[ UH BASKETBALL ]
UH newcomers setting
offense in motionThe new Rainbow Warriors
are working to get a feel for
coach Riley Wallace's
offensive scheme
Newcomers to the Hawaii basketball team's motion offense are quickly learning that the scheme rewards those who are willing to work without the ball.
The patterns might take some getting used to for those unfamiliar with the offense, but they soon discover how the constant movement and screening can lead to easy scores.
"I've never had an offense with this much motion, but I really like it because I really like setting picks and screens," junior forward Jeff Blackett said. "It's a really good offense if you're disciplined."
Blackett, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, had been slowed by a sore right heel over his first two weeks of practice with the Rainbow Warriors and sat out a couple of days last week.
Even with the missed time, Blackett has proven a quick study and led the Rainbows with 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the field in a scrimmage yesterday at Gym II.
"He can play if he's healthy," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "He has a feel for the game."
Blackett and five other first-year members of the team are adjusting to the UH offense, which forces defenders to navigate an obstacle course of picks and screens. When it works, players set each other up for open jumpers or find themselves alone under the basket.
"I'm not that big of a one-on-one player, so it's nice when people are setting picks for you and you're getting other people open," Blackett said.
Blackett transferred from Salt Lake City Community College and had a chance to preview the UH attack when he and his wife, Lindsey, drove from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas to watch the Rainbows pick apart the UNLV defense in an 85-68 National Invitation Tournament victory.
"I could really see how it was and after seeing that I felt even better about my choice," Blackett said.
Although turnovers were plentiful yesterday, Wallace was pleased with the team's improved execution over the previous week's scrimmage.
Center Milos Zivanovic made seven of eight shots from the field and scored 16 points. Michael Kuebler also finished with 16.
"It's coming around. It's better, much better," Wallace said.
The White and Black squads were credited with a total of 39 assists in yesterday's 40-minute scrimmage. Forward Julian Sensley led the team with seven assists while Kuebler and Jason Carter had six each.
Junior guard/forward Vaidotas Peciukas finished with 19 points and said he can see the offense starting to take shape.
"The first time we played it was like JUCO ball," Peciukas said. "We were going up and down, just running and a lot of turnovers. Now we're almost set with the plays that we run. It's Hawaii basketball."
Blackett's return helped bolster the Rainbows in the post, although they are still without senior center Haim Shimonovich.
Shimonovich has missed most of the first two weeks of practice with tendinitis in his right Achilles' and said he will have an MRI on Tuesday.
Shimonovich said the injury dates back to late last season, when he sprained his ankle in a game against Tulsa. He said the injury didn't heal completely and he aggravated it early in practice.
"We'll see on Tuesday and get a picture of what's going on there," Shimonovich said.
"It's very frustrating seeing those guys out there and having fun and I'm sitting and watching."
