Chaminade in good shape, and so is its point guard

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Of the many bright spots on the conference-leading Chaminade men's basketball team, few have sparkled more than Zack Whiting, who ranks among the nation's best point guards.

Whiting

Whiting worked into shape over the summer following an injury-shortened season in which he partially tore his right ACL and received a medical hardship.

"I've never really treated my body as well as I did over the summer," said the 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore, who shed 20 pounds by running, and eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet of chicken, carrots and wheat bread. "I never knew how good you could be by getting into shape."

The Silverswords — who host Western New Mexico tonight at 7:30 at McCabe Gym — have thrived this season with a blend of shooting (.464, 3rd in PacWest), defense (76.2 points allowed per game, 3rd) and rebounding (40.5, 2nd). In their past six games, Chaminade has gone 5-1 and has averaged 97 points per game.

Much of the success can be traced to Whiting, who has galvanized the Silverswords with his playmaking ability and grit.

"His best attribute is his competitiveness," Griess said. "He hates to lose. He has a fear of losing."

Whiting deflected credit to his teammates who have sacrificed playing time for victories. Ten players average 10 or more minutes, and no player averages more than 30 minutes.

"Our strength is our team chemistry," Whiting said. "Every player knows his role. When every player is doing his role, we can't be beat."

Chaminade has also received strong performances from guards Chris Reaves (14.3 ppg, .403 3-pt FG, 4.16 apg), Dylan McCune (9.0 ppg), Corey Campbell (8.2 ppg) and Chris Nelson (8.2 ppg), centers Dustin Mittelsteadt (.545 FG, 5.2 rpg, 7.0 ppg) and Nick Frey (.582 FG, 3.2 rpg, 7.0 ppg) and forwards Scott Metcalf (.500 FG, 4.8 rpg, 7.5 ppg) and Chris Powell (5.5 rpg, 4.2 ppg).

Coaches picked Chaminade to finish fourth in the six-team PacWest. Chaminade has three seniors, and the rest of its roster is composed of first-year Division II players.

"We've come focused and we're playing hard," Griess said. "Our guys understand how to play together a lot more than teams in the past. In the past there was a lot more one-on-one going on."

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.