Rainbow Wahine resolve to improve offensive game

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	UH women's basketball WHEN: 7 p.m. today vs. UTEP (5-5) and 7 p.m. Saturday vs. Boise State (3-7). WHERE: Stan Sheriff Center TV/RADIO: Both games will be broadcast live on KFVE and 1420 AM TICKETS: $7 adults, $6 senior citizens, $4 students.

Hawai'i would run its record to 11-0 against UTEP tonight in the Western Athletic Conference opener and end its nearly four years of futility against ranked teams before the season closes.

The mid-season addition of volleyball All-America Kim Willoughby would be the difference between finishing in the NCAA Tournament and finishing in frustration.

But this is a time for New Year's resolutions, not season-long dreams. Fittingly, the Rainbow Wahine's resolutions are so subtle they are all but invisible.

Center Christen Roper, nearly averaging a double-double, is focusing on the fundamentals that can help her be more consistent. They range from footwork to court vision — in other words, everything her 6-foot-5 frame can help control.

"I always think about this stuff," Roper says, "but I don't put it all together."

Point guard Michelle Gabriel is also looking to improve parts of her game that will never be broken down on a box score.

"Making sure we communicate, making sure we encourage each other, making sure we're playing hard on every possession," Gabriel says. "All the reminders the coaches can't really say. That's what I feel my job is."

They hope — and quietly resolve — that all the subtleties will translate into success, particularly on offense, where the Rainbow Wahine have found the most frustration.

In their past two games, they averaged just 48.5 points — 20 below their previous average. Relentless defense helped beat Loyola Marymount, but 10th-ranked Texas Tech held Hawai'i to its lowest output (40 points) since 1994 in its last game. UH was particularly poor from beyond the arc.

Shooting is coach Vince Goo's most compelling concern.

"We need to shoot better from the 3-point line," he resolves. "We need a better percentage from the free-throw line and the field. We're executing the offense, we're just not putting the ball in the basket. We're not making our close-up shots and not hitting our wide-open shots."

It has not been as bad as all that sounds. Roper, Jade Abele, Natasja Allen and April Atuaia are averaging double-digit scoring. They are outscoring teams from the foul line 18 to 8.

Abele, a sophomore, leads Hawai'i in scoring, assists, steals and free-throw percentage. Allen and Roper are just behind her and Atuaia, who lost nearly all last year to a knee injury, is still able to morph into a different role with every opponent Hawai'i plays.

She and Allen are not into resolutions. "You're supposed to do the same thing your whole career," Allen insists. "Has the focus ever changed on anything we're supposed to do?"

But Abele's resolve is real: "Definitely start shooting better."

Her outlook is just as vivid.

"I'm telling you, we're going to win the WAC," she says. "Kim is back, finals are all over, we've had a nice break. We're really looking forward to the season. The WAC has really picked up this year which is good for us. Maybe we'll get more teams in the NCAAs."

For her part, Willoughby is content to play a bit part. She backed up in the post last season, averaging 6 points and 5 1/2 rebounds and earning all-WAC Tournament honors. Her contribution could be much more this season, but she says you might not notice.

"It's going to be the little things I do differently than others," Willoughby says. "And playing solid basketball. Just going out there and working hard. They have been doing that every day, but it's that one extra break I can give them. I'm satisfied with that.

"I know I'm not going to be a starter ever, and I like being the role player. That's why I was really, really looking forward to playing basketball — because I'm just another basketball player."

OVER AND BACK: The Rainbow Wahine take their first trip of the season next week, playing at Southern Methodist Thursday and Louisiana Tech Saturday. That Jan. 11 Tech game will be televised by Fox Sports. ... Senior Christen Roper has played in 79 straight games, starting the last 45. ... Roper leads the WAC in blocks (3.3) and is 13th nationally. Her 223 career blocks is third in WAC history, 45 short of Debbie Diamond's record set from 1991-95 when she played for BYU.