DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Tulsa held Hawaii guard Michael Kuebler to seven points in 39 minutes earlier this season.
‘Cold-blooded’ The measure of a shooter isn't found in the number of shots he makes, but in how he reacts to the misses.
Kuebler takes
his shot for UH
By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com
To illustrate, consider Hawaii guard Michael Kuebler's stretch in the closing moments of the Rainbows' 79-78 road win over Kent State last Saturday.
When: Today, 5 p.m. Hawaii time Hawaii at Tulsa
Where: Donald W. Reynolds Center
TV: Live, ESPN2
Radio: Live, KKEA 1420-AM
Internet: uhathletics.hawaii.edu
Saddled with foul trouble most of the game, Kuebler went back on the floor late in the tense contest. Shortly after checking in, Kuebler took a pass in the left corner and hoisted a 3-point attempt that sailed harmlessly over the rim, drawing mocking chants from the home crowd.
"Aiiiir baaall. Aiiiir baaall."
On Hawaii's next possession, Kuebler again found himself open for a trey, and the fans gleefully remind him of his previous miss.
"Aiiiir baaall. Aiiiir baaall."
This time Kuebler silenced the largest crowd in Kent State history as his shot from the right corner zipped through the net to give the Rainbows the lead for good.
"I like making it dramatic," Kuebler said with a chuckle as he recalled the sequence.
"Just because I put up an air ball doesn't mean I'm going to stop shooting. I got a little too much on the last one, so I just took a little bit off the next time and knocked it down. That's just the way it goes sometimes."
Kuebler scored nine of his 12 points in the final 5:10 of the game to spur UH past Kent State, providing the Rainbows a much-needed spark heading into the season's final weeks.
"He's not afraid to shoot the ball," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "When he's open he's cold-blooded. ... He's a shooter, and when shooters miss they don't worry about it."
Kuebler began the season as a reserve, but was inserted into the starting lineup after three games and is now the Rainbows' second-leading scorer behind guard Carl English.
The transfer from Clackamas (Ore.) Community College averages 12.3 points per game and has shown the ability to put up big numbers, evidenced by 29-point outings against Butler and Fresno State, and a 27-point performance at Louisiana Tech.
He is still searching for consistency, but his play late in the Kent State game showed a willingness to make the big play with the game on the line and the defense hounding English.
"It doesn't even have to be necessarily making shots," Kuebler said. "If I can stop my man down the stretch and prevent them from scoring or get a rebound when it's close, any way I can help feels good enough to me."
Against Kent State it did come down to making shots. He spent most of the game on the bench after picking up two fouls early and then another before he could work up a sweat in the second half.
"I was a little disappointed I wasn't able to help out earlier on, so going into it I was trying to help out any way I could," he said. "I was able to get some open looks and knock them down."
Kuebler proved he was a team player before the game as well. Rainbow seniors Mark Campbell, Lance Takaki and Ryne Holliday hatched the idea that the players shave their heads, and in the interest of team unity Kuebler reluctantly relented to shearing off his blond locks.
"I just did it because everyone else did it," Kuebler said. "But I'm not going to do it again any time soon. I'll probably let my hair grow for about a year."
Unless the Rainbows keep winning that is.
UH Athletics
