By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Ionatana Enosa of Brigham Young University
at Hawaii, left, and Jurgen Malbeck of Hawaii Pacific
University will be the centers of attention for their
respective basketball teams this season.
By Dave Reardon
Special to the Star-Bulletin
These are some big guys. And they may be headed to the big time.
"The three best NAIA big men in the country are here in Hawaii," says Hawaii Pacific University coach Tony Sellitto, who has two of them on his team. "They're all outstanding, and they will all be playing pro ball somewhere."
Somewhere might just be the NBA for Juergen Malbeck, Ionatana Enosa and/or J.J. Lucas.
"When Jerry West comes to Mid-Pac gym to look at you, that's serious," Sellitto says, recalling a visit the Laker G.M. made to see Malbeck.
And Malbeck and Enosa, consensus preseason All-America choices, both drew a lot of attention at last summer's Big Man's Camp.
Lucas, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound son of Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas, has the pedigree, size and shooting touch. Local fans will learn more about him next month, when he becomes eligible and lines up at power forward next to HPU center Malbeck (7-1, 260).
Sellitto says only one thing can hold back his two towers from advancing to the pro ranks - the willingness to exert effort.
"I don't think Juergen is a particularly hard worker," Sellitto says. "J.J.'s the same way. Work's not his specialty."
Lucas, a junior, has two years to stoke the fire. But the time is now for Malbeck, and he knows it.
"I think I'm lazy. I need someone pumping me up and kicking my ass," Malbeck says. "And Coach (Sellitto) is definitely the right guy for that. I get lazy here because I don't always have good big guys to play against."
That's never a problem when HPU plays against Brigham Young-Hawaii and Enosa - who is 6-10, 250 and getting better all the time.
"He definitely has the talent (to play in the NBA), especially when you consider how late he started playing," Seasider coach Ken Wagner says of Enosa. "He's an explosive jumper and is so quick. If he keeps improving at this rate I don't know how he wouldn't get a chance."
Malbeck and Enosa are friendly rivals who play for schools on opposite sides of Oahu - one in the middle of downtown Honolulu and the other as country as you can get in Laie. And they call places home that are halfway around the world from each other - Germany for Malbeck, American Samoa for Enosa.
Both of their teams went to the nationals last year, with BYU-Hawaii finishing No. 5 in the nation and HPU at No. 6. BYU-Hawaii is ranked No. 4 in the NAIA this preseason, while HPU is slotted at No. 7.
"As a team we are really motivated against them," Malbeck says. "Especially after they beat us last year for the conference. And for me, Enosa is always good to play against. It's always a good match-up. And he's a good guy."
Enosa also gets up to play against Malbeck.
"On the court, it's an intense battle," Enosa says. "But off the court we've become good friends."
Enosa used to have trouble channeling his aggression on the court. Early in his BYUH career he collected technical fouls on a regular basis.
"He's a real tough competitor," Wagner says. "He really had a temper before, and there were a few incidents. But he's learned to control it and did a fine job in that area last season."
Enosa only started playing basketball his senior year of high school. His team played only five games a season, and they were on outdoor courts. Enosa was 6-3 at the time.
He grew to his current height while working as a furniture mover and serving a two-year mission in New Zealand and Samoa. Enosa, 25, is married with two children.
Malbeck, 22, was previously a soccer player. He took up basketball at age 12, when he was 6-4. He attended junior college his freshman year in the Florida panhandle, but the winter weather was too cold for him.
Malbeck found his way here, lured by pictures of palm trees in the University of Hawaii basketball media guide. Francis Fletcher, an HPU coach who played in Germany, helped get him here.
"His greatest improvement is his strength," Sellitto says. "When he first got here, he could barely bench the bar. Now he can do 315 pounds."
Hilo coach Jim Forkum was asked to compare the players.
"Enosa presents a few more problems facing the basket because he's such a good shooter. I don't think you can let him get position in the post," Forkum said. "I don't think Malbeck's footwork is as strong, but he has real good timing as a shot blocker and he runs well for his size.
"Both present a real challenge and both are the top quality guys at our level," he added. "I'm always surprised that they don't totally beat us to death every time we play them."
Says Wagner: "Malbeck's basically good offensively inside, while Iona's a power player but also very quick. They're both awfully good in different ways."
Capsule looks at Hawaii's small college teams:
"We've got seven freshmen to go with them, so we'll be young, but they're a good fit chemistry-wise," says Wagner.
Carlos Alves (6-2), Bret Barton (6-0), Pa'ulasi Matavao (6-7), Brandyn Akana (5-11), Chris Bates (6-4) and Earl Smith (6-5) are the veterans of Enosa's supporting cast.
Freshman Paul Throckmorton (7-0) is the big man of the future.
No, he didn't forget his 1993 national champions.
"That team was the toughest. That's what we're going to find out about this team; how tough it is," Sellitto added.
Sellitto has no questions about the grittiness of guards Steve Richey (6-4) and Llewellyn Smalley (6-1). They combined to average close to 30 points last year and got Malbeck the ball where and when he needed it. Smalley is an incredible talent who is still learning the game, while Richey is a complete guard who earned All-American honors last year.
Point guard Marco Johnson (5-9) and Lucas lead a talented group of six newcomers.
The Vulcans lost newcomers Chad Glenn (7-0) to Marfan Syndrome and Lars Hasselbach (6-8) to a knee injury before the season even started. And if that wasn't enough, team captain Pete Torres (6-5) broke his leg and will be out 6-8 weeks.
Hilo still hopes to improve on last year's showing, with Merriel Jenkins (6-7) playing a big role. Forkum says Jenkins is a Division I talent who came out of junior college a year early.
Scott Tharp (6-10) plays well on the perimeter for a big man, and returnees Jayme Carvalho (5-10) and Andy Smith (6-6) will supply experience.
Big things are expected from point guard Rod Odrick (6-0).
"He's a real crowd-pleaser who gives you everything you need in a point guard," Forkum says.
The Silverswords are set only at point guard, power forward and center. Darnell Clavon (6-1) runs the show with "a nice package of skills," Walker says.
Returning starter Damian Cephus (6-8) will be looked upon to score down low. Matt Umbarger (6-10) is the center.
Four players will play a lot at the shooting guard and small forward spots. Mike Farrell (5-11) will start at two and backup Clavon. Down Bowling (6-1), Ramon Rivera (6-3) and Will Antonio (6-4) will all figure into the rotation.
Chaminade has the unenviable task of opening against UMass at the Maui Invitational on Monday.
"We're instilling in our players that if you use your brains you can overcome superior athletic ability," says Walker, who comes from Cornell, where he was 27-53 in three years.
Career collegiate statistics for Ionatana Enosa and Jurgen Malbeck: For the record
Ionatana Enosa
YR. G PTS AVG. RB BLK 93-94 31 211 6.8 150 20 94-95 27 343 12.7 244 49 95-96 31 485 15.6 243 50
Jurgen Malbeck
YR. G PTS AVG. RB BLK 94-95 34 252 7.4 162 58 95-96 33 635 19.2 279 75