Thursday, December 27, 2001
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His first name means "Life" in Hebrew.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore
center is a pivotal part of
the Rainbows' successBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comThat's exactly what Haim Shimonovich has given Hawaii basketball since becoming eligible last Feb. 15. With the sophomore 6-foot-10 center in the lineup, the Rainbows have gone 16-4 dating back to last year's win over SMU, including last Saturday's victory over Georgia where he was named MVP of the Rainbow Classic.
Shimonovich celebrated by handing the trophy to his mother Malka and sister Keren, who are visiting from Israel for the holidays.
"It was motivation for me, but I also was nervous before the tournament because they were here to see me play," said Shimonovich as the team prepared for tonight's conference opener against Fresno State. "They were very happy for me, but I was very surprised. It should have gone to Phil (sophomore forward Phil Martin)."
Martin had 13 points and 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the tournament. But Shimonovich came up just as big, with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. He also helped hold Georgia's 6-8 center, Steve Thomas, to a free throw on an 0-for-7 shooting night from the field.
"That big kid created a lot of problems for us," Georgia coach Jim Harrick said after the game. "And it seemed like he grabbed every key rebound."
In Shimonovich's mind, he's still a work in progress. This time last year, he was on the bench, riding out a 22-game suspension for participating in a league that had professionals in it.
He thought about quitting, but his dream was to go to college in America and play basketball, so he stuck it out.
"There is no comparison between this year and last year," said Shimonovich. "It's so much better.
"Last year, I was suffering. I came in and wasn't into basketball. I was not in tune with what was happening on the court. This year, I'm blending in with my teammates."
The quiet, humble Shimonovich is often overshadowed by flashier Rainbow teammates Predrag Savovic and Carl English. But the player nicknamed "Big Daddy" by his teammates has put up loud numbers recently. In three Classic games, Shimonovich had 29 points, 26 rebounds and 9 blocked shots.
"He was my MVP," Savovic said of his former roommate. "I would have picked him. He's rebounding great, is a good passer and plays great defense.
"He does things that people don't see. He's solid in there and makes a difference."
Prior to Shimonovich becoming eligible last season, the Rainbows were a sub-.500 team. Hawaii was 10-12 overall and 4-7 in the Western Athletic Conference. With him, the Rainbows won four straight before losing at UTEP, then ran the table at the WAC tournament, earning an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 1994.
Hawaii has opened the season 9-2, but could be 11-0, had it not been for two second-half meltdowns against Colorado State and San Diego State. The losses help keep the Rainbows motivated coming out of the locker room after halftime.
Intensity is the one knock on Shimonovich.
"He's not a mauler, he's a heady player," said associate head coach Bob Nash. "He knows how to play the game, but what he needs to add is intensity. Rather than doing things by rote, he needs to become more dominant. When he does that, he's very good. He's a big, ol' teddy bear who is getting better and better.
"If this were last year and he was sitting out now, we'd be in deep kim chee, be hurting big time. He was instrumental in us winning the WAC. We knew we'd have a bona fide threat in the post once he improved his stamina and footspeed.
"He's a big find for us."
It came by word-of-mouth. Assistant Scott Rigot heard about Shimonovich from a friend and flew to Israel. He liked what he saw. Sight-unseen, Shimonovich took the chance to come halfway around the world to play for the Rainbows.
It was almost as risky as one of his favorite hobbies: cliff diving.
"If you had asked me four years ago what I'd be doing right now, I never thought I'd be in Hawaii," he said. "But it seemed like a very good place.
"The hardest part is being so far from home, being on my own. The food is good here, but I miss the food back home, like humus and falafels."
Shimonovich went home for the summer, lifting weights and working on his shooting. He came back stronger, and was the most improved in the bench press during the preseason strength testing, improving by nearly 50 pounds since the 2000 test.
"I need to be more versatile," said the 245-pound Shimonovich. "I think I can improve my offensive game.
"This year's team has great people. We hang out after practice. You can see it on the court, how we play together."
Yesterday's practice was not one of Shimonovich's better ones. He was slowed by a sore back that had kept him out of Tuesday's practice; he tweaked a back muscle in Friday's win over Iona and was suffering with back spasms Tuesday.
Wallace was on the sophomore to up his intensity.
Shimonovich, who spent three years in the Israeli army, said he's used to it.
"In the army, you have to listen to your commanders," he said. "It's kind of like here, except Coach is more strict."
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.htmlTickets:
Lower level $14 Adults (upper) $10 UH students $7 Super rooter $8 Parking $3
Hawaii (9-2) Starting lineups
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Carl English (So.) 6-5 15.1 5.3 3.2 G Mark Campbell (Jr.) 6-4 9.9 2.8 3.5 G Predrag Savovic (Sr.) 6-6 16.5 3.0 1.3 F Phil Martin (So.) 6-8 10.0 5.9 1.1 C Haim Shimonovich (So.) 6-10 10.5 7.9 2.1 Fresno State (8-4)
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Travis DeManby (Jr.) 6-4 6.0 2.7 3.6 G Chris Sandy (Sr.) 6-2 0.0 0.0 0.0 F Chris Jefferies (Jr.) 6-8 17.4 7.7 4.0 F Noel Felix (Jr.) 6-9 10.0 4.5 0.6 C Hirman Fuller (Jr.) 6-9 7.5 7.3 0.5 C Melvin Ely (Sr.)* 6-10 19.9 9.3 0.7 *Pending NCAA approval
Notes: Fresno State leads the series 16-6. Hawaii won the last meeting 76-67, upsetting the defending conference champion in the WAC tournament semifinal. ... Hawaii senior guard Predrag Savovic needs 27 points to become the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark. ... Rainbow coach Riley Wallace is in his 15th season, with a 225-200 record. ... Hawaii is coming off a 54-44 victory over Georgia on Saturday for its seventh Rainbow Classic championship. ... Fresno State senior point guard Chris Sandy will make his season debut tonight against Hawaii. The junior college All-American sat out the first semester due to summer school credit problems. ... The Bulldogs are hoping to get senior All-American center Melvin Ely back for tonight's game. The NCAA suspended Ely for six games. Fresno State has appealed, and the NCAA will rule today if Ely can play immediately or will have to wait for Saturday's game at San Jose State. ... Coach Jerry Tarkanian is in his seventh year with the Bulldogs, compiling a 141-69 record. Tarkanian ranks second among active coaches in career victories and sixth all-time with 767 victories. ... The Bulldogs are coming off a 91-52 win over Savannah State, snapping a three-game losing streak.
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