UH hopes for good showing on Maui

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is hoping that the sugar cane is not the only thing that grows in Lahaina.

"Maui is a big-time tournament and this is our first showing there," said UH forward and co-captain Phil Martin. Advertiser library photo

The 'Bows, who are coming off a disappointing 57-51 home loss to UC Santa Barbara to open the season Friday, will play Santa Clara in the first round of the Maui Invitational tonight at 6:30 at the Lahaina Civic Center.

The last time Hawai'i opened a season with consecutive losses was 1993.

"Maui is a big-time tournament and this is our first showing there," said UH forward and co-captain Phil Martin. "We're excited about it, but we need to get this team going right before we step on that court.

"A lot of people watch the Maui. We can't put in a performance like we did (against UCSB) or nobody will respect us."

Tonight's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2, and UH head coach Riley Wallace said the 'Bows need to improve quickly to avoid the exposure from backfiring.

What's more, the only way to assure playing on ESPN for all three nights of the Maui Invitational is to win a first-round game.

Wallace insists that the talent is present. What's lacking, for now, is intensity and aggressiveness, he said.

During a two-hour practice on Saturday, Wallace was at his drill sergeant best, screaming at his players to "play with heart!" At times, he even encouraged his players to foul one another during half-court drills to "get tougher."

"We're too passive, too nice," Wallace said. "We need to find that emotion, that fire. If we don't, teams will continue to walk all over us."

Wallace is particularly concerned because he said Santa Clara's style and personnel are similar to UCSB's.

"They got decent size, not huge, but the thing they do best is execute their offense," Wallace said. "That's something we have to do ourselves because we're as big as anybody."

Wallace said he will likely experiment with a new lineup tonight. Vaidotas Peciukas, a 6-foot-7 junior, could start at small forward. If so, 6-9 sophomore Julian Sensley would shift to the low-post, alongside 6-8 Martin.

"Basically, we need to be more productive on the offensive end," Martin said. "It can be solved. We just need to fit the pieces together."

The top UH centers, seniors Haim Shimonovich and Paul Jesinskis, would play reserve roles.

"We'll try a smaller lineup and see how it goes," Wallace said. "We looked sluggish with all the big guys in there together, and it looks like smaller teams will give us some trouble."

Wallace is also expecting his guards — seniors Jason Carter and Michael Kuebler — to shoot better than the combined 2 for 13 they did against UCSB.

"That was a big letdown," Carter said. "But we'll get it going. That was only our first game. We didn't want to lose any, but it's no reason to panic. The only way to make everybody forget about it is to win all our games in Maui."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.

Today's lineups

Head coach — Riley Wallace (262-217, 17th season at UH)

Notes: The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a 57-51 season-opening home loss to UC Santa Barbara on Friday. ... Phil Martin scored a team-high 12 points in the loss. He is the first four-year starter in Riley Wallace's 17 seasons as head coach at UH. ... Jason Carter had a career-high six assists in the first start of his UH career on Friday. ... Center Haim Shimonovich, a 6-10 senior, recorded six points and five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench against UCSB. He missed the first two weeks of practice this season because of an Achilles injury. ... True freshman Bobby Nash out of Iolani School made both his 3-point shots and finished with six points and three rebounds in his collegiate debut on Friday. ... Hawai'i is playing in the EA Sports Maui Invitational for the first time. UH went 2-0 with Wallace as head coach in the Lahaina Civic Center as host of the Early Season Tournament in 1989. ... Hawai'i has not started a season with consecutive losses since 1993.

Head coach — Dick Davey (186-132, 12th season at SCU)

Notes: The Broncos finished 13-15 overall last season, including 4-10 in the West Coast Conference. ... Santa Clara beat Olympic Club, 82-68, in a home exhibition game last week. ... Kyle Bailey played in six games last season, then missed the rest of it due to foot and back injuries. He received a medical hardship waiver to gain another year of eligibility. He averaged 13.4 points and 3.9 assists per game as a sophomore two seasons ago. ... Eleven different players started at least one game for Santa Clara last season. Eight of those players return this season. ... Ethan Rohde, a 6-5 junior, led the team with 63 3-pointers and a .412 percentage from 3-point range last season. ... Brandon Rohe, a 6-4 sophomore, averaged 10.6 points per game off the bench last season. ... Santa Clara is 4-2 in two previous appearances in the Maui Invitational (1990, 1995). ... The Broncos are 19-4 against Hawai'i, although the 'Bows won the last meeting in 1997.