Thursday, December 13, 2001
It should be some kind of card game tomorrow night. Hawaii set to fire
first salvo with SavoThe senior returns to the lineup
tomorrow vs. San Diego State, which
is coming off an upset of Fresno StateBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comThe Hawaii men's basketball team is finally playing with a full deck with the return of senior guard Predrag Savovic, last year's leading scorer. He'll start tomorrow against San Diego State, which swaggers into town today fresh off Saturday's 93-78 upset of then-No. 21 Fresno State.
Are the Aztecs (5-3) the real deal? Or did the visiting Bulldogs simply fold without their senior ace, center Melvin Ely, who remains under investigation by the NCAA for possibly receiving an illegal benefit?
And what about the Rainbows? Have they been bluffing their way to a 6-1 record with a strength-of-schedule rating at No. 310 out of 327 Division I teams?
Both coaches have been shuffling their lineups from last season, working in talented newcomers. And both feel the stakes are fairly high for the 45th meeting between the two schools and the first since San Diego State left the Western Athletic Conference after the 1998-99 season.
"This is a good opponent for us right now and probably the best team we've faced so far," said Hawaii coach Riley Wallace. "They have a number of new players who are highly touted and they've gotten better each game.
"Before the season, the talk was they were supposed to be good, but sometimes you don't know how your new kids will work out."
Things are working out very well for third-year Aztec coach Steve Fisher. This year's recruiting class was ranked among the Top 40, and some national publications have written that San Diego State could be the best team on the West Coast this season.
Making the biggest impact so far is 6-foot-9 center Mike Mackell, the California junior college player of the year last season at Porterville. He had what Fisher called a "breakout'' game against Fresno State, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the final six minutes as SDSU outscored the Bulldogs 22-12.
Also making a good first impression is 6-5 junior forward Tony Bland, who transferred from Syracuse. Bland scored 24 points in each of SDSU's first three games and leads the team in scoring with a 20.1-point average.
The Aztecs also have two players back who missed several games in 6-2 junior guard Al Faux (suspended for four games) and 6-7 senior swingman Brandon Smith (out the first two games following knee surgery). They made their first starts of the season Saturday against Fresno State.
On Monday, Faux was named the Mountain West's Player of the Week for the second consecutive time. Faux had a team-high 25 points, hitting 10 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
Smith, the team's calming influence, transferred after playing at Michigan for three seasons. He had just eight points, six coming on free throws, but was a solid presence inside.
Saturday's win over Fresno State was the Aztecs' first against a ranked team since they knocked off then-No. 21 Hawaii 81-72 in 1998. UH was coming off its big win over No. 2 Kansas in the Rainbow Classic title game and, "I think that loss kept us out of the NCAA Tournament," said Wallace.
Fisher, who led Michigan to the 1989 NCAA championship, was very relieved to be coming to Hawaii on a winning note instead of a two-game losing streak. The Aztecs were outhustled last Wednesday by the University of San Diego and lost 72-67.
"I will say that (after the USD game) it was the most disappointed and angry I have been since I have been at San Diego State," said Fisher. "I let them know that. But they had to respond.
"I like our team, but I have not liked how we played until Saturday. I'm hopeful that our performance will help us against Hawaii."
The Rainbows and Aztecs have had one common opponent -- Norfolk State. Hawaii downed NSU 76-52 in its season opener Nov. 16; SDSU won its home opener 78-71 on Nov. 20 against the Spartans.
Wallace said he and Fisher agreed on a home-and-home series during a golf tournament. Hawaii will travel to SDSU next season.
Fisher said he had several reasons to schedule the Rainbows, including getting a home-and-home deal.
"Hawaii is a good team and will present a challenge," he said. "But a big reason is that this does not count as one of our 13 nonconference games. That factored in heavy into my thinking.
"I think we are like most teams, if we perform offensively, we are at least pretty good defensively. If we have a little bit of lapse on offense, it mushrooms defensively, especially on the road."
The Aztecs are 1-3 on the road, losing at Texas Tech, New Mexico State and San Diego.
The Rainbows haven't left the state but are 2-1 on the road. Their lone loss was to Colorado State, 61-59 in the semifinals of the Big Island Invitational Basketball Tournament in Hilo.
"This is going to be a real good test to see where we're at," said Wallace. "They'll want to create scoring situations where they can use their individual athleticism. And they have athletic players.
"Now that we have Savo back, the season is really just starting for us."
Notes: Hawaii expects to be at full strength with the return of senior guard Mike McIntyre, who missed Monday's game against Alcorn State with a bruised thigh muscle. ... Wallace will start Savovic in place of senior Mindaugas Burneika. "Mindaugas is fine with that," said the coach. "He says he doesn't care if he starts because the most important thing is winning. He knows he'll get his minutes." ... There is still no word on the eligibility status of freshman forward Tony Akpan. The NCAA is still looking into issues regarding the 6-8 Nigerian's entry into the U.S. for high school. ... Wallace has two signings scheduled this weekend for his new book, "The Rainbow Circle of Excellence: Lessons From A Championship Season." The signings are Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Waikele Borders and Sunday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Ward Centre Borders. The majority of the proceeds go to support the UH athletic program. Wallace is receiving no money from the sales.
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