'Bows' Kuebler to give shooting guard a shot
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Michael Kuebler is now in the proper position to have a standout season for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team.
After one season as the starting small forward for the Rainbow Warriors, Kuebler is moving to shooting guard this season.
It is a move that should benefit Kuebler and the 'Bows.
"It was definitely something different last year," said Kuebler, a 6-foot-5 senior. "I was always a guard and so I had to adapt to the change."
Despite that admitted unfamiliarity, Kuebler finished second on the team with 12.2 points per game and 46 3-pointers. The main reason why he was moved to small forward last year was because the team's leading scorer, Carl English, was the established starter at shooting guard.
But with English now trying to work his way into professional basketball, Kuebler is UH's main long-range shooting specialist.
"I kind of knew what my role would be, so I worked even harder on my shooting (over the summer)," said Kuebler, who is from Salem, Ore. "Every day, I was putting up hundreds of shots. I'm really motivated this year because I am playing a position I'm more comfortable at."
The work has showed during the first two weeks of practice. In two intrasquad scrimmages, Kuebler had 33 points and 15 assists.
Not that UH head coach Riley Wallace is satisfied.
"He needs to be more aggressive," Wallace said of Kuebler. "He needs to start guarding guys on defense or he's not going to play. And on offense, the only thing he's looking for is that jump shot."
Wallace said the 'Bows will not play "the Carl English offense" this season.
"We're not going to be a perimeter team like we have been the last few years," Wallace said. "(Kuebler) is a shooter and we need him to do that. But we also have to use our big guys and be an all-around team."
Kuebler's move to shooting guard will help the 'Bows become a bigger team. Julian Sensley, a 6-9 sophomore, is the leading candidate to start at small forward.
"Coach keeps saying we're going to go inside this year, and I'm fine with that," Kuebler said. "If we go inside and those guys score, it's going to open the perimeter and give us some wide-open looks. I'm all for that."
No starters: With the exhibition opener against Brigham Young-Hawai'i two weeks away, Wallace said he still has not determined a starting lineup.
"Every spot is up for grabs," he said. "Every day, you see something different, so it's hard to say what's going to happen. It also keeps the guys working hard."
Akpan sighting: With the UH football team on a bye, Nkeruwem "Tony" Akpan said he will try to practice with the basketball team for this week only.
Akpan said he hopes to clear the paper work by today that will allow him to start practicing. Akpan, a 6-8 junior from Nigeria, said he now weighs 258 pounds.
As a reserve forward with the basketball team last season, he averaged 7.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
In the spring, he joined the football team as a defensive end. His athletic scholarship is now provided by the football team, and he can not join the basketball team full-time until the football season is over.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
