Warriors focusing on last-place Spartans
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Carl English wants to make a point on Saturday.
Actually, he wants to make a lot of points.
English and the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team will host San Jose State in a Western Athletic Conference game on Saturday.
Never mind that the Spartans are 5-15 overall and tied for last place in the WAC at 2-9. One of those victories came against Hawai'i, which is 13-7 overall and in fifth place in the conference at 6-6.
"We have to show them the real deal out here," English said. "That wasn't us up there (in San Jose, Calif.). I know that wasn't me."
The last time those two teams met on Jan. 18, English scored a season-low six points in the 79-67 loss. It was the only time this season that he was held below 15 points.
English continues to lead the WAC with 20.6 points per game. Were it not for the San Jose State game, his season average would be 21.4.
"I've been (upset) since that game," said English, a 6-foot-5 junior. "They said some things that I can feed off of, and now I want to make them pay for those things they said."
After the game, SJSU head coach Phil Johnson praised his team's defense on English as a key to victory. He also singled out Keith West, a 6-2 junior, as the primary stopper on English.
However, English was in foul trouble throughout that game, and played a season-low 24 minutes. He shot just 2-of-9 from the field, and it was the only game this season that he did not make a 3-pointer.
"I just never got my flow going," he said. "The referees took me out of the game, nobody else did. I sat on the bench for a while and and I'm not used to that."
The only guarantee English would make yesterday was: "I'm going to have a much better game this time."
Unlike English, UH head coach Riley Wallace said he is not using revenge as motivation this week.
"The players get caught up in that sometimes, but I don't," Wallace said. "I just want us to be prepared because San Jose is a very well-coached team and they beat us the last time by controlling the tempo."
Wallace said the loss at SJSU was the only game where "we weren't in it at any point of the game."
He said SJSU spread its offense, forcing the 'Bows into difficult one-on-one matchups against the smaller but quicker Spartans.
Wallace and Johnson have shared coaching ties ever since they were on opposing benches in junior college.
When Wallace was head coach at Seminole (Okla.) from 1984-87, he coached against Johnson's Northern Oklahoma team. Wallace said he was so impressed with Johnson that he recommended him to take over the Seminole head coach job when Wallace left for Hawai'i.
"His guys will play hard every game," Wallace said. "You know you'll be in a battle no matter what kind of talent he's got."
SJSU's only two conference victories this season have been against Hawai'i and Tulsa — the preseason picks to finish 1-2 in the WAC.
As UH senior captain Mark Campbell put it: "They just worked and played harder than us. You have to give them credit for that, but we're excited to get some payback."
NOTES: Hawai'i will take a 24-game home winning streak into Saturday's game. That is the fifth-longest home winning streak in NCAA Division I, and two short of the school record. ... The 'Bows also have a 21-game home winning streak against WAC opponents. ... Carl English's oldest brother, Peter, is in Hawai'i this week and will attend Saturday's game. ... Comedian/actor Garry Shandling has requested tickets for Saturday's game.
