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Crazy leaders go By appearances alone, Hawaii seniors Janka Gabrielova and Karena Greeny couldn't be more different.
out together
Gabrielova and Greeny play
their final home game
against Boise State tonightBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comGabrielova is a 5-foot-6 guard with dark hair and intense eyes. Though English is her second language, the Bratislava, Slovakia, native hasn't hesitated to speak her mind.
The 5-11 Greeny is more casual and still gets tongue-tied once in a while.
As different as they are, both have been called crazy by their teammates.
"They're both very funny," Hawaii coach Vince Goo said. "They're humorous. There isn't a laugh that they pass up."
From joke telling to court leadership, Gabrielova and Greeny have played integral parts in Goo's 11th 20-win season. They came from opposite sides of the globe, but they'll play in their final regular-season home game tonight at 7 against Boise State.
As seniors, they've shared duties in guiding the team. Gabrielova is a natural leader on the floor at point guard. She helped freshman Kim Willoughby learn the Wahine's offense early in the season.
"Janka yells at me on the court, but she's just a great person," Willoughby said. "She makes you feel comfortable. She'll tell you things whether it's good or bad. She won't baby you."
Gabrielova's verbal authority is natural. Greeny, however, has taken time to find her voice.
"She's a lot more assertive verbally, which is the role we needed her to be in this year," assistant coach Serenda Valdez said. "The best thing was that she knows us so well as coaches that we didn't have to ask her for that cause. She started that from day one. When roles were being defined, she just stepped forward and that was what we needed."
It's been a complete turnaround from Greeny's freshman year. Valdez remembers when Greeny would stalk by the basketball offices without saying a word to her or anybody else.
Goo calls Greeny one of the greatest success stories of the student-athletes in the Wahine program.
"She's done well at times and had to focus on other things besides basketball at other times before her senior year," Goo said. "She's grown academically. She's grown as a person. She's become a good citizen in the community. A good role model and a good citizen. She wasn't always all of that but she's come a long way."
She redshirted her first year and saw action in all 27 games as a redshirt freshman. But she faltered academically and on the basketball court her sophomore season.
"I kind of got off track that year," Greeny said. "The coaches said this is what you have to do, you either change or we're going to take away your scholarship. I took it for granted, my scholarship. From then on, I realized we're here to go to school not just play basketball."
Greeny may have gotten her act together in the classroom, but she lost it again on the basketball court. As a junior, she started the first five games last season before being converted to a role player.
This season, the fifth-year senior is having the kind of campaign the coaches expected when they recruited her out of Port Angeles High in Washington.
Greeny has started every game this season. She is averaging 9.3 points per game and 6.1 rebounds.
"We've had a lot of close games this year where she's stepped up and wanted the ball and knocked down the shots," Valdez said. "In the past, that wasn't her role and now it is. She's taken it and run with it."
Greeny has run with it this year, but she says she'd like to slow down after she finishes her Wahine career.
"I can't wait to settle down and lead a semi-normal life," Greeny said. "Don't take anything away from being a college athlete. It's just that you lead a crazy life, trying to go to school and then when you go on the road, it's hard.
"I know five years seems like a long time (but) it's been fast. I've played basketball since I was 6. I've played sports all year 'round since I was that young. It's been a good 15, 16 years of sports. It's about my time."
Gabrielova, a 5-6 guard, couldn't feel more differently. She's hardly paused long enough to breathe since transferring from Weatherford College with boyfriend Mindaugas Burneika two years ago.
When: Today, 7 p.m. GAMEDAY
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Live, KFVE-TV (Ch. 5)
Radio: Updates on KCCN, 1420-AM
Internet: kccn1420am.com
Tickets: All seats general admission. $7 adults, $6 seniors, $4 for children age 4-18 and UH students.
Parking: $3
"I can't believe that I won't play basketball anymore," Gabrielova said. "I really want to play basketball. I always wanted to play basketball until I was 30. I can't imagine not playing.
"But I never knew that I would go to America and get a chance to graduate from university and learn English. I'm going to stay and work out with the team. I want to stay in shape."
Since arriving in Honolulu, Gabrielova has started every game as the Wahine floor general. Gabrielova is averaging 4.6 assists, 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds this season. She has also been a tenacious defender, leading the team in steals with 28.
It has been a challenge for her teammates to keep up with her. Assistant coach Da Houl says that Gabrielova travels at 100 mph.
"She sets the pace," Houl said. "You get on a fast break, you better look up when you get to half court or else you're going to get beaned by the ball in the back of your head. It's a lot easier for us coaches to slow her down than when you have a slower player and you have to get that player to move."
Added Valdez: "Come game time, her will to win, everyone feeds off that," Valdez said. "She is 100 percent during game time in momentum and speed. You have to slow her down, but the kids feed off her assertiveness, her aggressiveness, her will to win.
"She'll run through a brick wall first and not think twice. She's just that determined to win. She does not want to lose and she's going to try to do anything she can."
WAC STANDINGS
Conference Overall W L Pct. GB W L *La. Tech 16 1 .941 -- 21 4 Hawaii 13 4 .765 3 20 6 Rice 13 4 .765 3 19 7 Tulsa 11 6 .647 5 16 11 San Jose St. 11 6 .647 5 16 10 Nevada 6 11 .353 10 9 17 Boise St. 5 12 .294 11 9 18 Fresno St. 4 13 .235 12 9 18 SMU 5 12 .294 11 10 17 UTEP 1 16 .059 15 3 23 *Clinched regular-season title
Today
Fresno State at SMU
Boise State at Hawaii, 7 p.m. Hawaii Time (KFVE-TV)
Nevada at Louisiana Tech
Tulsa at Rice
UTEP at San Jose State
End regular season
HAWAII (20-6 OVERALL, 13-4 WAC) PROBABLE STARTERS
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Janka Gabrielova (Sr.) 5-6 10.3 3.3 4.6 G Chelsea Wagner (So.) 5-10 8.0 2.8 1.1 F Natasja Allen (Jr.) 6-2 11.2 5.7 1.1 F Karena Greeny (Sr.) 5-11 9.3 6.1 1.8 C Christen Roper (Jr.) 6-5 10.0 7.5 0.6 BOISE STATE (9-18, 5-1)
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Camille Woodfield (So.) 5-11 6.6 4.6 4.2 G Abbey Nash (Fr.) 5-8 4.0 2.8 1.1 G Mandy Welch (So.) 5-10 10.1 2.2 0.7 G Cariann Ramirez (Fr.) 5-10 2.5 2.3 1.0 C Andrea Swindall (Sr.) 6-3 6.7 4.8 0.3 Notes: Tonight is Senior Night. The first 2,000 fans will receive a free Wahine team photo. Gabrielova and Greeny will be honored following the game. ... Gabrielova tied her career high with nine assists in the UTEP win Thursday. ... The teams met for the first time Dec. 28, 2001, with Hawaii prevailing 61-48 at Boise, Idaho. ... The Rainbow Wahine need a victory to assure themselves of at least a tie for second place in the WAC. ... The Broncos had their three-game winning streak halted Thursday when they lost to host San Jose State 64-53. The Broncos are 2-10 on the road.
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