Wallace wants more intensity, fewer turnovers

As Riley Wallace continues to blend the Hawaii basketball team's individual talents, the coach is looking for the Rainbow Warriors to add a key ingredient to the mix.

"If they don't pick up their intensity, none of it will look good," Wallace said after the team's intrasquad scrimmage yesterday at UH's Gym II. "They've got to develop a sense of urgency with everything: on defense, rebounding, running their cuts on offense, everything."

The urgency figures to kick up a notch in practice this week with an exhibition game against UH-Hilo coming up on Saturday and the opener at UNLV looming a week later.

"It's only a week, but it's enough time to get ready," sophomore guard Dominic Waters said.

The returnees have paced the team in the early scrimmages and are being counted on to inject the energy Wallace is looking for as the newcomers continue to find their way.

"It starts on defense, just getting everybody intense and talking," said Waters, perhaps the most vocal player on the court. "I try to get everybody to just say something while they're on defense, make some noise and maybe get the offense rattled. It's a matter of getting the five guys to speak up and get more aggressive in every area."

After a couple of weeks of practice, Wallace sees the Rainbows "about halfway to where we need to be to open a game," and placed an emphasis on reducing turnovers during last week's practices.

To that end, he had an assistant keep a tally of turnovers committed. At the end of the practices, each turnover equated to one trip from baseline to baseline shuffling the length of the court while keeping their fingertips touching the floor.

"It's not an easy thing to do," guard Matt Gibson said of the drill. "It puts a little pressure on us and makes us a little more cautious about our turnovers. But we still can't be afraid to throw the passes, we have to stay with the offense and try to get it in there.

"The timing has to be there and people have to be on the same page. We're staying together as a unit good enough that I think that'll come naturally. The more we get to know each other the better we'll play together."

Said Waters: "Just having that in your mind you're not going to take a chance on a pass, you're going to make the efficient pass and help the team out."

Gibson and Waters are locked in a tight competition at point guard and Wallace said there's still no clear-cut advantage between the two.

"What makes you better is good competition," Gibson said. "It's always good when people stay focused and keep fighting for positions."

As in the team's previous scrimmages, senior guard Matt Lojeski led the Rainbows yesterday with 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting and went 4-for-6 from 3-point range, to pace the Black team in its 77-72 win. Waters had 14 points and a team-high seven assists. Riley Luettgerodt also scored 14 points.

Forward Ahmet Gueye had 15 points and nine rebounds for the White, while Gibson and center Stephen Verwers had 14 each and forward Bobby Nash finished with 12.

Growing pains: As with most recruiting classes, this year's crop of newcomers arrived in Manoa accustomed to success at their previous schools. So dealing with the struggles inherent in making the jump to Division I can take some getting used to.

"When they're struggling to learn stuff they have a tendency to get down," Wallace said. "They've got to learn it's all about what you're doing out there and the intensity in playing while you're out there. And if you make a mistake, then fight hard and get it back and don't make the same mistake."

Foul trouble kept 7-foot Todd Follmer on the bench for most of the previous week's scrimmage, but the transfer from Irvine Valley College bounced back yesterday with 11 points.

"I'm trying to prove myself right now with all the other guys," Follmer said.

Flying high: Even after a tough practice, the mention of the St. Louis Cardinals' World Series victory on Friday brought a smile to Wallace.

Wallace, a die-hard Cardinals fan who grew up in nearby Jerseyville, Ill., has a photo of himself with St. Louis manager Tony La Russa taken on the field during batting practice when he visited Busch Stadium in July.