Early road trip should help 'Bows in future

Advertiser Staff

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team returned to Honolulu yesterday with one priceless souvenir — a road victory.

Wallace

"This is one of those wins that's bigger than it looks," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "We won on the road against a team that's better than its record shows."

The 'Bows are 4-0, the best start to open a season for a Hawai'i team since the 1997-98 team led by Anthony Carter started 5-0. Hawai'i will return to the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday when it will host Saint Mary's.

The Billikens dropped to 1-4 with their second consecutive one-point loss.

The 'Bows spent four nights in St. Louis because Wallace said he wanted the team to get acclimated to the differences in time zones and temperatures.

"It was like dry, cold air," said junior Julian Sensley, who made what proved to be the game-winning shot with 15.4 seconds remaining against Saint Louis.

"It's just something you have to play through because it's similar to what we'll see in other (Western Athletic Conference) cities."

Wallace noted the team's practices improved each day in St. Louis.

"The first day was bad," Wallace said. "But you expect that because it was a long flight and the guys are sluggish. But the next day was better, and by game day, we had our energy back."

Wallace also scheduled the early-season road trip in part for himself. He was raised in nearby Jerseyville, Ill., and around 200 of his friends and relatives attended the game.

Wallace also arranged visits to Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team — and the Gateway Arch.

"I wanted to see if these guys would just be tourists or if they would come out and show they can play on the road," Wallace said. "Turns out we got a little of both."

It also turned out that several other 'Bows got to play in front of family and friends in St. Louis.

Senior guard Jake Sottos, who is from Monmouth, Ill., led the way with around 100 supporters in attendance.

"It was a very special game for me," he said. "It felt like I was back playing in high school or something."

Junior guard Deonte Tatum, who is from Milwaukee, had around 10 supporters.

Junior forward Matthew Gipson's parents drove to the game from Burkburnett, Texas.

"We have to get used to traveling because we travel more than any team in the country," Wallace said. "This was a good start. It should help us down the line because all the places we go to in the WAC are tough places."