RAINBOWS NOTEBOOK
Struggling UH looks to regroup for finish
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
The mourning by the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team came to a close yesterday morning.
Vowing to put a stunning 55-54 upset loss to San Jose State behind them, the Rainbow Warriors reassessed their postseason goals yesterday.
"We had a nice talk," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "We know our season is not over yet. We went over the scenarios we have left and what we have to do to reach it."
Wallace said the No. 1 goal is to win the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, March 11-15 at Tulsa, Okla.
"That's the only way we'll get back to the NCAA (Tournament)," Wallace said. "And in order to make a run like that, we have to start building momentum now."
The 'Bows, who had their 24-game home winning streak snapped by San Jose State on Saturday, will host Nevada in a WAC game tomorrow at the Stan Sheriff Center.
A secondary goal for the 'Bows is to finish with a winning record during the WAC regular season to attract a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
"It's not a rule (to have a winning conference record), but it's one of the main things they look at," Wallace said. "It gives us something to shoot for."
Hawai'i has participated in the NCAA Tournament the past two years after winning the WAC Tournament both years.
"We have to be realistic," Wallace said. "The season hasn't gone the way we wanted, but we can still make something out of it. We can still get things going."
Hawai'i, which has lost six of its past eight games, is 13-8 overall and in seventh place in the WAC at 6-7. The 'Bows have six regular-season games remaining — five WAC games and the ESPN Bracket Buster game at Kent State on Saturday.
"My freshman year we were at the bottom of the pack but we made that burst at the end and ended up winning the WAC Tournament," said UH junior Carl English. "The whole conference has been up and down all season, so we feel like we have as good a shot as anybody. On a neutral court, I think we're going to be extremely hard to beat."
After yesterday's morning chat session, the 'Bows held a spirited two-hour practice that included a brief intrasquad scrimmage.
English, who was held to nine points on 3-of-15 shooting against San Jose State, made all four of his shots in the scrimmage, including two 3-pointers. He admitted playing with "too much anger" against the Spartans.
"I wanted to beat them so bad and it overpowered everything else," he said. "It's tough to forget about, but if we dwell on it too much, we'll probably lose again."
Nevada's here: The Wolf Pack arrived in Honolulu last night after a 99-97 overtime home loss to Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
Nevada is 14-9 overall and in second place in the WAC at 9-4. On Jan. 25, the Wolf Pack beat the 'Bows, 73-65, in Reno, Nev.
"They have a lot of firepower," Wallace said. "Everybody can score and they have good speed and quickness."
Nevada leads the WAC in scoring with an average of 76.4 points per game. Four Wolf Pack players average double-figure points, led by 6-foot-6 sophomore Kirk Snyder's 15.4. He also ranks second in the WAC with 8.0 rebounds per game.
Getaway night: Shortly after tomorrow's game against Nevada, the 'Bows are scheduled to depart for Kent, Ohio, for a Saturday game at Kent State.
It will be the start of an 11-day road trip that will also include games at Tulsa on Feb. 27 and at Rice on March 1.
The 'Bows are expected to be greeted by cold weather in Ohio. The Kent State campus was shut down yesterday because of a snowstorm.
