Star-Bulletin Sports


Friday, November 19, 1999


R A I N B O W _ B A S K E T B A L L




Big Mac attack
revs up ’Bows

His thunderous dunks
energize his teammates and
UH basketball fans

BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Tapa

TRY to trap a cat in a corner, and watch all the moves it'll use to get by you.

Then watch Rainbows junior forward Bernard McIntosh being defended under the glass, and you'll see something very similar.

He disappears behind a screen of arms and legs on the baseline and suddenly emerges with the ball, his body twisted like a pretzel as he extends for the basket.

"He uses his shoulders, his head, his knees, his behind," said team captain Marquette Alexander, describing McIntosh's ability to wriggle free and score or get fouled almost every time he maneuvers underneath.

McIntosh and Alexander are becoming a tough combination in the low post on a team fresh off two exhibition wins.

But whereas Alexander can apply power to score, McIntosh relies almost entirely on quickness.

As a 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward, McIntosh is Hawaii's "little big man" who can run the fast break and use that quickness on the other end, sometimes with explosive results.

"He's a good finisher on the break," said Alexander, Hawaii's 6-foot-8 center. "He'll jump and dunk it when a person thinks he's gonna lay it up. He brings a lot of excitement to our team."


By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Rainbow forward Bernard McIntosh slams one home
against the California Midwest All-Stars.



McIntosh's two power stuffs in Hawaii's 92-84 victory over the California Midwest All-Stars on Sunday ignited the Stan Sheriff Center crowd.

The significance of a thunder dunk is not lost on him.

"I think it''s real important," said McIntosh, a 23-year-old native of Lexington, N.C. "It brings the crowd into it and the bench into it."

McIntosh isn't the only Rainbow who can power stuff this season, but the way he's done it off the run has been electrifying.

It can also serve as a psychological stake pounded through the heart of an opponent trying to rally late in a game.

"He runs the floor very well," said Hawaii head coach Riley Wallace. "We want him out on the break, filling the lane."

Wallace said McIntosh augments an already fast front court.

"The big guys we have can outrun most big people," he said, referring to the fact that 6-8 Alexander and 6-9 Troy Ostler can also sprint.

Todd Fields, the team's only 7-footer, has been gradually getting stronger in court-length sprints the past two weeks and could add to that speed.


No Niandu for UH

The Hawaii men's basketball team has given up on the Canadian player it hoped to sign last week.

Lunzaya Niandu, a 6-foot-7 prep forward from Montreal, had told head coach Riley Wallace that he would fax a letter of intent on Nov. 10, the first day of the early signing period.

But Wallace said he has withdrawn his scholarship offer since Niandu has expressed strong interest in Northeastern University in Boston.

"It was mutual," said Wallace, who waited seven days for Niandu to make good on his verbal commitment. Wednesday was the final day of the signing period.


By Pat Bigold, Star-Bulletin


McIntosh joined the Rainbows from Northland Pioneer College during the early signing period last year but redshirted. Soon after Wallace signed him, he knew he had a hard worker.

"When Bernard went on the road with us last year to BYU, he really performed well in altitude in practice, rebounding and outworking everybody else," said Wallace.

But he told McIntosh he needed another dimension. He wanted him to work on his 15-foot jump shot in the off-season.

"Which he's doing now," said Wallace. "Now he's drawing the defense out and that makes it easier for Marquette to pass to him down low. He can go good one-on-one on low post."

As a sophomore, McIntosh led Northland to a 27-4 record and the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference title while averaging 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds.

DESPITE his ability to score (he had 21 points in a scrimmage), he said rebounding has become his real focus. And that also pleases Wallace, who has been getting a lot more caroms from his big men this season.

McIntosh led Hawaii with nine rebounds against the California Midwest All-Stars Sunday and was second to Troy Ostler's 15 against the Northwest All-Stars two weeks ago.

"It's my job to go out and rebound," said McIntosh, who has scored 17 points in two exhibition games but has been averaging 8.5 off the glass.

"He has a knack and desire for finding the ball," said Wallace.

"I told myself at the beginning of last semester when they said I was a good rebounder that I was gonna be like Dennis Rodman," said McIntosh, whose slipperiness under the basket is also somewhat worthy of the nickname, "Worm."

"I said to myself I wasn't going to care about scoring and I was just gonna rebound."

Wallace said McIntosh has been one of his more coachable players.

"He picks things up quickly," he said.

"When we go to the zone, he see things happening. He can talk and do things on his own. He doesn't get lost a lot. He knows how to play."

Tonight's game against Tennessee-Martin in the opener of the Pepsi One/Nextel Challenge takes on extra importance for McIntosh because his girlfriend, Elisa Tsosie of New Mexico, and small daughter, NI'Asia Dion, will be in the Stan Sheriff Center seats.


RAINBOW BASKETBALL PLAYBOOK

Tapa

Hawaii vs. Tennessee Martin

Bullet Tonight: Tennessee-Martin (2-0 exhibition) at Hawaii (2-0 exhibition), 8 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

Bullet Coaches: Tennessee-Martin: Bret Campbell (1st year). Hawaii: Riley Wallace (13th year, 182-172).

Bullet Top players: Tennessee-Martin: Andrae Betts (5-9, So. G) 12.0 ppg, 6 apg, 2.5 steals.; Dexter Webb (6-7 Jr. C.) 15.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg; Byron Benton (6-6 Jr. F) 18.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg; Hayden Prescott (6-5 Jr. F). Hawaii: Marquette Alexander (6-8 Sr. C.) 17.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg; Predrag Savovic (6-6 So. G) 12.0 ppg, 6 apg; Troy Ostler (6-9 Jr. F) 15.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 2.5 blk.; Johnny White (6-1 Sr. Pt. G) 11.5 ppg, 6 apg; Bernard McIntosh (6-7 Jr. F) 8.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg.

Bullet About the Rainbows: Hawaii, which was 6-20 overall and averaged 63.8 points per game last season, scored 181 points this month in exhibition games against the Northwest All-Stars and California Midwest All-Stars. Of the 15 players listed on Wallace's roster, 12 are new faces. Hawaii is 8-4 in season openers under Wallace (7-2 at home).

Bullet About the Skyhawks: This is the first trip to Hawaii for Tennessee-Martin (Ohio Valley Conference). The Skyhawks have a new head coach in Bret Campbell, who was a coach at Austin Peay last season. Andrae Betts and Steve Jordan are the only returnees from a team that went 8-18. The Skyhawks averaged 93.5 ppg in exhibition wins against Reebok and Sports Reach.

Bullet On the air: KFVE TV (Channel 5) and KCCN (1420 AM).

Bullet RealAudio: Click here

Bullet Tickets: $14 upper level, $10 lower level, $7 students.

Tapa

Tapa

Jackson State vs. Bowling Green

Bullet Tonight: Bowling Green (1998-99: 18-10, 12-6 MAC) vs. Jackson State (1998-99: 16-12, 11-5 SWAC), 10 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.

Bullet Coaches: Bowling Green: Dan Dakich, 3rd year (28-26 career with Falcons). Jackson State: Andy Stoglin, 11th year (187-163 career, 154-140 JSU).

Bullet Top players (1998-99 statistics): Bowling Green: Anthony Stacey (6-4 Sr. F) 18.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg; Dave Esterkamp (6-7 Sr. F) 8 ppg, 4.6 rpg); Keith McLeod (6-2 So. G) 12.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg. Jackson State: Vincent Jones (6-11 Jr. C.) 12.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg. Deon Burns (6-6 Sr. F) 8 ppg, 7 rpg; Timmy Marks (6-2 Sr. G) 9.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg; Marino Walker (6-3 Sr. G) 7.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg.

Bullet About Bowling Green: Anthony Stacey, who resembles Charles Barkley, will be a strong candidate for MAC player of the year. Besides leading the Falcons in scoring and rebounding, he also led in steals (61), 3-point field goals (30) and minutes (917).Bowling Green made it to semifinals of the MAC tournament, losing in OT to Miami (Ohio).

Bullet About Jackson State: Five of the Tigers' six leading scorers are back. There are three returning starters and 11 lettermen on the roster. Won last eight games of the regular season before losing to Southern, 67-66, in a semifinal of the SWAC Tournament. Vincent Jones, a second-team All-SWAC selection, blocked 84 shots last season.

Bullet On the air: No TV or radio.

Bullet Tickets: $14 upper level, $10 lower level, $7 students.



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