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Rainbow Notebook

Another one-game road trip

The Hawaii men's basketball team embarks this weekend upon its second of three single-game Western Athletic Conference road trips this season.

That's a situation UH coach Riley Wallace, whose team visits San Jose State on Saturday, wants to see changed next year.

"That's too many single games and you don't need to do that," said Wallace, who cited extra wear on his players as well as expense. "It's not good for us."

Wallace said the WAC already has some tentative schedules out for the 2000-2001 season and he plans to review them as soon as possible.

Hawaii opened the WAC season with a trip to UTEP (95-83 loss).

After this weekend's trip, the team will come home and then fly out again for a single game at Fresno State. It will be the conference regular-season finale for Hawaii.

The Rainbows had a nonconference trip to USC (85-56 loss) on Dec. 8.

Instead of returning to Honolulu after the Fresno State game, the team will stay in Fresno until the WAC tournament opens on March 9.

NIT picture

Hawaii (5-7 WAC, 16-9) is now in fifth place in the WAC and a win at San Jose State (4-7 WAC, 13-13) is critical to the Rainbows' chances for a National Invitation Tournament berth.

It looks right now like Tulsa (10-1 WAC, 25-2) and SMU (9-3 WAC 21-5) will receive NCAA tournament invitations and two, possibly three, WAC teams could be invited to the NIT. TCU (6-6 WAC, 15-13), UTEP (4-7 WAC, 13-11), and San Jose State are all in contention with Hawaii for the NIT.

Spartan statistics

San Jose State is now ninth in the NCAA in scoring defense (58.5 per game).

The Spartans have allowed 80 points or more only twice this season, and once was to Hawaii.

On Jan. 29, the Rainbows beat the Spartans, 84-75, in overtime at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Spartans held nationally ranked Tulsa to 64 points on Saturday, 18 below the Golden Hurricane's season average. San Jose State lost to Tulsa, 64-56.

Pumping-up project

Troy Ostler's lanky 6-9 build has made it difficult for him to play strong-side defense throughout the season. Yet the long-armed Utah product has offensive skills that have wowed opposing coaches, and he's a vacuum cleaner off the rim.

Wallace insists that Ostler spend a lot of time in the weight room during the off-season and Ostler renewed his vow last weekend to do just that.

"People will see a big difference when I come back," he said.

People around the WAC say a more powerful Ostler could become a dominant factor in the WAC during the 2000-2001 season.

In games in which Ostler has scored 15 points or more, Hawaii is 8-0.

Wallace said Ostler's defensive problems in the low post stem from his lack of confidence in his own physical strength right now.

How Rainbows rate

The Associated Press version of the Ratings Percentage Index dropped Hawaii to 100 from 96, and CollegeRPI.com dropped the Rainbows to 103 from 93. Hawaii improved to 110 from 112 in the Sagarin ratings.

Scoring leaders

The Rainbows are still led in scoring by Marquette Alexander, who has a 15.2- point average for the season and a 17.3 average in conference play. Predrag Savovic is averaging 12.3 points overall and 14.3 in the WAC, while Ostler is averaging 11.8 overall and 11.9 in the WAC. Alexander remains in the top 10 in four WAC statistical categories: scoring (fifth), rebounding (fourth), free throw percentage (seventh) and field goal percentage (seventh).

Ring bearer

There is only one member of the Rainbows' support staff who owns a National Basketball Association championship ring. That's basketball sports information director Darryl Arata, who received a diamond-studded ring from the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls title season. Arata was working full-time as a member of the Bulls media relations department at the time.

But don't expect to see him wearing the ring around the Manoa campus.

"It's very heavy," said Arata, who keeps the ring in a vault.

He brought it with him to one home game at the request of people who wanted to see it. But he didn't put it on his finger. "I just kept it in my pocket," he said.

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By Pat Bigold