Wallace trying to
get ‘Bows to turn up
defensive intensity
Hawaii basketball coach Riley Wallace isn't putting much stock in his team's lofty ranking in scoring defense in the early weeks of the season.
So far, the Rainbow Warriors are giving up 59 points per game, good for second among Western Athletic Conference teams and 24th in the nation.
However, the Rainbows' motion offense tends to keep scores down by taking time off the clock, and right now Wallace is more concerned with generating intensity on the defensive end and locking down opponents when the outcome is in the balance.
"It's stopping somebody when they need to be stopped," Wallace said. "We're all right for a while, but when you're a little bit tired late you have to really suck it up."
The Rainbows are working to close the holes in their defense as they prepare to face Oregon State on Monday at the Stan Sheriff Center. It will be their first regular-season contest in 19 days.
Hawaii (2-2) kept its first three regular-season opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field. In wins over Santa Clara and Chaminade at the EA Sports Maui Invitational, the team's defense in the second half helped the Rainbows pull away from their opponents.
But in losses to UC Santa Barbara and Dayton, the 'Bows experienced breakdowns that allowed the Gauchos and Flyers to rally after halftime.
In the loss to Dayton, the Flyers' switch to a 3-2 zone defense disrupted the rhythm of the UH offense. But after reviewing a tape of the game, Wallace came away less troubled by his team's offensive performance and more concerned about its defense in the second half, when Dayton shot 63 percent from the field.
"We didn't stop them," he said. "We let them have one-on-one penetration, we let them have putbacks, things like that."
The Rainbows have predominantly played man-to-man defense over the years, but experimented with a 2-3 zone early in the first half of Sunday's exhibition game against the EA Sports All-Stars. Former UH guard Mike McIntyre hit a 3-pointer nine seconds into the game and the All-Stars were able to keep the score close the entire game before falling 69-67.
The team does have 18 steals and eight blocked shots in four regular-season games.
The Rainbows will now try to turn up the defensive intensity against an Oregon State team struggling from the field lately. In their last three games, the Beavers have shot 77-for-212 from the field (36 percent). They are 26-for-92 (28 percent) behind the 3-point line this season.
Recognition for Rocha: Former Oregon State standout and Hawaii coach Red Rocha will be honored during Monday's game between the 'Bows and the Beavers.
Rocha played for OSU from 1945 to '47 and was a three-time All-Pacific Coast Conference selection. He helped the Beavers reach the NCAA Tournament in 1947 and finished his career with 911 points, then a school record.
Following a career in the NBA, Rocha coached at UH from 1963 to 1973 and led the school's "Fabulous Five" to its first appearances in the NIT and NCAA Tournaments. He also played a prominent role in establishing the Rainbow Classic and was inducted into the UH Circle of Honor in 1986.
Around the WAC: Southern Methodist forward Patrick Simpson was named the WAC player of the week after leading the Mustangs to wins over Texas Tech and Baylor last week. Simpson averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the victories. ... Preseason WAC favorite Nevada has fallen on hard times. The Wolf Pack played well in a loss to then-No. 1 UConn and beat UNLV. But Nevada lost to Portland (86-70) and Pacific (82-76) last week to drop to 2-3. ... UTEP (5-1) is off to the best start among WAC schools. The Miners' only loss came at Texas Tech (70-57) on Dec. 3. ... Boise State forward Jason Ellis had 16 points and 19 rebounds in an 81-69 win over Idaho last Saturday.
