Tuesday, February 16, 1999

HPU hosting
PacWest tourney

The Sea Warriors have
clinched the division title

By Jerry Campany
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Tony Sellitto's regular-season champions are staying home for the Pacific West basketball tournament -- sort of.

Hawaii Pacific clinched the top spot in the conference's Pacific Division when Alaska-Anchorage lost to Montana State-Billings Sunday.

The 11-1 Sea Warriors will take it any way they can get it. Had they not wrapped up the division, Hawaii Pacific would have had to travel to Alaska for the tournament -- something no Hawaii player or coach looks forward to.

"I feel really good about this team because they fight back so well," Sellitto said. "Ever since Anchorage established itself as the team to beat, our top priority was to stay at home for the tournament. We probably could have gone up there and won, but I'd rather not have to find out. It is awful cold up there."

Hawaii Pacific will host the tournament, starting Feb. 25, but only the first round will be played at the Blaisdell Center. The second round and championship game will be played at HPU's home-away-from-home, Mid-Pacific gym.

When the Sea Warriors were clinging to a one-game lead in the standings in the middle of January, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association rented the arena for Feb. 26 and 27 for its state championship wrestling tournament.

Hawaii Pacific could not lock up the dates because the honor of hosting the tournament was still up in the air.

The Sea Warriors are 4-0 in conference play at the Blaisdell Center and 2-0 at Mid-Pacific. Their only conference loss came on the road at Central Washington, 78-60, on Jan. 21.

Central Washington won the West division with a 16-1 conference record, but will not host the tournament because the privilege alternates between the divisions at the end of each season.

As for the other Hawaii teams, Brigham Young-Hawaii stands at 7-5 with two games remaining and can clinch a berth with one more win.

Chaminade sits at 6-6, tied with Alaska-Fairbanks for the final spot with two games left for each team. Hawaii Pacific can still play spoiler though, meeting Chaminade at McCabe gym on Thursday and wrapping up the season in Laie against BYUH Feb. 20.