UH hoops team limps into game

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	Game facts WHO: Hawai'i vs. San Jose State in WAC men's basketball WHEN: 7 p.m. today WHERE: Stan Sheriff Center TICKETS: $15 for lower level seats, $11 for upper level adult seats, $7 for upper level student seats, $8 for Super Rooter seats. Parking is $3. RADIO/TV: Live on KKEA radio (1420 AM) and K5 television (Ch. 5)

Two key players — starting small forward Michael Kuebler and back-up point guard Jason Carter — limped away from practice with sprained ankles.

They sustained the injuries during separate drills, but UH head coach Riley Wallace expressed optimism after watching both players limp off the court without assistance.

"I don't expect them not to play," Wallace said. "Neither (injury) looked serious. Hopefully, they take care of it and be ready by (today)."

The Rainbow Warriors could use both players tonight when they host San Jose State in a Western Athletic Conference game at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawai'i is 13-7 overall and tied for sixth place in the WAC at 6-6. SJSU, which beat Hawai'i at San Jose, Calif., last month, is 5-15 overall and in ninth place in the conference at 2-9.

Since the start of WAC play in early January, Wallace has relied primarily on a rotation of eight players. If Kuebler and Carter are unavailable or not at full strength, Wallace said freshman Ikaika Alama-Francis and senior Ryne Holliday — both walk-ons — would likely have to become a part of the playing rotation.

Wallace said the best alternative plan would be to use starting guards Carl English and Mark Campbell extensively, thus minimizing the rest of the rotation. But he added, "if they get into foul trouble or anything like that, I'm not afraid to use the other guys."

If Kuebler is not healthy enough to start, Wallace said sophomore Vaidotas Peciukas would start at small forward. Alama-Francis would then inherit Peciukas' reserve role.

"We want to start using Ikaika anyway," Wallace said. "He's gotten a lot better and he's as athletic as anybody we can put in there. He's got more of a feel for what we're doing."

If Carter is unable to go, Holliday would become the back-up point guard.

"He's been here four years; he knows what to do," Wallace said.

What's more, starting center Haim Shimonovich took an inadvertent hit to his face yesterday, opening a cut under his eye. He got it bandaged and was able to complete practice.

Of course, Wallace would prefer to stick with his usual game plan — starting Campbell, English, Kuebler, Phil Martin and Shimonovich, and then bringing Tony Akpan, Carter and Peciukas off the bench.

"It's part of the game," said the old-school Wallace. "Guys have to play hurt sometimes."

Hurt or not, the 'Bows should not be lacking motivation.

Hawai'i will take a 24-game home winning streak into tonight's game. It is the fifth longest home winning streak in NCAA Division I, and two short of tying the school record set from 1971-73.

"The whole atmosphere is more professional at home," Martin said. "Plus, you have the fans, you have more time to rest. There's a lot of things that make it so much easier for us to play at home."

The 'Bows are 12-0 in the Stan Sheriff Center this season with four more home games remaining. Only one other UH team — the 1971-72 "Fabulous Five" squad — completed a home season undefeated.

"It's energy and confidence," Wallace said. "We have great fans and they come in here and pump the players with energy and confidence."

Since the Stan Sheriff Center opened for men's basketball in the 1994-95 season, Hawai'i has a home record of 116-43 (.730 percentage), including 28-1 over the last two seasons. Hawai'i is also 6-0 against San Jose State in the Stan Sheriff Center.

"Home is where the heart is," Martin said. "There's just something special about it."

Today's Lineups

SAN JOSE STATE (5-15 overall, 2-9 WAC)

Head coach—Phil Johnson (17-31, 2nd season at SJSU)

Notes: The Spartans are coming off a 65-60 loss at Louisiana Tech. Antonio Lawrence led the Spartans with 22 points. It was SJSU's third consecutive loss, and ninth consecutive road loss. ... The Spartans have used 14 different starting lineups this season, and 13 of the 15 players on the roster have started at least one game. ... Lawrence has four double-doubles this season, including a 16-point, 11-rebound performance against Hawai'i last month. ... Keith West, a 6-2 junior guard, is averaging 10.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. ... The Spartans rank last in the WAC with an average of 3.9 3-pointers per game. Brett Lilly leads the team with just 18 3-pointers this season. ... Brandon Hawkins scored 23 points in SJSU's 79-67 home victory over Hawai'i last month.

HAWAI'I (13-7 overall, 6-6 WAC)

Head coach—Riley Wallace (256-211, 16th season at UH)

Notes: The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a 78-69 loss at SMU last Saturday. It was Hawai'i's sixth consecutive road loss. However, the 'Bows also have a 24-game home winning streak. ... Carl English led the 'Bows with 21 points against SMU. It was his 10th game with 20 or more points this season. He leads all WAC players in scoring, and is second in 3-pointers (62). ... Mark Campbell leads all WAC players with 6.1 assists per game. ... Nkeruwem "Tony" Akpan, a 6-8 sophomore forward, is Hawai'i's top reserve with averages of 7.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. ... Hawai'i defeated San Jose State, 71-46, in the Stan Sheriff Center last season. English scored 23 points in that victory. ... The 'Bows rank second in the WAC in scoring defense, allowing an average of 66.3 points per game.