Friday, February 6, 1998

Wallace takes
two weeks off

A week after having an angioplasty,
the Rainbows' head coach
takes a hiatus

By Cindy Luis
Star-Bulletin

Pushing hard is part of the job description, according to Riley Wallace.

The University of Hawaii men's basketball coach has always pushed his players hard to excel beyond their capabilities.

Yesterday, the job finally pushed back. A week after undergoing surgery to clear a blocked coronary artery, Wallace has decided to follow his doctor's recommendation and take a two-week break from coaching.

Associate head coach Bob Nash will assume responsibility of the team for next week's Western Athletic Conference games at Texas Christian on Thursday and Southern Methodist on Saturday. Nash is in Connecticut on a recruiting trip and is scheduled to meet up with the team in Texas on Tuesday.

Wallace returned to coach the Rainbows against San Jose State on Saturday, two days after his surgery at Kaiser Permanente's Moanalua Medical Center.

After having his medication readjusted, Wallace again was on the bench for Monday's loss to Fresno State.

Wallace complained of dizziness and disorientation during Wednesday night's loss to San Diego State.

The feeling from the medical staff and the UH athletic department is that Wallace pushed himself too hard, too soon.

"It's in his best interest and the team's best interest that he take the time off," assistant coach Jackson Wheeler said. "There's certainly more important things for him to be worried about than wins and losses.

"This puts things in perspective. Winning and losing is minor compared to how important his health is."

"The priority here is Riley's health," UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said. "We all feel maybe he tried to do too much too quickly after surgery. Hopefully, he can now get some rest and concentrate on getting well."

The Rainbows had a scheduled day off yesterday. Wallace went home early after discussing the situation with Yoshida. A family member said last night that the 57-year-old coach was not receiving visitors.

Wallace's wife, Joan, is scheduled to return from Louisiana on Sunday. She has been visiting her ailing mother since Friday.

Wallace is in his 11th season as Rainbow coach, with a career record of 169-149. This will be the first away game he has missed since being named head coach on June 22, 1987.

The coach had complained of vertigo last month and missed a practice. At the 1992 WAC Tournament, Wallace collapsed during a game against Utah. The diagnosis was a severe headache.

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1997-98 Rainbow Men's Basketball Schedule

http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu