Saturday, January 9, 1999

By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Raylene Howard is averaging 21.4 points
a game for the Wahine.

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Howard has
made the right
moves for Wahine

She moved to a new position
when Kylie Page was injured
and has been a force for UH

By Al Chase
Star-Bulletin

When adversity struck the Hawaii women's basketball team two weeks before the first preseason tournament, the Wahine coaching staff did not have to search long for a solution.

Raylene Howard was the answer. Her versatility made the quick answer possible.

The 5-foot-11 wing player from Goulburn, Australia, moved inside to the 4 position to replace fellow Australian Kylie Page, who is out for the season with an injured right ankle.

"I thought I might go inside. I'm the next tallest and the most logical choice to go into the post," Howard said.

"When we told her, she said 'Whatever you want me to do, I'll try my best.' You can't ask for a greater attitude than that," Wahine head coach Vince Goo said.

Although she played just about every position in high school, Howard had to learn a new set of offensive patterns. It took her about two days.

Not only did Howard accept the challenge, she has met it successfully. The junior has seen her offensive production increase over last year, leading the Wahine in scoring 10 out of 12 games.

"She's shot 59 percent from the field in 12 games against the competition we've played. No, it's not a surprise," Goo said. "We knew she had an inside game. We saw her as a perimeter player when she came here, but we knew she could go from outside in."

"Her aptitude for basketball is incredible," UH associate coach George Wolfe said. "None of us taught her any of those moves. All we did was show her the plays."

Howard laughed when asked about her increased production.

"I'm closer to the basket now, and, let's be honest, I'm catching the ball in the paint or just outside of it," she said. "When you catch the ball that low, you've either got to score, get fouled or kick it out because we've got some great 3-point shooters."

Operating in and around the paint also means dealing with heavy traffic. As a perimeter player, Howard normally would be guarded by one person. In the paint, two or three opponents are ready to cover you in an instant. But, having to make a quicker decision -- go to the hole or kick it back out -- hasn't been a problem.

"It shouldn't matter where you play on the floor. You should be able to get the job done regardless of where you are," Howard said.

"I'm happy so far with what I've done. I just kind of step out there and do my best. Having a positive attitude really helps. As long as I've given 100 percent, I'm happy with my game."

Through 13 games, Howard is scoring at a 21.4 points per game clip, leads the team with 109 rebounds (8.4 per game) and free throws made (89).

Early in the season, she logged 40 minutes a game. That has changed slightly, yet she's on the bench an average of just three minutes per game. This despite the added wear and tear of playing inside.

"She's 5-11 and battling against 6-3, 6-4 and those are people capable of playing for top 25 teams," Goo said.

"You know, it's real easy to move from a 2 to a 3 because you're still a perimeter player, but when you go from perimeter to post or post to perimeter it's a big transition and takes a lot learning to do things.

"To have someone do that, that person has to have a great attitude toward teamwork and unselfishness and that's exactly what she has."

For Howard, who thrives with a solid, blue collar approach to the game, completely void of flair or theatrics, it's not a concern.

"A player can never complain about playing 40 minutes. If you play 40 minutes, then you must be doing something right," Howard said. "And, with so many timeouts, it's like you never get going. It seems like there's one every two minutes. Some games I wish they would do away with timeouts so we could break a sweat."

She's also a talker on the court, constantly encouraging her teammates, sometimes with just a light comment during a break in the action. This is just another facet of someone who cherishes playing the game of basketball.

"Yes, I make smart comments. Sure, you play hard, but let's have a good time as well," Howard said. "For me, you go out and make the most of the situation, win, play hard but we're here to enjoy the game because we love the game of basketball and that has to show on the court."

New Mexico Lobos

Coach: Don Flanagan (5th season, 68-35).

Season: 10-3 (1-0 WAC).

Top players: Jennifer Williams, 6-0 sophomore forward (13.9 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game); Sonya Bryant, 5-11 junior guard (12.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg); Katie Kern, 6-2 senior center (9.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg).

Interesting facts: The last time the teams met, UNM raced to a 42-19 halftime lead in a WAC tournament quarterfinal-round game and withstood a furious UH second-half rally for the upset en route to the conference title ... UNM is 2-3 on the road after Thursday's 66-53 league win at San Diego State ... UH (9-4 overall) leads the series, 3-2, but the Lobos won the only game here with Flanagan coaching ... Prior to Flanagan's arrival, UNM had won 14 games in the four previous seasons ... New Mexico finished 13th in the nation in attendance last season with 5,010 fans per game.

Keys to the game: UH has managed a rebounding edge in just five games this season. ... How the Lobos handle the soft full-court Wahine press could be a determining factor ... Williams has picked up where she left off last year to lead the Lobos in scoring. Flanagan says she has shot consistently, but the problem has been getting her the ball at the right time. Williams is making 61 percent of her field goal attempts ... Success starts with defense for both teams. UH is allowing 57.8 points per game, UMN 57.7. The Lobos play pressure man-to man D. Taking care of the ball will be a priority for UH.

Tipoff: 7 p.m.at the Stan Sheriff Center

On the air: Live on KCCN (1420-AM) and KFVE (Channel 5)

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http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu