[ RAINBOW BASKETBALL ]
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE SWANN / DSWANN@STARBULLETIN.COM
UH's Michael Kuebler, Jason Carter, Julian Sensley, Haim Shimonovich and Phil Martin.
Rainbows ride out
roller-coaster seasonWallace's "overachieving team"
endured long road trips, ups and
downs en route to a 21-12 finish
THEY strapped themselves in amid the hoopla of Midnight Ohana. Five months later, the car rolled back into the station after a loss in Michigan.
In between, the Hawaii basketball team enjoyed a ride that carried the Rainbow Warriors through exhilarating highs and head-spinning twists.
After bumping along the tracks over the course of a roller-coaster season, the Rainbows ended their journey with a 21-12 record and their fourth straight postseason appearance.
"They never got down and out, they always bounced back," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "They were an overachieving team. People didn't expect a lot out of them and they accomplished a lot of things."
Hawaii's 33-game campaign fell two short of the longest season in the program's collegiate history, but perhaps no UH team went the extra mile as this year's Rainbows, who spent a month and a half on the road spread over six trips.
"We had a lot of fun as a group traveling together all those miles," Wallace said. "We never had any problems with them and we enjoyed being around each other. ... They had fun with it and they carried their attitude to the floor."
The Rainbows opened with a 16-4 start, winning their third consecutive Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic title along the way.
They entered the final week of the regular season in contention for a share of the Western Athletic Conference title, but a late slide led to a fifth-place finish in a congested WAC race.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Jeff Blackett, who averaged 7.9 points per game this season and shot 52 percent from the field, will return for the Rainbow Warriors next season.
The 'Bows were eliminated from the WAC tournament with a heartbreaking quarterfinal loss to Rice.
They were granted another ticket by the National Invitation Tournament and took advantage of the second chance by upsetting No. 25 Utah State. UH pulled out a thrilling win over Nebraska before a sellout crowd at home and ended the season with Wednesday's 88-73 NIT quarterfinal loss at Michigan.
"It was a fun experience and something we all need to be proud of," senior guard Michael Kuebler said. "We really accomplished a lot at the end of our season and had a good year."
With Carl English jumping to the professional ranks last year, Kuebler stepped forward as the team's primary scorer and led the Rainbows with 18.1 points per game.
The All-WAC pick set a school record with 97 3-point goals and was the first UH player to be named a first-team Academic All-American.
"I'd like to think I made the most of my experience here the last two years," Kuebler said. "I'll look at it with no regrets saying there wasn't a day I didn't put in 100 percent effort."
While Kuebler's outside shooting will be missed next season, so will the interior presence of two four-year fixtures in forward Phil Martin and center Haim Shimonovich.
Martin played in a school-record 127 games over his career and finished eighth on UH's all-time scoring list with 1,231 points and fourth in rebounds with 618.
Shimonovich blocked 143 shots in his four years, good for third in UH history.
"I'll remember the team and the whole family atmosphere," Martin said. "It's definitely been a standout year. It's been a standout four or five years in this program."
Senior Jason Carter and sophomore Logan Lee shared point-guard duties this season, setting the pace for a team that passed for a WAC-best 550 assists.
Center Paul Jesinskis rounded out the senior class as a tireless member of the scout team and gave the Rainbows rugged post play off the bench.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Point guard Logan Lee returns for Hawaii next season after recording a team-high 120 assists for the 'Bows this season.
Former Kalaheo standout Julian Sensley returned to the islands and established himself as one of the most versatile talents in the WAC.
The sophomore forward led the Rainbows in rebounds (241) and steals (43) and finished second in points (406), assists (113), 3-point goals (29) and blocked shots (31).
With his first Division I season behind him, Sensley is looking for even bigger things.
"I expected a little more out of myself, but it was a learning experience for me and now I know what I need to do and I can come back stronger next year," Sensley said.
Along with Sensley and Lee, the Rainbows return forward Jeff Blackett (7.9 points per game), who emerged as a valuable contributor off the bench.
UH reserves Jake Sottos, Bobby Nash, Vaidotas Peciukas and Milos Zivanovic enjoyed moments in the spotlight at various points this season.
While the Rainbows look to build upon their recent success, the biggest challenge next season may fall upon play-by-play announcers covering the team. UH has signed 6-foot-9 forward Matt Gipson and 6-foot-4 guard Matt Gibson has verbally committed to the Rainbows.
The team has one more scholarship left to offer and the coaches are looking for a big man to fill that spot before hopping back in for another spin on the ride next fall.
"I think we've got a good nucleus coming back and the recruits we'll get plug into what we need," Wallace said. "I think you'll see more Rainbow Warrior basketball like you've seen the last four years."
Wrapping it up: The Rainbows cap the season with the annual team banquet on April 15 at the Hawaii Prince Hotel. Tickets are $40 per person ($25 for children under 10) and $400 per table. No-host cocktails start at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 and an awards program to follow. For more information, call 225-2500 or 956-6501.
2003-04 University of Hawaii
Men's Basketball Statistics
3-pt Player G FG-FGA Pct. FG-FGA Pct. FT-FTA Pct. Reb A Blk Stl Pts PPG Michael Kuebler 33 210-465 .452 97-242 .401 81-111 .730 105 77 8 25 598 18.1 Julian Sensley 33 148-307 .482 29-95 .305 81-112 .723 241 113 31 43 406 12.3 Phil Martin 33 132-285 .463 1-3 .333 49-62 .790 150 31 10 22 314 9.5 Jeff Blackett 33 97-186 .522 1-18 .056 65-81 .802 108 29 10 14 260 7.9 Haim Shimonovich 31 94-188 .500 0-0 .000 30-50 .600 209 55 38 26 218 7.0 Jason Carter 32 55-133 .414 27-78 .346 15-25 .600 37 71 3 37 152 4.8 Logan Lee 33 47-116 .405 19-58 .328 26-37 .703 56 120 1 28 139 4.2 Vaidotas Peciukas 21 31-53 .585 5-11 .455 20-29 .690 21 18 0 7 87 4.1 Paul Jesinskis 27 23-51 .451 1-4 .250 18-26 .692 32 10 2 3 65 2.4 Jake Sottos 19 11-39 .282 7-30 .233 12-16 .750 14 14 0 2 41 2.2 Bobby Nash 23 17-35 .486 7-17 .412 1-2 .500 21 7 2 3 42 1.8 Milos Zivanovic 16 4-13 .308 0-0 .000 5-11 .455 23 4 0 0 13 0.8 Garland Gantt 4 1-2 .500 1-2 .500 0-0 .000 0 1 0 0 3 0.8 Total 33 870-1873 .464 195-558 .349 403-562 .717 1115 550 105 210 2338 70.8 Opponents 33 818-1879 .435 164-506 .324 413-637 .648 1124 380 82 221 2213 67.1
Final WAC standings
Conference All Games W L Pct. W L Pct. Nevada 13 5 .722 25 9 .735 UTEP 13 5 .722 24 8 .750 Boise St. 12 6 .667 23 10 .697 Rice 12 6 .667 22 11 .667 Hawaii 11 7 .611 21 12 .636 Fresno St. 10 8 .556 14 15 .483 Louisiana Tech 8 10 .444 15 15 .500 SMU 5 13 .278 12 18 .400 Tulsa 5 13 .278 9 20 .310 San Jose St. 1 17 .056 6 23 . 207
