UH can make name for itself
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
What's in a name?
A lot when it comes to college basketball.
The Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic is making a return to prominence this week with the return of some of college basketball's "name" teams.
Among them are Alabama at Birmingham (a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament team last season), Clemson (from the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference) and traditional power Georgetown (from the Big East).
"It's one of the best fields we've had recently," University of Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "It should help every team as far as (Rating Percentage Index) because every game will be a good one."
The Rainbow Warriors are the host for the eight-team tournament that stretches over four days at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"You get to eat, sleep and drink basketball for four days," Hawai'i senior forward Jeff Blackett said. "And it's a chance for us to put Hawai'i on the basketball map a little bit."
The 'Bows may be the three-time defending champions of the Rainbow Classic, but those three tournaments did not feature the kinds of teams in this year's field.
WHERE: Stan Sheriff Center. WHEN: Tomorrow through Thursday WHO: Clemson, Georgetown, Hawai'i, Alabama at Birmingham, Indiana State, Long Beach State, Oral Roberts University, Southern California INSIDE: Capsule look at the field, schedule, ticket information, TV/radio | C2 Classic information SCHEDULE: Tomorrow—Georgetown vs. Oral Roberts, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday—UAB vs. Clemson, 5 p.m.; USC vs. Indiana State, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday—Consolation games at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; semifinal games at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday—Seventh place, 11 a.m.; Fifth place, 1:30 p.m.; Third place, 5 p.m.; Championship, 7:30 p.m. TICKETS: Evening sessions—$20 for lower level and $15 for upper level. Day sessions—$5 for all seats. Parking is $3. TV/RADIO: KFVE (Ch. 5) will televise all 5 and 7:30 p.m. games; KKEA (1420 AM) will broadcast all Hawai'i games.
"That just makes us want to win it even more," Blackett said. "We want to show everyone we're a team to be reckoned with."
RAINBOW CLASSIC
There are seven other teams here this week that feel the same way.
None of the teams in the Classic is ranked in the Top 25, but seven of the eight have winning records. Of the 16 remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I, two are here — Hawai'i (5-0) and Oral Roberts (7-0).
"It's a very challenging field," Oral Roberts head coach Scott Sutton said. "There's a buzz around town (in Tulsa, Okla.) because of the start we've had. We've been getting some attention lately — we've been in Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. But this tournament is a true opportunity to see where we stand."
UAB made national headlines last season after upsetting No. 1 seed Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Two starters return from that team, and the Blazers are 5-2 this season.
"We've been up and down," UAB head coach Mike Anderson said. "But the thing we have to get used to is that we're the hunted now. Last year, we were doing the hunting. Teams know about us this year and they're after us because of the showing we had last year."
One of the best match-ups of the tournament could be Tuesday's 5 p.m. first-round game between UAB and Clemson. The Tigers are 7-1 and have a top-20 RPI.
"The competition this week will be very, very good, and I don't like our (first-round) draw one bit," Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell said. "But every game you win here gives you an opportunity to gain some national respect."
Another intriguing first-round game is tomorrow's 5 p.m. opener between Oral Roberts and Georgetown. The Hoyas are 4-2, with their only losses to No. 1-ranked Illinois and Temple.
Georgetown's new head coach is John Thompson III, son of the legendary former Hoyas coach. Thompson is continuing his father's defensive tradition, and the Hoyas are allowing just 54.5 points per game this season.
In other first-round games, Hawai'i will play Long Beach State (1-5) at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, and Indiana State (5-3) will play Southern California (4-3) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Despite all the "name" programs in the field, the 'Bows are still being viewed as the team to beat.
"You have to look at Hawai'i first," Anderson said. "Nobody will have an advantage except Hawai'i. The rest of us have to make long trips to get there, so there's the travel concern."
However, the Blazers could have more fan support than the other visiting teams. Because the UAB football team is playing in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Friday, hundreds of their fans are expected to be in Honolulu this week.
"It's great how that worked out," Anderson said. "It's the first bowl game ever for our football team, so there was a lot of excitement on campus over this trip."
Among individual players, there may not be any first-team All-America candidates, but there are several all-conference types.
Oral Roberts' sophomore duo of Ken Tutt and Caleb Green has already been featured in Sports Illustrated.
"Ken is, in my opinion, one of the premier 3-point shooters in the country, but he's a scorer, not just a shooter," Sutton said. "And Caleb is a double-double threat every game."
Among other top players in the field:
• UAB's twin tandem of Donell and Ronell Taylor is combining for 26.9 points per game.
• Clemson's Sharrod Ford, a 6-9, 240-pound forward, is averaging 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
• Georgetown's Brandon Bowman, a 6-9, 219-pound forward, is averaging 15.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
• Hawai'i's Julian Sensley, a 6-9, 235-pound forward, leads the team in scoring (16.2), rebounding (7.8) and assists (3.4).
• Indiana State's David Moss leads all players in the tournament with 18.1 points per game.
Note
Among the teams committed to the 2005 Rainbow Classic are Colorado State, Iowa State and Loyola Marymount. The NCAA's "2-in-4" rule will be in effect again next year, limiting teams to two exempt tournaments every four years.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
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Alabama at Birmingham Blazers Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb. G C. Johnson 5-10 Jr. 4.6 2.4 G Ronell Taylor 6-5 Sr. 11.0 3.4 G Donell Taylor 6-6 Sr. 15.9 5.1 F D. Edwards 6-7 Jr. 13.0 5.6 C Marques Lewis 6-8 Sr. 8.6 5.1 Head coach: Mike Anderson (48-25, 3rd season at UAB) Record: 5-2 Conference: Conference USA Rainbow Classic history: UAB went 2-1 and placed third in the 1983 Classic. Player to watch: Donell Taylor has scored in double figures in every game this season, and is shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range. Team notes: The Blazers finished 22-10 last season and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. ... One of UAB's losses this season was to No. 5 Oklahoma State, 86-73. ... Marvett McDonald, a 6-2 junior guard, is the top reserve with 9.4 points per game. ... The Blazers are averaging 12.7 steals per game, and forcing 20.4 turnovers per game. Good to know: Donell Taylor and Ronell Taylor are twin brothers; Donell wears jersey No. 1; Ronell is No. 2. Fun fact: Approximately 300 UAB fans are in Honolulu this week because the Blazers football team is also here for Friday's Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.
CLEMSON TIGERS Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb. G S. Robinson 6-2 Jr. 13.9 3.6 G Cliff Hammonds 6-3 Fr. 11.0 4.6 F Cheyenne Moore 6-6 Fr. 5.8 3.3 F Sharrod Ford 6-9 Sr. 14.5 7.3 C Akin Akingbala 6-9 Jr. 8.5 5.5 Head coach: Oliver Purnell (17-19, 2nd season at CU) Record: 7-1 Conference: Atlantic Coast Rainbow Classic history: Clemson is 7-2 in three previous appearances, including a championship in 1980. Player to watch: Sharrod Ford leads the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. He also led the team in all three categories last season with 11.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game. Team notes: The Tigers are averaging 81.3 points per game at home, and 66.5 per game on the road. ... Clemson is averaging 13.1 steals per game, and set a school-record with 25 steals against Hampton earlier this season. ... The Tigers' only loss this season was at Boston College, 79-70. Good to know: The Tigers are the first team from the ACC to participate in the Rainbow Classic since Wake Forest in 1999. Fun fact: Clemson was named the "Public University of the Year" by Time magazine in 2000. The average SAT score for incoming freshmen in 2004 was 1203.
Georgetown Hoyas Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb. G Ashanti Cook 6-2 Jr. 10.0 2.0 G J. Wallace 6-1 Fr. 9.0 2.8 F Darrel Owens 6-6 Sr. 4.5 1.8 F B. Bowman 6-9 Jr. 15.8 6.2 C Jeff Green 6-9 Fr. 12.0 7.3 Head coach: John Thompson III (4-2, 1st season at GU) Record: 4-2 Conference: Big East Rainbow Classic history: First appearance Player to watch: Brandon Bowman has started every game of his Georgetown career, a streak of 68 consecutive starts. He has scored in double figures in 28 of his last 34 games. Team notes: The Hoyas finished 13-15 last season, and did not play in the postseason for the first time since 1974. ... No. 1-ranked Illinois defeated Georgetown, 74-59, on Dec. 9. ... The Hoyas have used the same starting five in each game this season. ... RaMell Ross, a 6-6 senior forward, is the top reserve with averages of 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Good to know: John Thompson III is the son of legendary former Georgetown coach John Thompson. Thompson III went 68-42 at Princeton from 2000-03. Fun fact: Hoya is short for "Hoya Saxa," a cheer used by Georgetown students many years ago that translates to "What Rocks" in Greek and Latin.
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb. G Deonte Tatum 6-3 Jr. 4.2 2.2 G Bobby Nash 6-6 So. 6.6 0.8 F Julian Sensley 6-9 Jr. 16.2 7.8 F Jeff Blackett 6-8 Sr. 11.2 6.6 C Chris Botez 7-0 Jr. 6.0 6.0 Head coach: Riley Wallace (288-228, 18th season at UH) Record: 5-0 Conference: Western Athletic Rainbow Classic history: Hawai'i has a record of 64-56 in 41 previous appearances, and won the tournament in 1970, '71, '73, '90, '97, '99, 2001, '02, '03. Player to watch: Julian Sensley leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists (3.4 per game). He has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games. Team notes: "Little Matt" Gibson, a 6-5 guard, is averaging 12.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game; "Big Matt" Gipson, a 6-9 forward, is averaging 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Good to know: Riley Wallace missed two days of practice last week because he underwent an angioplasty to improve the blood flow to his heart on Wednesday. Fun fact: UH associate coach Bob Nash holds the Rainbow Classic rebounding record. He grabbed 30 to lead Hawai'i to an 87-77 victory over Arizona State in the 1971 championship game. His son is sophomore guard Bobby Nash.
Indiana State Sycamores Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb. G Tyson Schnitker 6-2 So. 6.8 1.9 G Eric Gray 6-1 So. 11.1 2.4 G David Moss 6-5 Jr. 18.1 7.6 F Amani Daanish 6-7 Sr. 11.5 7.4 C Jerod Adler 6-9 Sr. 7.0 4.6 Head coach: Royce Waltman (102-113, 8th season at ISU) Record: 5-3 Conference: Missouri Valley Rainbow Classic history: First appearance Player to watch: David Moss leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists (3.4 per game). He also led the team in scoring last season with an average of 13.6 points per game. Team notes: The Sycamores are 5-0 at home and 0-3 on the road. ... Indiana State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2001, but then went 22-65 over the next three seasons. ... ISU's five starters average 54.5 points per game; the rest of the team averages 9.3. Good to know: The Sycamores are making their second trip ever to Hawai'i. Their only other appearance came during the 1986 Early Season Tournament. Fun fact: Basketball great Larry Bird scored 2,850 points during his career at Indiana State. The 13 players on this season's ISU roster have combined to score 2,223 career points.
Long Beach State 49ers Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb. G Jibril Hodges 6-2 Jr. 10.5 1.8 G Keion Kindred 6-5 Jr. 0.3 1.3 F Cody Pearson 6-4 Sr. 7.7 3.7 F Shawn Hawkins 6-6 Jr. 13.0 5.0 C A. Coleman 6-11 Sr. 13.7 5.7 Head coach: Larry Reynolds (12-48, 3rd season at LBSU) Record: 1-5 Conference: Big West Rainbow Classic history: First appearance Player to watch: Anthony Coleman leads the team in scoring and rebounding. He played in only two games last season because of an ankle injury. He transferred to LBSU from Xavier. Team notes: The 49ers have lost 15 of their last 16 games, and are 12-48 since the start of the 2002-03 season. ... Larry Reynolds had a NCAA Division II coaching record of 110-35 at Cal State San Bernardino before taking over at LBSU. ... Jibril Hodges is the son of former NBA player Craig Hodges. Good to know: Onye Ibekwe, a 6-8, 254-pound forward, is eligible for the first time this season. He transferred to LBSU from Oklahoma State. Fun fact: Prominent LBSU alumni include baseball player Jason Giambi, golfer Mark O'Meara, comedian/actor Steve Martin, and movie director Steven Spielberg.
ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb. G Jonathan Bluitt 5-9 Jr. 7.1 3.0 G Luke S.-Gardner 6-1 Sr. 10.5 2.8 G Ken Tutt 6-1 So. 17.0 1.4 F Caleb Green 6-7 So. 17.9 8.4 C M. Michalec 6-11 Jr. 6.1 6.3 Head coach: Scott Sutton (82-71, 6th season at ORU) Record: 7-0 Conference: Mid-Continent Rainbow Classic history: First appearance Players to watch: Ken Tutt and Caleb Green are the top contenders for MCC Player of the Year. Tutt is shooting 48.8 percent from 3-point range (21 of 43), and set a school record with 101 3-pointers as a freshman last season. Green has 18 statistical double-doubles since last season. Team notes: The Golden Eagles are off to the best start in school history. ... ORU is ranked No. 15 in the latest "Mid-Major" poll by collegeinsider.com. ... The Golden Eagles are shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point range. Good to know: Scott Sutton is the son of Oklahoma State head coach Eddie Sutton. They have combined for 844 coaching victories, with Eddie winning 762. Fun fact: Oral Roberts University, which is located in Tulsa, was founded by the evangelist and businessman Oral Roberts in 1963.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TROJANS Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Pts. Reb. G Gabe Pruitt 6-4 Fr. 11.4 2.6 G Lodrick Stewart 6-4 So. 14.4 3.0 F Nick Young 6-6 Fr. 6.3 4.3 F Nick Curtis 6-8 Sr. 6.3 3.0 C Rory O'Neil 6-11 Sr. 11.3 6.1 Head coach: Jim Saia (2-1, 1st season at USC) Record: 4-3 Conference: Pac-10 Rainbow Classic history: USC is 5-4 in three previous appearances, including a title in 1975. Player to watch: True freshman Gabe Pruitt has taken over as the starting point guard. He leads the team with 4.4 assists per game, and a 43.8 percentage from 3-point range. Team notes: The only player to start every game this season is Rory O'Neil. ... Jeff McMillan, a 6-8 senior forward, started the first three games of the season, but sustained a broken left hand in the third game of the season. Good to know: Henry Bibby was fired as head coach on Dec. 4. Rick Majerus was hired for the 2005-06 season, but resigned yesterday before even starting. Jim Saia is still considered the interim head coach. Fun fact: USC athletes have appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated 94 times, although the last men's basketball player to do so was Paul Westphal in 1980.
