Tuesday, November 27, 2001
Wallace welcomes He was the one that got away. Until now.
old rival
The UH coach lost McConathy in
a recruiting battle 30 years agoBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comNearly 30 years ago, then-Centenary assistant coach Riley Wallace tried to recruit a feisty shooting guard by the name of Mike McConathy to play for the Gents. McConathy instead chose rival Louisiana Tech, where he scored 2,007 points in three seasons for the Bulldogs.
McConathy and Wallace renewed their acquaintance at last March's NCAA Midwest Regional in Dayton, Ohio. The Rainbows faced Syracuse, while McConathy's Northwestern State team took on Illinois.
Their teams shared the same fate: a first-round loss.
Tonight, the two coaches will share the same court as Hawaii (4-1) and Northwestern State (2-3) square off at the Stan Sheriff Center at 7.
The Rainbows' trip to the Big Island Invitational Basketball Tournament was a short one compared to the trek the Demons made the past three weeks. Northwestern State has been to Texas Christian, to Memphis and to Las Vegas for five games in the six days prior to Thanksgiving.
The Demons arrived Friday and have spent the past few days playing tourist. They've been to Hanauma Bay, Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head.
Tonight, it's a business trip.
"This will be as good of a test as we've had to date," said NSU assistant coach Mark Slessinger. "Hawaii executes as good as any team we'll play, and they are as well-coached as any team out there.
"Size-wise, they're equivalent to a Memphis or an Oklahoma State."
Wallace returned the praise for the Demons, who won their last two games in the Las Vegas Tournament to finish fifth.
"They're a well-coached team and very athletic," Wallace said. Their playing style creates problems for teams. "They'll play a lot of man and that's one of the things we worked on in today's practice."
Hawaii returned from its third-place finish in the BIIT Sunday evening. Yesterday's practice was light because "after playing three straight days, they need to get their legs back," Wallace said.
The veteran Demons, with seven seniors, will have the Rainbows on the run. NSU uses a platoon system and will run two teams at Hawaii, led by senior guard Michael Byars-Dawson, who is averaging 18.6 points. The Demons have five other players averaging between 8.5 and 9.8 points.
Hawaii counters with a balanced attack as well. Carl English, named to the all-tournament team Sunday, has led the Rainbows in scoring four out of five games and is averaging 17.6.
McConathy said he's learned quite a bit about his team during the two-week road trip and has been happy with the progress.
"Now that we've had a few days to practice and polish some rough edges, we should be a better club," the Demons coach said.
Wallace is feeling the same way.
The Rainbows have made progress as well, but the loss to Colorado State exposed some deficiencies. Hawaii was frustrated when forced into a half-court game and had difficulty getting its transition game going.
Hawaii was also lulled into complacency after leading by as many as 16 against Colorado State on Saturday.
"I think they learned no lead is sacred," said Wallace, "and that they've got to keep working, no matter what the score is."
When: 7 p.m. today Gameday
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Live, KFVE-TV (Channel 5)
Radio:Live, 1420-AM
Internet: uhathletics. hawaii.edu/sportslive/ listen.html
Tickets:
Adult $9 Seniors $6 Students 4-18 $5 UH students $5 Parking $3
Starting Lineups
Notes: This is the first meeting between the two schools. ... Hawaii has still not heard from the NCAA regarding the eligibility status of three of their foreign players -- senior guard Predrag Savovic, junior transfer Luc-Arthur Vebobe, and freshman Tony Akpan. ... Northwestern State has yet to play a home game. ... The Demons have been on the road for the past 12 days, playing at TCU and Memphis and then in the three-day Las Vegas Tournament. NSU went 2-1 in Las Vegas, losing to Texas-El Paso before defeating Arkansas-Monticello and Sienna.Hawaii (4-1)
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Mark Campbell (Jr.) 6-4 3.8 3.4 6.0 G Carl English (So.) 6-5 17.6 5.4 3.0 F Mindaugas Burneika (Sr.) 6-7 13.0 2.8 3.9 F Phil Martin (So.) 6-4 10.8 4.2 0.9 C Haim Shimonovich (So.) 6-10 9.4 6.6 2.1
Northwestern State (2-3)
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Ryan Duplessis (Sr.) 6-2 8.5 4.0 4.0 G Michael Byars-Dawson (Sr.) 5-11 18.6 2.6 2.0 F Melvin Roberts (Sr.) 6-6 9.2 4.0 0.2 F Jerrold McRae (Sr.) 6-5 9.8 4.2 0.3 C D'or Fischer (So.) 6-11 9.4 8.4 0.3
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
