[ UH BASKETBALL ]
Rainbow Warriors
eager to play again
Today's exhibition game may not count in the official record books, but members of the Hawaii basketball team are simply eager to get back on the court after a 10-day layoff.
"It doesn't really matter, as long as there's some refs and some people out there," UH forward Julian Sensley said.
After a lengthy break, the Rainbow Warriors will get a chance to reacquaint themselves with the Stan Sheriff Center today. The team returns from a 10-day break to face the EA Sports All-Stars in an exhibition contest at the Stan Sheriff Center. Tipoff is set for 4:05 p.m.
EA Sports at Hawaii
When: Today, 4:05 p.m.Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV/Radio: None
Tickets: Lower Level, $15 (singles only); Upper Level (adult) $11; Upper Level (student, UH) $5; Super Rooter $8.
Parking: $3
Hawaii (2-2) last played a game on Nov. 26, when they lost to Dayton 82-72 in the championship game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. The Rainbows haven't had a game in the Sheriff Center since falling to UC Santa Barbara 57-51 in their regular-season opener on Nov. 21.
"It's an exhibition game, but we just came off a loss, so it will be a test for us to see where we're at and try to bounce back," Sensley said. "A win is a win, even if it's against an exhibition team."
Today's contest breaks up a 19-day layoff between regular-season games for the Rainbows. After the exhibition game, Hawaii will have another week off before taking on Oregon State on Dec. 15 at home.
In the 10 days since their last game, the UH coaches have implemented some new wrinkles in the offense to try to address concerns that emerged from the first four games of the season. UH coach Riley Wallace is looking at the game as a chance to give the entire team some playing time while practicing some of the new looks in a game-type situation.
"We're hoping they'll play some man and zone so we can work on both," Wallace said.
UH guard Michael Kuebler is coming off a strong week on Maui in which he scored a tournament-high 67 points in three games. Center Haim Shimonovich has come off the bench in all four games, but is second on the team in scoring with 10.5 points per game and leads the squad in rebounding with 7.8 per contest.
Vaidotas Peciukas worked his way into the starting lineup on Maui and is shooting 67 percent from the field (12-for-18).
Point guard Logan Lee made his first career start against Dayton and has a team-high 17 assists to just five turnovers. Sensley's passing skills in the post have him second on the team with 10 assists.
UH edged Brigham Young-Hawaii 63-56 in its first exhibition game of the season and will use its second allotted exhibition contest against the All-Stars.
The team of former college players is part of a five-team group sponsored by EA Sports that provides teams with exhibition competition.
At least two members of the EA Sports roster will have a clear idea of how to counter the Rainbows' attack, as guards Mike McIntyre and Mark Campbell are expected to play for All-Stars.
McIntyre completed his eligibility in 2001 and played for EA Sports in an exhibition game against the Rainbows last year. He scored 12 points in the All-Stars' 73-72 victory. Campbell finished his career last season and led the Western Athletic Conference in assists with 6.2 per game while averaging just 2.8 turnovers.
Former Chaminade swingman Leon Ballard is also on the EA Sports roster. He ended his collegiate career last season after leading the Silverswords with 18.3 points and eight rebounds per game.
