldn't guard them. I think we've improved our offense since then, but we're still not happy with our defense."
Hawai'i is not happy with its road record. The 'Bows are 1-6 away from home this season, including five consecutive road losses to WAC opponents.
However, Wallace said he was pleased with yesterday's two-hour practice at Moody Coliseum because "it looked like we had more energy here than we did at (Louisiana Tech)."
Senior captain Mark Campbell said: "The character of this team is strong. After tough losses like we've had, that's when a team can fall apart. But there's no bickering; our morale is still high. We feel like we're going to turn this thing around."
The game will feature the WAC's two leading scorers in UH's Carl English and SMU's Quinton Ross. English, a 6-5 junior guard, averages 20.6 points per game; Ross, a 6-6 senior guard, averages 20.0 per game.
During last month's game in Honolulu, English scored 19 while Ross got 16.
"It should be a fun game," Wallace said. "They're going to run. We don't want to turn it entirely into a running game, but we can run, too. There should be some points put up."
• Upon further review: After viewing the tape of Thursday's loss at Louisiana Tech, Wallace said he still believes the officials made the wrong call late in the game.
With a 65-64 lead and possession of the ball, Hawai'i turned it over with 32 seconds remaining when English was called for an offensive foul away from the ball.
"After looking at it, I think it was a very bad call," Wallace said. "You can't even fathom how he could make that call, that's how bad it was."
However, Wallace said he will not file any type of protest or complaint with the WAC.
• • •
Today's starting lineups
Hawai'i (13-6 overall, 6-5 WAC)
Head coach—Riley Wallace (256-210, 16th season at UH)
Notes: The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a 66-65 loss at Louisiana Tech on Thursday. ... It was Hawai'i's fifth consecutive road loss. The five losses have been by an average margin of 4.8 points. ... The 'Bows are 12-0 at home this season and 1-6 on the road. ... Michael Kuebler led the 'Bows with 27 points against the Bulldogs. He shot 8-of-8 from the free-throw line to boost his season percentage to .846. The single-season UH record is .874 by Chris Gaines in 1987-88. ... Haim Shimonovich, a 6-10 junior, will play a reserve role for the first time in 52 games. He is averaging 8.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. ... Mark Campbell leads all WAC players with 6.0 assists per game. ... Hawai'i leads the all-time series with SMU, 7-5, including four consecutive victories. The 'Bows beat the Mustangs, 72-55, in the Stan Sheriff Center last month.
SMU (11-9 overall, 6-4 WAC)
Head coach—Mike Dement (122-101, 8th season at SMU)
Notes: The Mustangs are coming off an 82-69 home victory over San Jose State on Thursday. SMU trailed by 10 at halftime, but went on an 18-0 run midway through the second half to take control. ... Quinton Ross and Bryan Hopkins each scored 20 points in the victory. ... The Mustangs have won five of their last six games. ... Ross ranks second in the WAC in scoring, behind only UH's Carl English. ... Hopkins, a true freshman out of Dallas, leads the Mustangs in assists (3.7 per game), steals (39) and 3-pointers (42). He also has a streak of 27 consecutive free throws, and is shooting .806 for the season. ... SMU has already played five overtime games this season, including three against WAC opponents. The Mustangs are 4-1 in those games. ... SMU leads the WAC with an average of 5.3 blocked shots per game. ... The Mustangs are 7-2 in Moody Coliseum this season.
