[ UH FOOTBALL ]
UH not fazed
by weatherUH BASKETBALL
’Bows look to push it more this season
The Hawaii football team has a cool attitude about the potential of cold weather when the Warriors (6-3, 5-1 Western Athletic Conference) play at Nevada (5-5, 3-3) on Saturday. "We just need to get up there with the earmuffs and handwarmers and we'll be all right," senior receiver Michael Miyashiro said. "No matter what, if it's sunny, snowing, we have to get the job done."
Yesterday's report from the National Weather Service called for a low of 33 degrees and high of 53 for Saturday in Reno. That's not much colder than what the Warriors played in Nov. 1 at San Jose State, when they beat the Spartans 13-10 in their most recent game.
The possibility of precipitation went up to 20 percent yesterday from zero the day before.
Coach June Jones acknowledges most of his team hasn't played in intense cold, but doesn't expect it to be a problem.
"Probably 60 percent of our kids haven't been in that weather at all," Jones said. "And the wind, that's harder to deal with than the cold itself."
Reaching new heights: Jones said he is more concerned about the altitude of 4,600 feet at Reno, and that's why he's had the Warriors running after practice more than usual.
"We run, receiver-wise, probably more than any team in America. The big guys, if they're in condition it shouldn't bother them. It's a mind over matter thing," Jones said.
Travel plans: The Warriors practice tomorrow and leave at 1 p.m. on a charter flight for Reno and arrive at 8:20 p.m. Pacific time.
The team expects to return at 10 p.m. on Saturday night.
Wild Bunch III?: Jones said Nevada's defensive front compares favorably with USC's "Wild Bunch II," which UH encountered in a 61-32 loss on Sept. 13.
"They have the best front four ... they may be better than SC," Jones said on his radio show last night.
Defensive ends Jorge Cordova and J.J. Milan and tackles Derek Kennard and Chris Barry have combined for 192 tackles, including 37 for loss and 23 1/2 sacks. Cordova is a potential first-team All-American with 89 tackles, 15 1/2 tackles-for-loss, 11 1/2 sacks, four forced fumbles and two blocked kicks.
"He's a little like Travis LaBoy," Jones said. "I would try to trap and screen him."
Sopoaga sore: UH senior defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga said his sprained knee is "still a little swollen and still bothering me a little," but he expects to play Saturday.
The potential first-day draft choice said he has accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl.
"Hula Bowl, I don't know," Sopoaga said. "I'm still thinking about it whether I should go or not."
In other injury news, senior backup defensive back Gary Wright was still on crutches with a tender ankle yesterday, but he did run before practice.
Senior starting strong safety David Gilmore was sidelined with a sore back, but will likely play Saturday.
Both are expected to make the travel roster.
Where they rank: Nevada leads the WAC in sacks (33 for 216 yards), with Hawaii second (29 for 204 yards). Nevada also paces the league in opponent penalties (71.9 yards per game), while UH leads the conference in passing offense (384.8 yards per game, also second in the nation).
Brown back: Special teams player Brown Faavae has returned to UH after missing a week of practice last month.
"I just had some family stuff I had to take care of," Faavae said. "I had to go back home (to Carson, Calif.)"
The former safety is now working with the linebackers, which might be a faster route to playing time for the 5-foot-11, 228-pound sophomore.
"I'm enjoying it," the highly recruited transfer from West Virginia said. "It's like playing strong safety but with a little more action against the run."
Rolo a SaberCat: Former UH quarterback Nick Rolovich signed with the Arena Bowl champion San Jose SaberCats last week, according to the AFL Web site. Rolovich had been out of pro football since the Denver Broncos cut him in training camp.
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[ UH BASKETBALL ]
’Bows look to push
it more this season
Hawaii basketball players who want to be on the court this season had better be in shape.
The Rainbow Warriors have picked up the pace in practice lately, placing an emphasis on pushing the ball upcourt on both made baskets and missed shots instead of walking the ball past midcourt.
"It's a big change, it's different," senior guard Jason Carter said. "We do have a lot of runners on the team that can get downcourt and I think it feels real good."
The up-tempo attack puts pressure on the defense to fall back quickly as the offense can look for fast-break scores or settle into its halfcourt set.
"If everybody runs, we can see how easy the baskets can be, and how spread the floor can get," Carter said. "If we're all on the same page it can make the game real easy."
The team's workouts have tested the players' conditioning as they sprint upcourt on offense and hustle back on defense. With 12 scholarship players and one walk-on, there isn't much room for substitutions.
"That's the hardest part, you have to be in condition," Carter said. "If it's a miss we've got a fast break, if it's a make we've got a fast break. So you're always running."
UH coach Riley Wallace said going with a faster-paced offense would force him to go deeper into his bench than he has in previous seasons.
"It'll make me use more players because we'll get worn down," he said. "But as long as we can execute in our offense when we run it, that's OK, because we'll be running the opponents down too. So if we're deeper than the opponents then we should be in good shape. I just have to make sure I keep fresh guys out there in the end."
No starters yet: With five days of preparation left before UH's exhibition game with Brigham Young-Hawaii, Wallace said he hasn't settled on a starting lineup.
"It'll be whatever I feel that day," he said.
Returnees Carter, Phil Martin, Michael Kuebler and Haim Shimonovich and newcomer Julian Sensley played with the Black unit for much of yesterday's practice. But Wallace continues to shuffle the lineup freely, putting different combinations on the floor.
Although several positions remain up for grabs, Wallace hopes the close battles are an indication of the team's depth.
"Right now I've got more confidence in more guys than I probably have ever had," Wallace said.
After battling each other for a month, the Rainbows will finally get to play a team in a different uniform on Monday when they face the NCAA Division II Seasiders from Laie. Although it's an exhibition game for UH, it'll set the tone for the club heading into the season opener against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 21.
"I have to go into that game trying to get a feel for what I want to do with this team as far as subbing goes, conditioning goes and who's going to play when the lights come on," Wallace said.
"We're going to play it to win and play it the way we're going to play Santa Barbara."
Waiting game: The UH coaches will be waiting by the fax machine this week as the early signing period begins.
Today is the first day players can sign a national letter of intent. The signing period runs through next Wednesday.
Matt Gipson, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward from North Idaho College, orally committed to sign with UH last month. Gipson redshirted at Oklahoma as a freshman and played in 17 games for the Sooners last season before transferring to NIC.
He is rated the seventh-best junior-college center in the country by Lindy's magazine.
The Rainbows will have two scholarships available for the late signing period, which runs April 14 to May 19.
Maui tickets available: Tickets behind the UH bench for the Rainbows' games in the EA Sports Maui Invitational are on sale. Tickets are $35 per session or $105 for a package. The tournament runs Nov. 24-26 at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Tickets are available at the Stan Sheriff Center ticket office, the Rainbowtique at Ward Centre, Aloha Stadium, the UH Campus Center, Windward Community College, by phone at (808) 944-BOWS and on the Internet at www.etickethawaii.com.
