Posted on: Friday, November 12, 2004
Rainbow basketball gets jump on next year
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
The start of this season may still be a few weeks away, but the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is already off to a good start for 2005-06.
The Rainbow Warriors received a letter of intent from one recruit, and a commitment from another yesterday.
Ahmet Tidiane Gueye, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward at Salt Lake Community College, said he sent a signed national letter of intent to UH yesterday.
Matt Lojeski, a 6-6, 200-pound shooting guard at Eastern Wyoming College, said he is committed to playing for the 'Bows in 2005-06, and will sign a national letter of intent with UH in the next few days.
"I really liked the coaches at Hawai'i, and I feel like I'll fit in well over there," Lojeski said.
Lojeski averaged a team-high 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season, and was a first-team all-region selection. He averaged 21.5 points per game in the national tournament, and was named to the all-tournament team.
"He's not one-dimensional," Eastern Wyoming head coach Andy Ward said. "He can shoot it well from behind the arc, he can put it on the floor and create, he has a good mid-range shot, and he can take it to the rim. He's just very clever at creating shots for himself."
Ward said Lojeski could be a legitimate junior college All-America candidate this season.
"We're looking for him to elevate his game," Ward said. "He had an exceptional year last year, and he was only a freshman."
Ward said Lojeski was also being recruited by Utah State, Brigham Young, DePaul and Colorado State. Lojeski said he spent the last two weeks contemplating between Hawai'i and Utah State.
"It was hard deciding between the two," he said. "But Hawai'i was the better choice for me. It's just a good feeling to get it over with."
Lojeski, who would be a junior at UH in 2005-06, is originally from Racine, Wis.
"When they find out I'm going to Hawai'i, there'll probably be a lot of jealous people back home," he said.
Gueye committed to Hawai'i last month. He will be a junior at UH during the 2005-06 season.
"It wasn't a hard decision because once I visited Hawai'i, I knew that's where I wanted to go," Gueye said. "It reminded me a lot of my home."
Gueye is originally from Senegal, a country in west Africa.
He averaged 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in just 14.4 minutes of playing time as a freshman last season. He led the team with a .581 field goal percentage (90 of 155) and 27 blocked shots.
Gueye had nine points and six rebounds in Salt Lake's opening game this season, but fractured a toe on his left foot. The injury will keep him on the sidelines for three weeks, but will not require surgery.
"I just have to let it heal," he said. "I still plan to finish this season strong."
Gueye said he was also being recruited by Utah, Utah State, Boise State, Wyoming and Brigham Young.
"It was important for me to sign early with a good school," he said. "Now I can just focus on my season and look forward to Hawai'i after this season."
Perhaps fittingly for a UH recruit, there is already some confusion over his name.
The Salt Lake roster lists him only as Ahmet Tidiane. Gueye is his family's last name, and he said he would like that name listed at UH (Tidiane is his middle name).
Although the UH basketball team practiced yesterday, the compliance office took the day off. Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace did not want to comment on Gueye until the compliance office cleared the letter.
Gueye and Lojeski are the only two players expected to sign with the 'Bows during the early signing period, which ends next Wednesday.
After Lojeski signs, Hawai'i will have three more new scholarships to offer for the 2005-06 season. Recruits who do not sign during the early period can sign during the late period, which runs from April 13, 2005, to May 18, 2005.
Vulcans hurting, but ready to start season
Ready or not, UH will take on Hawai'i-Hilo in an exhibition game Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace has said that his team is still a work in progress, but Hilo head coach Jeff Law may be in an even more dire situation.
The Vulcans' two top returning players from last season — 6-4 guard Justin Griffin and 6-7 forward Joe Travis — are not expected to play Sunday, and may not play the entire season.
"We'll play hard, I know that," said Law, a former assistant at UH under Wallace. "We're anxious to get on the court against somebody besides ourselves, but obviously we're going to have our hands full against Manoa."
Griffin wants to redshirt this season so he can catch up on academic classes and graduate by 2006. He averaged 12.6 points per game last season and was the team's best perimeter defender.
"It's hard to say no when a kid wants to do something for the right reasons," Law said. "He made a promise to his parents that he would graduate, so I'd like to help him get there."
Travis averaged 14.4 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds last season. He has a knee injury that may require season-ending surgery.
"That's the one I wasn't expecting, so there's no doubt it'll hurt us," Law said.
However, the Vulcans do have seven other returnees from last season's 16-9 team, including starting point guard Alex Cabagnot, who averaged 9.6 points and 4.6 assists per game.
What's more, 6-6 forward Osadonor "Skip" Esene is back after sitting out last season. He was a starter in 2002-03, averaging 14.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
"I want to try and get everybody in, but I also want to treat it like a real game and try to win it," Law said.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
