Rainbows seek 3rd straight road win
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
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The Rainbow Warriors arrived in Ruston early yesterday morning, greeted by, well ... nothing. The 'Bows will play Louisiana Tech in a Western Athletic Conference game today at 3:05 p.m. (Hawai'i time).
Never mind that the 'Bows arrived around 2:30 a.m. It doesn't get much better at 2:30 p.m.
"It's kind of like in the middle of nowhere," UH co-captain Haim Shimonovich said. "It's weird."
So to bide some time yesterday, the 'Bows did the best thing you can do in Ruston. Leave town.
In keeping with a tradition on their current 11-day road trip, the 'Bows visited a shopping mall yesterday. Even if it meant taking a bus ride to Monroe — which is about 30 minutes away from Ruston — so be it.
"We've got something good going right now, so we have to build on it," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "The guys seem to respond better if they can get out of the hotel for a couple hours, so that's what we're doing."
Sure enough, the 'Bows appeared fresh during a two-hour practice last night at Thomas Assembly Center on the Louisiana Tech campus.
"We're ready," Wallace declared. "It's amazing how much winning can energize you on the road."
Hawai'i has won its first two games on this trip, beating San Jose State last Saturday, and then Southern Methodist on Thursday. The 'Bows have won nine of their last 10 games, and are 11-3 overall and 3-1 in the WAC.
However, two trends are against them. For one, no Hawai'i team has ever won three WAC road games on a single trip. Second, the 'Bows have never won in the Thomas Assembly Center.
Louisiana Tech, which is 8-7 and 2-3, also features one of the best freshman players in the country in Paul Millsap, a 6-foot-7 forward.
The 'Bows are in Ruston this week because they have to be. Why Millsap is there is his own decision.
"LSU, Oklahoma and Arizona were the other main ones," he said of the top schools that tried to recruit him. "But it's right up the road from me and I have an uncle here to help me out."
Millsap attended nearby Grambling High. His uncle, Johnny Simmons, is an assistant coach for Louisiana Tech.
"As we recruited him, we thought he had potential to be a really good player," Louisiana Tech head coach Keith Richard said. "We just didn't know when or if he would be ready to play at that level."
They found out the first day of practice.
"From day one, he's been the best rebounder on the floor, which shocked us," Richard said. "It started in practice, then it went to the first game, then the second, and on and on and on."
Now, just 15 games into his collegiate career, Millsap leads NCAA Division I with 12.3 rebounds per game. He also leads the Bulldogs with 14.2 points and 1.5 blocked shots per game, and a .638 field-goal percentage.
"I'm surprising myself a lot," he said.
He will not be a surprise to the 'Bows. During a scouting session yesterday, UH associate coach Bob Nash warned his players that Millsap was "big time."
Led by Millsap, the Bulldogs lead the WAC with 41.3 rebounds per game. Hawai'i ranks seventh in the conference with 35.6 rebounds per game.
"Rebounding will be a key," Wallace said. "They're obviously good at it, but we can't let them dominate. If we can grab our share, we'll be OK."
In any case, the 'Bows expect to be well rested for today's game.
"I have no problems with this city; it's like a little village," Shimonovich said. "It's nice and quiet. It's kind of relaxing."
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
