Wednesday, November 28, 2001
[ UH BASKETBALL ]
There's been a lot of talk about what Mark Campbell doesn't do. UH’s Campbell lends
helping handBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comHe doesn't shoot the ball, he doesn't score points.
Last night Campbell showed what he can do, what he was brought to Hawaii to do -- play defense, handle full-court pressure, take care of the ball, break down a defense ... and, most importantly, dish.
"We've got scorers out here," Campbell said. "I don't need to score. I'm just here to keep the defense honest. My game is to make the other four guys on the floor better."
Campbell's steadiness was a big boost for UH as it withstood Northwestern State's platoons of full-court pressers and won 60-58.
The junior transfer's drive-and-dish to Haim Shimonovich for a layup with four seconds left provided the winning margin.
"Coming out coach (Riley Wallace) said run stall motion," Campbell said. "With eight seconds left we went to our 1-4 to clear out. I tried to drive and I penetrated and saw Haim coming to the basket."
It was Campbell's eighth assist of the game. He didn't commit a turnover.
"I saw my man going to help so I went to the basket," Shimonovich said. "I know he always looks for the open man."
Wallace doesn't care that Campbell scored only two points last night.
"I've been waiting for this guard my whole career," Wallace said. "A guard that doesn't throw some wild jumper at the end. He makes the defense think he's going to shoot and he gets it to an open guy.
"At the end of the half he penetrated at exactly the right time and got the ball to Mike McIntyre for a three. At the end of the game he hit Haim for a big layup. High percentage basketball. He makes good decisions."
Even the losing coach could appreciate what Campbell did. Northwestern State's Mike McConathy smiled when asked about the final basket.
"He did a good job to separate himself and get in good position (to make a pass)," McConathy said.
Even though the Rainbows built big leads with big runs, Northwestern State looked like the wrong team at the wrong time for Hawaii, and NSU fought back to make a game of it.
With the Rainbows bench shortened by eligibility problems and the Demons' devilish platoon system and full-court assault, this is the last thing Hawaii needed after three games in three days over the weekend.
Or so it seemed.
Campbell said the Rainbows, who made only 13 turnovers compared to 16 assists, did not tire.
"Not this one," Campbell said. "The road, yeah. But here at home we felt a lot of energy."
Campbell also had enough juice to hold the Demons' best player, Michael Byars-Dawson to 17 points on 5 of 15 shooting.
"I don't think we played tired at all. Mark Campbell guarded their best guy and made him work for everything he got," Wallace said.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
