Posted on: Tuesday, February 1, 2005
UH hoops turns into basket case
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist
The stress of all those close games — and 11 of the 17 involving the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team have been decided by four points or fewer — is apparently taking quite a toll in Manoa.
Some fans are ripping on head coach Riley Wallace via the radio, the Internet and from the stands. And, the redhead, who should know better, is ripping back.
Can we all take a deep breath for a moment?
Or, does the Stan Sheriff Center need to lay in a stock of Prozac at the concession stands?
For all the finger pointing, you'd think the Rainbow Warriors were laboring at 5-12 today instead of the reverse. You'd imagine their season was getting last rites instead of just entering the second half of the Western Athletic Conference campaign.
Yes, for the lack of 11 points, UH could be 17-0 if everything had gone its way in the close ones. Of course, except for 14 points, including two Bobby Nash prayer shots that found answers, the 'Bows could just as easily be 6-11.
And, therein lies part of the problem: the 'Bows' maddening inconsistencies on a nightly basis have frustrated not only the fans but the coaches. This is a team that can stumble to a 22-point deficit one half and then roar back to win by seven. We saw that scenario against Coastal Carolina and have seen mini versions of it — sometimes in reverse — thereafter. We witnessed it again this past weekend.
This is what you can get when you have a team built around four new starters, none of them proven consistent outside shooters, and still have the considerable puka left by the 11th-hour defection of their linchpin, the point guard.
Meanwhile, any time the debate rages over whether the glass is half full or half empty, you know the head coach is gonna be the one accused of spilling it. It comes with the courtesy car.
In Wallace's case, some of the criticisms, such as what happened at Fresno and El Paso and why Julian Sensley is still playing 92 percent of the minutes, have some validity. Many others are just fan frustrations being vented.
Criticism isn't new for Wallace, even given his body of work as the 'Bows' winningest coach and resuscitator of a program that was once down and out. After 22 years at UH (18 as head coach), Wallace has seen — and heard — it all even if much of it has been misplaced.
As such, it should be rolling off his back. I mean, it isn't like he's going to be shown the door soon. Health willing, he'll be able to name his retirement.
Besides, the 'Bows have bigger things to be concerned about this week. With their longest road trip of the season coming up, that's where the focus needs to be. Win at San Jose State, Louisiana Tech and Southern Methodist and there will be plenty of applause to welcome the 'Bows, and their coach, home.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
