Sports Watch
TALK about the Life of Riley. Riley's life is good, but the road awaits
For University of Hawaii men's basketball coach Riley Wallace, right now life is good. Let's hope this won't be as good as it'll ever get.
A big win over nationally ranked New Mexico, last year's Western Athletic Conference champion. That following a victory over a talented Memphis team in the Rainbow Classic in which the Rainbows won two out of three.
All combining for a 9-2 record - the best start since the 1989-90 season when the Rainbows went 11-1 en route to a 25-win season. Nine victories already. Mind you, last year's Rainbows won only 10 games.
What's the biggest difference for Wallace enjoying the Life of Riley all of a sudden?
Easy. Wallace will be the first to tell you that the Rainbows are turned on by A.C. - Anthony Carter. The sentiment is echoed by Carter's teammates.
"He's a great player and he makes me a good player," says Alika Smith, the Rainbows' leading scorer (17.5 ppg) and the purest shooter on the team.
"He's unselfish," adds Wallace, pointing out that not only is Carter averaging 16.8 points a game, he's also the WAC's leader in assists and steals. "That's a good combination for a point guard."
Last year, the Rainbows had certified shooting stars in Anthony Harris and Tes Whitlock, when eligible. They took practically all of the outside shots, so much so that it hindered Smith, rendering him gun-shy. Only now is Alika breaking out of it.
"There are no stars on this year's team, only twinkles," Wallace says.
No question, Carter twinkles the brightest. He's the catalyst, the current (A.C., not D.C.) that makes the 'Bows go with the flow, makes them a team a basketball junkie would love.
SMITH is another shinier twinkle who is getting brighter with every game. And, like Carter, he's only a junior.
The two, along with backup Aaron Curry, give the Rainbows a solid backcourt. The NBA scouts watching the Rainbow Classic told Wallace he had the best guard combination in the tournament.
The biggest twinkle is 7-foot-1, 265-pound Seth Sundberg.
"Anybody who doesn't like Seth doesn't know his basketball," Wallace said. "He's the kind of guy you've got to have in the middle. He'll change your shot." And Sundberg can certainly clog the middle.
The other two starting twinkles?
Micah Kroeger has turned up the level of his game from last year, working hard to crack the starting lineup.
Eric Ambrozich has really improved on his turnaround jumpers and he's always in good position for an offensive rebound for put-backs. So much so that Wallace says, "I really trust him in there." Plus, adds Wallace, "He never opens his mouth."
The twinkle-in-waiting is Michael Robinson, a top-50 JUCO recruit who hadn't played like one - until the New Mexico game.
"He did an excellent job Saturday night," Wallace said. And the Rainbows are really going to need Robinson to play like that, especially on the road.
AH, the road. Now, that's a different ball game. And a different season, according to Wallace, who likes to break up his year thusly: preseason, Rainbow Classic season, the WAC season (home and away) and the iffy postseason.
"Now the real season begins because we leave the house," says Wallace. Playing at home has always been a necessary luxury for Hawaii. After all, everybody wants to come here during preseason.
"Everybody plays better at home. Now we've got to go on the road and prove that we're different than the other teams we've had," Wallace said.
The next season - the road one - opens Thursday at Air Force.