Rainbow Warriors hold light practice after luggage delayed
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
HOUSTON — In the middle of a business trip, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team decided to hold a "casual Saturday" yesterday.
The Rainbow Warriors traveled here from Tulsa, Okla., yesterday. Hawai'i will play a Western Athletic Conference game at Rice today at 10 a.m. (Hawai'i time).
Peciukas
The 'Bows made it safely, but most of their bags did not. As a result, they held a light one-hour practice yesterday, and only one player — senior Vaidotas Peciukas — had his practice gear on.
"Some of the guys didn't have shoes and stuff, so there was no way we could run a full (practice)," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "We just wanted to get in the gym and shoot a little bit."
Some players wore sweat pants and a T-shirt; others went shirtless. Junior forward "Big Matt" Gipson showed up in classic Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers.
Wallace decided to make the most of the situation by turning the last half of the practice into a shooting contest.
Senior forward Jeff Blackett won a free-throw shooting contest that featured more trash-talking than made shots.
But Peciukas stole the spotlight at the very end of the session when he drained a shot from midcourt — while sitting on the ground.
"The guys had fun with it," Wallace said. "We're a tired team after all the travel we've been doing this year, so they needed something like this to keep their spirits up."
It will have to be all business today against a Rice team that is 15-10 overall and in third place in the WAC at 9-6. Hawai'i is 14-10 overall and in seventh place at 6-9.
The Owls were in a serious mood yesterday, and head coach Willis Wilson closed his team's practice and politely declined interview requests.
A month ago, Hawai'i beat Rice, 75-72 in overtime, on an improbable four-point play by Bobby Nash.
"I'm sure they're fired up," Wallace said. "We just have to match that intensity."
Last season, the 'Bows beat Rice on their "Senior Night" at the Stan Sheriff Center. Today, the Owls will try to return the favor as four seniors will be honored before the game.
Most prominent among the Rice seniors is 6-foot-6 forward Michael Harris. He is averaging 20.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, and is a virtual lock for first-team All-WAC honors.
"He's always caused us problems," Wallace said. "You can't really shut him down, so you just try to make him work and then make sure the other guys around him don't beat you."
Hawai'i is on a three-game losing streak, including an 83-76 loss at Tulsa on Friday. But the 'Bows remain surprisingly upbeat, especially after yesterday's workout.
"We're fine," Blackett said. "Trust me, no team in the WAC wants to play us down the stretch and in the (WAC) Tournament. They all know how close we are to turning it around."
The seven-point loss to Tulsa was Hawai'i's largest margin of defeat this season. The 10 losses are by an average of 3.5 points per game.
"We know we're right there," senior guard Jake Sottos said. "It's not like we're playing bad and losing. We're playing hard, and if we keep doing that, we'll get it back."
Wallace said he was leaning toward reinserting junior forward Julian Sensley into the starting lineup today. Sensley, the team's leader in scoring, rebounding and assists, played a reserve role the past two games.
Seven-foot center Chris Botez has been starting in Sensley's place. The 'Bows are scheduled to conduct a one-hour practice this morning, and Wallace said he will form his starting lineup then.
And it will not be another light workout. The team's luggage was delivered to the hotel late last night.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
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