Sidelines
Reality elbows in
on great expectationsWELL, now perhaps we're seeing just how special last year's team was.
Now maybe we'll appreciate it fully.
How are you doing today?
Frustrated?
Miffed?
Depressed?
Disheartened?
Welcome to the big time.
This is the flip side of great expectations, of a new level of success: disappointment. There was a time, not too long ago, that a Rainbow loss at Fresno State -- traditionally, a tough team in a tough place to play -- would not be the cause of a great letdown. Then, a win would have been cause for celebration. Then, every win was a bonus.
Now, Hawaii basketball should win everywhere, always.
That's how good these guys are. Or so we thought.
But then came a wide-open layup, a clunking jumper and a last-second loss. And they're starting to add up.
And reality is elbowing in on your kalakoa dreams.
Maybe it's not as easy as it all looks on paper. Maybe those guys last year really were as wonderful as everyone said.
Maybe it really was magic.
Maybe those runs don't just happen every day.
And last year's team was just that much better.
Let's face it, those guys were good. Mike McIntyre's heroics. Mindaugas Burneika's toughness with a smile. Somehow, it all just came together. Somehow, all they did was win. At Fresno. At Tulsa. In the WAC tournament. With bad backs.
It was crazy.
It was insane.
It was wonderful.
Somehow, every psychological ploy worked. That team responded to every push of every button.
And then there was Savo, making impossible shots, doing crazy things, saying, as only Savo can, "It's-a-March." And, "When I see that it is crunch time I feel responsible to do something."
Or playfully, but purposefully, smacking heir apparent Carl English on the cheek, like a Yugoslavian Don Corleone.
You can't manufacture that. It just has to happen.
These Rainbows were supposed to have picked up where last year's group left off. They were the favorites. It all made perfect sense.
But as we're finding out, sometimes greatness doesn't go by the book. Chemistry. Will. Love. Luck. Who knows what makes those teams?
This one is still looking for consistency, for depth. Its identity is still up in the air.
But this is basketball, and so there is still plenty of time. Miracles happen every March.
This team could still perform one. This team just might have to.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com