Rainbows won’t get
a free ride to New YorkWell, I've been here BUT that's getting ahead of ourselves more than a little bit, isn't it?
And I've been there
Lord knows I've been everywhere
But I'm goin' to New York
I'm goin' to New York
Said I'm goin' to New York
I'm goin' if I have to walk-- Climax Blues Band
Seems there's this matter of beating Fresno State first. No easy task, considering the Bulldogs have dogged the Rainbows two straight times here on the islands.
Are the Rainbows ready to play in the Big Apple, which would be their destination for the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament?
If Monday night's game is any indication, I'd have to say they are. Gonzaga's physical play and accurate 3-point shooting early in the game brought out the best in the home team, especially point guard Anthony Carter and forwards Erin Galloway and Mike Robinson.
I've never seen Galloway so active on the boards. He's a great leaper and could always bring the house down with his thunderous dunks. But Monday night he was snatching rebounds with purpose, and that's more important in the long run. Slams look great on SportsCenter, and they sure get the crowd going, but rebounds will get you victories at a much faster pace.
Robinson did the dirty work inside, grabbing 13 boards. Hawaii will need another workmanlike effort from him tomorrow.
CARTER, meanwhile, looks like he's a free agent on a salary drive -- which he pretty much is, come to think of it.
His stock might have dropped some when the 'Bows slumped during January. An injured back didn't help him at the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, either.
But since the NIT commenced, there hasn't been a better player in these here parts.
He's taking all the big shots . . . and making them.
Monday night he called his own number on three straight possessions after the Bulldogs pulled alongside the 'Bows.
Granted, Riley Wallace calls the offensive sets, but Carter dictates the flow within the offenses, and he apparently has decided that this is his team and it is going to live and die with his output.
And the crowd loves it.
But on to Fresno. If there's a team that can play in front of big, boisterous crowds, it's this group. And if there's a crowd that seems to bring out the best in Fresno State, it's Hawaii's. Guard Chris Herren thrives on being ragged by 10,000 maniacs. This kid can flat-out play.
And make no mistake, no matter what you think of the way Fresno coach Jerry Tarkanian runs his operation, the guy can coach.
As Wallace put it after the 'Bows' victory over Gonzaga, "He's 67, but he hasn't forgot a damn thing. He's been in bigger games than this. He'll have that team prepared."
THAT Tark will have to prepare the Bulldogs without center Avondre Jones is just another in a long line of setbacks for Team Turmoil this season.
Jones was arrested yesterday and accused of pointing a gun at a fellow party-goer the night before. His accusers also said he and transfer player Kenny Brunner poked the alleged victim with samurai swords and that Jones stole $230 and a camera from the victim.
All this just hours after the Bulldogs had dispatched Memphis on a last-second shot.
Tark kicked Jones off the team and suspended Brunner indefinitely.
Whoa!
Some might say that Fresno will be reeling from this incident, but I say it looks like the Bulldogs are in postseason form.
I don't really like to make predictions, but A.C. and the guys are probably going to need money for cab fare next week.