Hawai'i's Gipson has plenty left in reserve
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Over the span of a month, Matthew Gipson has gone from no-show to big show for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team.
The player known as "Big Matt" has come up big for the Rainbow Warriors recently. After a slow start this season, Gipson has emerged as one of the team's top players, even though he does not start. In his last two games, he had a combined 32 points and 21 rebounds.
Gipson
Thanks to his recent surge, Gipson is now fourth on the team in scoring with 8.9 points per game, fourth in rebounding with 5.6 boards per game, and first with a 53.1 field goal percentage.
"I haven't felt this good since I've been here," said Gipson, a 6-foot-9 junior forward. "It's all about confidence. I feel like I'm finally playing the way I should be playing."
One month ago, he felt the opposite.
Dejected over playing time, several nagging injuries and the adjustment to Hawai'i, Gipson skipped one day of practice without telling any of his teammates or coaches.
"I wasn't myself on the court or off the court," he said. "It was a lot of different things, but I was just in a funk."
When asked if he thought about quitting, Gipson responded: "It crossed my mind."
Instead, Gipson met with the UH coaches and has since become a key ingredient to the team's 8-0 start. It is the best start by Hawai'i since the 1973-74 team started 11-0.
Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said he does not even want to imagine where the 'Bows might be had Gipson left.
"Mentally, he was depressed," Wallace said. "He was so used to being a certain type of player, and he didn't start out that way over here. He was coming off knee surgery, and he took a while to learn all our stuff. His mind knew he had a game, but his body couldn't do it."
Prior to this season, Gipson underwent surgery on his right knee, causing him to miss most of the preseason conditioning sessions with his teammates. Once the season started, he sustained two separate infections on his right foot, causing him to miss several days of practice.
"What I like is that he fought his way through everything," Wallace said. "The Matt Gipson that you saw in the Rainbow Classic. That's the player we expected he'd be when we recruited him."
Gipson recorded 35 points, 25 rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals in three games of the Rainbow Classic last week.
It probably helped that his parents and brother flew in from Burkburnett, Texas, to watch him play in the Classic.
"It's always a better feeling when your family is there," Gipson said. "And I'm really close to my family."
Gipson has rare inside-and-out skills, making him a threat from 3-point range or near the basket. He played at national power Oklahoma as a freshman, but then transferred to North Idaho College. He came to Hawai'i prior to this season, and was picked as the Western Athletic Conference's Preseason Newcomer of the Year.
"Obviously, everybody knew he was capable of this," Wallace said. "But not everybody knew what he was going through with the injuries and all that."
Wallace said he will continue to use Gipson as an "energizer" off the bench. Gipson's versatility allows him to replace center Chris Botez or forwards Julian Sensley and Jeff Blackett.
"I'm sure he'd love to start," Wallace said. "But he understands what his role is now and he's a big reason why we're undefeated."
'Bows make early departure for road
The 'Bows had a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call today, and are scheduled to depart Honolulu for Fresno, Calif., around 7 a.m.
Hawai'i will open its WAC schedule at Fresno State on Wednesday, and then at Nevada on Saturday.
"We're healthy, mentally and physically, and we're undefeated," Wallace said. "I'd rather go into a road trip feeling this way than if we were hurt and losing."
All UH students are on a break from classes right now, so the players will not have to schedule study hall sessions on this road trip. But Wallace said that doesn't mean it will turn into a fun-filled adventure.
"It's a business trip," he said. "We won't have that much time to do things anyway."
Wallace said a road trip earlier this season to St. Louis should help the 'Bows on this trip.
"Now, they know the feeling of being on that plane for a long time, and getting off in cold weather," he said.
Hawai'i beat Saint Louis, 53-52, on Dec. 4.
"I didn't like it," sophomore guard "Little Matt" Gibson said. "Being on that plane that long ... it gets to you. I think it showed because we didn't play a very good game. But at least we know what to expect and we know what we have to overcome."
Wallace not pleased with Tulsa change
Wallace said he sympathized with John Phillips, who resigned as Tulsa's head coach on Christmas Day.
"It's a shame," Wallace said. "He must have been getting some pressure on him to leave because coaches usually don't give up like that in the middle of a season. As a coach, you never like to see another coach go out like that."
The Golden Hurricane went 9-20 last season, ending a streak of 15 consecutive winning seasons. They are 2-5 this season.
Phillips was hired as head coach in 2001, and led Tulsa to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons.
Tulsa and Hawai'i had developed somewhat of a rivalry during Phillips' tenure because those two teams were often battling for the conference title.
Assistant coach Alvin "Pooh" Williamson will serve as interim head coach for the rest of this season. Hawai'i is scheduled to play Tulsa here Jan. 29, and then at Tulsa on Feb. 25.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
