Hawai'i source of inspiration
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist
The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is more than just the two-time defending champion of the Williams Western Athletic Conference Tournament, it is also an inspiration for every team that dreams of unseating the Rainbow Warriors this week.
The biggest thing the Rainbows might have going against them — beside the injuries to center Haim Shimonovich and guard Jason Carter — could be the hopes that their remarkable two-year run have instilled in everyone else.
Though few people have actually said so, the prevailing theme in Tulsa might as well be, "If Hawai'i can win it, why not us?"
If the Rainbows can come out of the pack (they were a fifth seed in 2001), why not somebody else?
If a team from 3,900 miles away can win it all two years running, why not somebody from the same or a nearby time zone?
If an up-and-down team (the Rainbows were 14-13 in 2001) can suddenly catch fire over a week, who is to say another one can't?
You can bet "Remember the Rainbows" is the message in a lot of locker rooms for today's quarterfinal round games.
On the court of last resort for WAC teams with NCAA Tournament ambitions, Hawai'i has been the poster team for upsets, showing there is, indeed, a place for dreamers in the field and hope for the determined.
Especially this year. While the women's side of the tournament might be the most closed in conference history with Louisiana Tech the prohibitive favorite off its 18-0 WAC record, the road to the men's title and the automatic berth that goes to the champion is the most wide open of the 20 tournaments in which UH has appeared.
If the WAC Tournament was considered up-for-grabs before Fresno State was booted out, then it is even more so now that the owner of the best conference and overall record is cooling its heels.
Realistically, probably six of the eight remaining teams — everybody but Texas-El Paso and Boise State — has some shot at the title.
"Let's put it this way, there's nobody left that you want to play," said UH coach Riley Wallace. "That's how wide open it is."
How far these Rainbows go toward a three-peat will depend in large part on how much they can get out of Shimonovich and his injured right ankle. If Shimonovich can give them a solid 15-to-20 minutes in relief of Nkeruwem "Tony" Akpan, anything is possible.
For when it comes to winning the WAC Tournament, the Rainbows, like everybody else, need only need look at themselves for inspiration.
