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LOCATION: Honolulu, HI
CONFERENCE: Western Athletic (WAC)
LAST SEASON: 6-20 (.231)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 3-11 (7th, Pacific)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Rainbows
COLORS: Green & White
HOMECOURT: Special Events Arena (10,000)
COACH: Riley Wallace (Centenary '64)
record at school 182-172 (12 years)
career record 197-199 (14 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Bob Nash (Hawaii '89)
Jackson Wheeler (Marymount '82)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 16-11-21-21-6
RPI (last 5 years) 91-165-52-44-216
1998-99 FINISH: Did not qualify for postseason.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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The newcomers simply didn't work. Riley Wallace was entitled to one year where nothing went right. It happens. It happened to Wallace and the Rainbows. Two seasons ago, the Rainbows were the darlings of the national media with a backcourt of Anthony Carter and Alika Smith. They upset teams like Kansas and Indiana and were a legitimate NCAA Tournament team on January 1. However, a poor beginning to the WAC relegated the Rainbows to the NIT. Wallace thought he had a chance to at least get back to the NIT when he recruited Johnny White to replace Carter and had Mike Robinson and Erin Galloway returning up front. However, White wasn't ready for the increased role out of junior college and Robinson and Galloway failed to be leaders in the post. Marquette Alexander lived up to his billing by being a force in the middle, even though he was erratic and couldn't control his temper at times. But the non-conference schedule was too tough for this crew and the Rainbows were no match for such teams as California, Oklahoma State, Auburn, Texas and UNC Charlotte. They couldn't even beat teams such as Cal State Northridge, Georgia State, Eastern Illinois and St. Bonaventure at home. It got worse in the WAC with seven losses in their first eight games. So, what did Wallace do? He ordered a complete overhaul.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES B-
Rainbows coach Riley Wallace should be able to protect his homecourt better this year with more size inside. The schedule is lighter and the Rainbows have no excuse if they don't reach double-digit wins by mid-January. However, they may get stuck in the WAC trying to climb above .500. Hawaii will have trouble winning in Texas, Oklahoma and in Fresno. The Rainbows' have to find a way to win on the road to keep Rice, UTEP and San Jose State behind them in the standings. If the Rainbows can get up to 18 wins, they'll have a chance for the NIT. However, they've got to get better point-guard play, have a consistent scorer and defensive presence in the middle and a reliable shooter on the wing. If Savovic is as good as Wallace believes, Hawaii will be one of the better turnaround stories this season. |
"Last year won't be repeated," Wallace said. "We had good athletes last year, good kids, but we couldn't score. We're confident we'll be back to what we were a couple of years ago when we had back-to-back 20-win seasons. The schedule is lighter. That's the plan." Instead of the high-major teams coming through Hawaii, Wallace put together a weaker schedule but one that suits a nearly completely new team. The Rainbows play three straight tournaments at home with the toughest team being Bowling Green. They do take one road game, at Southern Cal, but the final two tournaments have wins in them, too. Will they be able to score? They should, especially with 6-5 sophomore Pedrag Savovic eligible. Savovic sat out after transferring from UAB. He was the Rainbows' top talent during practice and could be the newcomer with the most impact in the league. He didn't score much at UAB (2.4 points per game in 21 games) but that doesn't matter now. He's not all finesse or a perimeter player. He can actually go inside and get nasty. "He could be our go-to guy," Wallace said. "He's physical and can bang. He's not a typical foreigner. He can dish out the physical play, too." With Savovic as the scoring small forward, Alexander will probably be stationed next to him. The 6-9, 269-pound Alexander, a senior, started 18 games and averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds. He had 18 double-digit games and two double-doubles but he got testy a few times, getting tossed out of the Fresno State game and sitting the final two games for disciplinary reasons. "He'll have a good senior year," Wallace said. "He had a good summer and has a better attitude. He's a good offensive center with good hands. Hey, he's our best scorer returning. What happens in the middle is still anyone's guess." Alexander struggled being the sole center. So, Wallace went out and signed 7-foot junior Todd Fields of St. Catherine's (Ky.) Junior College, 6-9 junior Troy Ostler of Salt Lake (Utah) Community College and 6-6 junior Lane O'Connor of Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College. Wallace already had 6-8 junior Bernard McIntosh of Northland Pioneer (Ariz.) College sitting out the second semester after he had originally signed with New Mexico. Any one of the four could start next to Alexander and Savovic and all four will likely get plenty of time. McIntosh averaged 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in junior college, while O'Connor shot 57 percent from three-point range in his final year at Santa Rosa. Ostler was a true center in junior college and averaged 13.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. Fields averaged 19.0 points and 10.0 rebounds last year. "Todd has good basketball sense, but he's got to strengthen his legs," Wallace said. "If they get stronger, he shouldn't break down. O'Connor fits on our wish list of being a perimeter scorer and we'll have a spot for him. "Ostler could play the three or the four spot. He can score inside and has a legit middle game. McIntosh got to practice with us last year second semester and showed he could be a great rebounder." If Wallace could get a little of something from each rebounding from McIntosh, space-eating from Fields, shooting from O'Connor and some versatility from Ostler he'll be able to compete with TCU, Tulsa, SMU and Fresno State. But who's going to get them the ball? White, a 6-0 senior, started all 26 games and averaged 36.6 minutes and 8.7 points. However, he had 118 turnovers, just a few less than his 144 assists. White was supposed to get competition from San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College point guard Roy De La Cruz, but De La Cruz didn't make it academically and, at one point during the summer, didn't want to come to Hawaii. He still may try to get there by December. In case he doesn't, the Rainbows signed 6-3 freshman Carl English from Newfoundland, Canada, by way of St. Thomas Aquinas (Conn.) High School. "Johnny can be much better as a senior with people around him who can score and catch passes," Wallace said. "He'll be more relaxed. We've got more confidence in him. He'll shoot the ball better too (.300 on threes, .558 at the free-throw line a year ago). Carl can jump out of the gym. He can shoot the three and handle the ball." White will start and have next to him a complementary wing in 6-5 junior Nerijus Puida of Weatherford College in Texas. Originally from Lithuania, Puida averaged 18.6 points and 6.8 rebounds as a sophomore in leading the Coyotes to a 35-3 record and No. 3 national ranking. "He's very unselfish, can shoot it, pass it and is a winner," Wallace said. "If we need him to run the club, he can. I think he'll keep everybody happy." Wallace has two reserves on the wing but neither has much of a reputation in the WAC: 6-3 sophomore Mike McIntyre (4.2 ppg, 0.8 rpg) and 6-3 senior Geremy Robinson (4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg). "Mike can play the one or the two spot and is more self-confident," Wallace said. "He just needs to keep working on his middle game. Geremy stayed here this summer and shot the ball real well. He's got a better attitude and we can use his abilities."
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