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The Way I See It
WELL, this is my swan song. And it's kind of nice to be able to say I was right about something. New era for
’Bows began last yearI covered the University of Hawaii men's basketball team in last year's Western Athletic Conference tournament and saw the 'Bows come within a whisper of the tournament final against Tulsa.
I saw them push Fresno State to the ropes through two overtimes at Selland Arena before losing on a knockout punch at the bell -- a 3-pointer by guard Demetrius Porter.
They did it with leading scorer and starting center Marquette Alexander on the bench, and they did it in front of the home crowd from hell.
In my April 11, 2000 column, I wrote: "What happened in Hawaii's double-overtime WAC semifinals loss that night in Selland Arena launched a new era in Rainbow basketball."
The 'Bows disguised it well during the recent regular season, but indeed it was a new era.
Something gets into this team in postseason and there's no telling how far Hawaii will go in the NCAA tournament.
Maybe it's because Riley Wallace loosens the reins at this time of year and just lets his guys play.
Maybe it's because of the personalities who make up this team, young men like Predrag Savovic, Nerijus Puida, Troy Ostler, Mike McIntyre, Carl English, Phil Martin and newcomer Mindaugus Burneika.
I saw it last year and Wallace expressed it this year: These guys are basically selfless individuals.
They want to win in the worst way and they've always known they were going to do it together or not at all.
I recall seeing Savovic anguish over the losses of the 1998-99 team in his redshirt season, and how he wept without shame in the locker room after the marathon loss in Fresno.
Halfway through last season, when it looked like Hawaii's NCAA hopes were slim, I mentioned to him that there was always the NIT.
Savovic immediately snapped: "We don't want to play in the Nobody's Interested Tournament -- we want the Big Dance."
Well, Savo will finally get to dance, and I'm happy for him.
NOW let me tell you why I think Hawaii poses more of a problem for Syracuse than the 1993-94 team did.
One reason, obviously, is momentum. A team that doesn't know its limits can be very dangerous.
Another is the fact that the 2000-2001 'Bows are so balanced that it's almost impossible to prepare a foolproof game plan against them.
What do you do about a team that wins a conference title with one key starter's crippled and another's playing below par?
What do you do about a team that can beat you with a freshman from a tiny fishing village in frigid Newfoundland?
These guys are like the proverbial bumpy carpet. You smooth out one bump and another appears. It can go on and on. Maybe -- and I know I'm stretching it -- all the way to Minneapolis.
This will be the last column I write for the Star-Bulletin. Over the years, I've criticized, satirized and sentimentalized here.
My aloha to those who've responded with support and opposition.
I appreciate you all and that's why I've always replied to your comments.
The purpose of a column is to stir discussion, and I've often picked topics I thought needed stirring.
The best I can ever do is call it the way I see it.
Pat Bigold has covered sports for daily newspapers
in Hawaii and Massachusetts since 1978.
Email Pat: pbigold@starbulletin.com
