Past lapses at San Jose have put 'Bows on alert

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	RADIO 4:50 p.m., 1420AM

"I don't know what it is about that place," UH senior co-captain Phil Martin said of the team's struggles against San Jose State in recent years.

Nobody does, really.

The Rainbow Warriors will try to figure it out tonight when they take on the Spartans ina Western Athletic Conference game at The Event Center at 5 p.m. (Hawai'i time).

"It's a dull atmosphere," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said of the Spartans' home gym. "It's a place you really have to self-motivate, and we haven't done that the last couple years."

The 'Bows are 9-3 overall and 1-1 in the WAC; the Spartans are 5-7 and 0-2.

Since joining the WAC in the 1996-97 season, San Jose State has never finished higher than fifth place. In the past five years, the Spartans are 25-55 in WAC games.

However, San Jose State is 5-5 against Hawai'i over the past five seasons, including 4-1 in The Event Center.

"When we play at home, we can get fired up with the crowd and everything," Wallace said. "But when you go (to San Jose), there's 700 to 1,000 people and it's like you're in a practice gym."

The Spartans' average home attendance this season is 1,027.

As UH senior co-captain Haim Shimonovich put it: "It's like it makes you go to sleep. Nobody is cheering and (the Spartans) like to run out the clock and make you even more sleepy. That's when they catch you."

Last season, San Jose State was the only WAC team to sweep two regular-season games from UH.

"There's been a little bit of luck, to be honest," San Jose State head coach Phil Johnson said.

In any case, this is not the same Spartan cast that caused problems for the 'Bows last season.

In last season's 79-67 San Jose State victory over UH in San Jose, four Spartans combined for 73 points and 33 rebounds: Brandon Hawkins, Antonio Lawrence, Keith West and Keith Everage.

All four have left the program, although Hawkins was the only senior last season. Lawrence and West dropped out of school after last season, and Everage quit the team last month.

"We're a team that's rebuilding from game to game," Johnson said. "We've changed our lineup so often, I can't even say we have starters. Every game will be a challenge for us, and Hawai'i is definitely a big challenge."

The 'Bows can boast a starting frontline of 6-foot-10 Shimonovich, 6-8 Martin and 6-9 Julian Sensley. In contrast, the Spartans do not have a player taller than 6-8 on its entire roster.

"It works both ways," Martin said. "We're bigger so that should allow us to do some things on them. But they're smaller and quicker, and they used that on us last year."

Tonight's game is the first of three consecutive road contests for Hawai'i. The 'Bows will play at Southern Methodist on Thursday, and then at Louisiana Tech next Saturday.

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