'Kuuuu' sound of success
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist
Welcome to Michael Kuebler's world, where it is your ears, not the scoreboard or boxscore, that let you know what kind of a game you're having.
The nightly referendum on his play all comes down to the slighest difference in consonants. One game the sound you hear from the crowd is a sprinkling of frustrated "boos" when your shots aren't falling. And, the next, it is the cascading of "Kuuuus" from the Stan Sheriff Center faithful, when the baskets are coming with accustomed regularity.
Last night, one game after the self-described "worst" game of Kuebler's two-year University of Hawai'i basketball career, public address announcer Keenan Goo's frequent call of "Kuuuu-bler" said time and again that all was right again with No. 24 and the Warriors in a 60-53 victory over Nevada.
From the disappointment of a 3 for 16 (2 for 11 from 3-point range) and 10-point night in the 69-58 loss to Fresno State Saturday, once again arose the Kuebler the Warriors have come to count on with a game-high 23 points on 7 of 14 (2 of 3 from 3-point range) shooting.
With Kuebler back on target from his first shot, Julian Sensley back pitching in a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) and a heart-and-soul effort from the rest of the roster, the Warriors averted the disaster of their first back-to-back Western Athletic Conference home opening losses since 1999. Considering that became a 3-11 WAC season, it was a path best avoided.
And the way to do that was for Kuebler, the WAC's leading scorer, to return to form on a night when he found most of his points working to the basket instead of firing away from outside.
"When he's on, it gives us all a lift," forward Phil Martin said.
And, when he's on, Kuebler said the crowd chant "Kuuuu" gives him a lift, too. "It's a great feeling to hit a shot and hear that running back down the court," he said.
"When I miss a bunch of shots, I'll hear some people yelling at me. Sometimes they're giving me tips, too. I understand all that. The team needs the points and I gotta knock down the shots. They got a little down on me, but I was down on myself for that (Fresno) game, too."
Kuebler, who almost had to walk on without a scholarship last year, didn't sign on to be the shoulders that would carry this team, but more and more that is how it has turned out.
More often than not, as Kuebler goes, so go these Rainbow Warriors. When he scores 20 points or more, they are 7-1 this season. When he doesn't, they are 2-2.
"It takes all of us playing our part for us to win but, in the back of my mind, I put pressure on myself to perform every night because we need it," Kuebler said.
And last night, when the Rainbow Warriors needed it most before hitting the road for their longest WAC away swing, the chants of "Kuuuu" said he had come through again.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
