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Sports Watch

By Bill Kwon

Tuesday, January 25, 2000

Exemption has come
back to hurt Rainbows

THE news that the NCAA might finally look into the exemption rule that also allows Division II schools to host early season basketball tournaments comes as good news to the University of Hawaii.

Holiday tournaments have run amok in Hawaii, much to the detriment of the state's only Division I basketball program.

Especially after the NCAA amended the exemption rule so that teams can come here only once every four years if they don't want to have their games count against their regular-season limit of 27 games.

The NCAA wanted more schools to have the opportunity to travel here, Puerto Rico or Alaska. It's a good and democratic idea. Unfortunately, the ticket-buying fans would rather see Duke or North Carolina instead of East Carolina or Ball State.

With so many ranked teams expressing an interest in travelling abroad for recruiting purposes, UH finds itself standing in line with eight other Division II schools (counting two each in Alaska and Puerto Rico) hosting tournaments.

It wasn't always that way. When the exemption rule was first adopted, UH was the only show in town.

With the urging of UH, the NCAA approved the exemption rule in the late 1950s, realizing it would assist the Rainbows in scheduling football games. It allowed teams playing here an additional game beyond the allotted number.

The rule later was applied to basketball, as well.

WITH the rise of small-college basketball locally, UH found itself competing with Chaminade, BYU-Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific and UH-Hilo for teams in preseason tournaments.

In years past, Duke or North Carolina could play in the Rainbow Classic one year and the Maui Invitational the next year. Not anymore.

That has compounded the scheduling problems for UH.

For years, UH had asked the NCAA for a favorable interpretation of the exemption rule because of its unique status.

Of the nine early season tournaments - counting two each in Puerto and Alaska - UH is the only Division I host.

"My first choice," said Rainbow coach Riley Wallace, "is for the NCAA to make a distinction between us and the Division II schools. If it doesn't affect us, let them continue to have their tournaments."

UH, in other words, should have an exemption to the exemption as the only Division I school. Here's hoping that the NCAA considers that as a possible option.

ACTUALLY, the most "maverick" of the tournaments is the popular Maui Invitational in Lahaina.

With ESPN basically calling the shots, including scheduling quality teams that have TV appeal, the Maui Invitational has replaced the Rainbow Classic as the higher-profiled tournament despite its more laid-back atmosphere and high-schoolish gymnasium.

At least BYUH, HPU and UH-Hilo try to fit in Division II schools in their tournaments.

Chaminade, or rather ESPN, only goes for the big boys in the Maui Invitational. And because of that, the Maui tournament has really gotten out of hand - especially Chaminade's hand.

The school's basically a figurehead host for the event, getting some money and at least one appearance on the national cable network for the use of its NCAA connection.

The best of all possible worlds for the Rainbows would be for the NCAA to have the once-in-four-years limitation apply separately for UH and the other Division II schools.