Sidelines
THIS is madness, isn't it? Madness! How else can you explain a guy who walks like he's got -- on second thought, let's not complete that sentence. You fill in your own punch line on how he walks. A guy who walks like that can somehow light it up for one of those all-time performances that we see 75 times every year at this time? UH enjoying the madness
of the momentSavo knows. He said it soon after he was tugged at by Riley Wallace to actually pay attention during their televised postgame interview. It's tournament time. It's hero time. Savo leaned in to the microphone and explained it all.
"It's a March," he said in his East European brogue.
This is madness.
We love it, and it's becoming apparent that the Rainbows love it, too. Yeah, the bracket helps, but they did it. This is a tournament team. They're in. They have to be in, right? They have to be in.
So today, they've finally accomplished what they've been striving all season to do. They've broken through. They've found the national consciousness. They've made it. Today is for bonus points, extra credit, one more banner, bragging rights.
How they react to that is anyone's guess. They might win. They might lose. But for once they are not backed into a corner. Now they can afford to go out and play, let it all hang out, and enjoy the madness of the moment.
The best part about today for UH is that it really doesn't matter what happens. If Hawaii loses, fine. They always come out of a loss on fire. In basketball terms, they've got a foul to give.
If they win, wonderful. They're WAC champs again, and on a red-hot roll.
Roll the "One Shining Moment" music.
The Rainbows are in the championship game, and they've got nothing to lose, and their shooting and defense and toughness and teamwork are in tournament form.
Brace yourself. This is going to be fun.
There was Mike McIntyre yesterday, staying sharp, getting a game's worth of points in what had somehow turned into garbage time. There was Mark Campbell, actually taking shots, and making them. There was Tony Akpan, with another handful of meaningful minutes that will pay off down the yellow brick road ahead.
Yes, Phil Martin was still struggling in the box score, while trying to kick his old finesse habits, but he is slowly getting just a little bit harder on defense with every possession.
And then there was Savo on the bench, slapping heir apparent Carl English gently, playfully, but purposefully on the cheek, looking like a Yugoslavian version of "The Godfather." He was, yesterday. He was the man. The master of the madness.
And perhaps today it will be McIntyre. Or English again. Or maybe the old man can limp to 30 more points. It doesn't matter, really. It's March. And somebody, somewhere, is going to do something unbelievable. Someone, somewhere, will seize destiny.
Savo knows. UH has earned this situation. But after today's game, destiny begins again.
Kalani Simpson's column runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
He can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com