It may be final exam week on the University of Hawaii campus, but the biggest test for the Rainbow basketball team will not be in the classroom. It will come tomorrow as Hawaii (2-1) tries to rebound from its first loss of the season against Eastern Illinois in the second game of the Adidas Festival. Rainbows ready
for math testHawaii has to find a way
to get bigger numbers out
of its post playersBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comThe Rainbows were held to their lowest offensive output in four seasons in last Saturday's 60-49 loss at San Diego State. This week, Hawaii is working on math ... particularly how to get more numbers out of its starters.
Against the Aztecs, three Rainbow starters did not score. The biggest zero was turned in by junior center Haim Shimonovich, who missed all five shots he attempted while double-teamed by a swarming SDSU defense.
"But if that happens, somebody else should be open," said Shimonovich, who averaged 18 points in UH's first two games. "I need to look more for the open man.
"It was a bad game for all of us. If we can't score 50, that's a bad game."
Hawaii will try to extend its streak of 17 consecutive home victories against EIU (3-5). The Panthers feature senior guard Henry Domercant, who is averaging 25.6 points a game, currently sixth-best in the country.
The 6-foot-4 Domercant became EIU's career scoring leader last week (1,997 points) and is seeking to become the 26th player in NCAA Division I history to reach the 2,600-point mark. He finished No. 2 in scoring last season (26.4 ppg).
"He's going to be good," Rainbow junior guard Michael Kuebler said of Domercant. "We'll put a couple of different guys on him. We've got to be ready for him."
The Rainbows have been very loose the past two practices. They've gone over EIU's game plan, and knowing that Saturday's opponent is New Orleans makes tournament preparation easier.
"Eastern is a good team," said Hawaii coach Riley Wallace. "You look at their losses and those are to good people. It's not easy to go to Illinois and win."
The Panthers are coming off an 80-68 loss to the then-No. 10 Illini. Four of their five losses have come on the road, three to ranked teams: No. 7 Florida, No. 13 Marquette and Illinois.
Wallace said he was concerned about the Panthers' quickness, comparing them to Hawaii's first opponent this season, Arkansas-Little Rock. Senior J.R. Reynolds is also part of the concern; the 6-4 guard scored 20-plus points in three games this season but has scored just one point in the past two games.
"What we have to do is stop (Domercant) and make sure the other guys are not more productive than they usually are," said Shimonovich. "And it's important for us to keep winning at home."
It will mean a team effort as Hawaii continues to work in new players and work on mixing it up on offense and defense. One offensive set has senior guard Mark Campbell moving to the "3" spot at small forward; the 6-4 team captain has started the past 33 games at the point.
"Mark has looked really good at the '3,'" said Wallace. "He wants to do it. He said whatever will help the team. But that's just one particular offense and we're looking at different options.
"We're disappointed not so much with the loss Saturday but how we lost it. With 21 turnovers, 14 by our big men (Shimonovich, Phil Martin and Nkeruwem Akpan), with sloppy play, and our new guys not being productive. What we need is to win these next two and everything will be all right. Every game means a lot to us right now."
What: Adidas Festival UH basketball
When: Tomorrow, Cal Poly (4-4) vs. New Orleans (6-2), 6 p.m., Hawaii (2-1) vs. Eastern Illinois (3-5), 8 p.m.; Saturday, Cal Poly vs. Eastern Illinois, 6 p.m. Hawaii vs. New Orleans, 8 p.m.
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Live, KFVE-TV.
Radio: Live, KKEA 1420-AM
Internet: uhathletics.hawaii.edu
UH Athletics
