[ RAINBOW BASKETBALL ]
UH has foes
seeing doubleLogan Lee and Jason Carter
have shared Hawaii's point-guard
duties this season
Two players. Two contrasting styles. One position.
Rather than debate the virtues of the styles of its point guards, Logan Lee and Jason Carter, the Hawaii basketball team is playing to the strengths of both this season.
Lee and Carter have been sharing time in the back court and the development of both players in the UH system has helped fuel the Rainbow Warriors' three-game winning streak heading into the 40th Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, which opens tomorrow at the Stan Sheriff Center.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Senior Jason Carter brings quickness, energy and an up-tempo style off the bench for the Warriors.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sophomore Logan Lee has assumed the starting point-guard role for Hawaii this season.
Lee, the sophomore starter, brings cool control to the floor. He's a smooth ball handler who has grown more adept at operating UH's half-court offense with every game.
Carter, the senior spark plug, supplies energy and daring off the bench, turning up the tempo of the game by using his quickness to push the ball up the court.
"It's two different looks on the floor, which changes the pace of the game, and it's a good mix," UH forward Phil Martin said.
The point guard position had been the near-exclusive domain of Mark Campbell the past two seasons. Campbell started 63 of the Rainbows' 64 games during his UH career and was on the floor an average of 34 minutes a game. He dished out 5.3 assists, while committing two turnovers per game as a Rainbow.
With Campbell having completed his eligibility last season, rather than give one player command of the team, UH coach Riley Wallace has chosen to split the minutes this season.
"I kind of like it, because if Mark was having a bad night there wasn't anybody else who could do it," Wallace said.
"Logan's going to run the offense, get them into it. JC's going to not only do that but get some penetration and create some things on his own."
"It's amazing -- they fill the shoes really well and I don't think we're missing much there," Martin said. "They both complement each other."
Carter started UH's first three games this season before Lee assumed the job during the Maui Invitational. In his four games since taking over as the starter, Lee has 22 assists to just three turnovers. He had no turnovers in two games in last week's Adidas Festival.
"He's more of a floor general," Carter said. "He wants to do everything right and make sure everybody gets where they're supposed to be."
Lee conceded that his defense still needs work, but he said the rotation is making a difference in practice as well as in the games.
"Even in practice it's working, because I've learned a lot from him just learning how to push the ball more, how to be more aggressive," Lee said. "He's helping me out a lot, just watching him I'm learning a lot."
Carter played in 26 games as a reserve last season and gave UH fans a thrill by racing past the defense and exploding to the rim or by flinging a spectacular pass to a teammate. But his high-risk style kept Wallace from giving him extensive playing time.
Carter entered his senior season looking to play a more controlled game while keeping the flair that made him a fan favorite. As the team heads into the Rainbow Classic, he feels he's found that balance.
"More practice is helping me know when to push the ball and when to set up the offense, when to take a shot and when to drive," he said. "It all comes in practice."
"JC didn't have the game to put with his quickness (last season)," Wallace said. "Now he's really working on it and getting better every night at making choices and ... getting the guys some shots. And in practice it looks like he's starting to hit his own shots a little bit, so I think he's really stepping up."
While both point guards have looked to set up their teammates for scores, Wallace is hoping to get more point production out of the position. Lee and Carter have combined for 5.1 points per game so far, nearly equal to what Campbell averaged last season.
"They can both score if they look to score," Wallace said.
Although Carter and Lee entered the season battling for the starting job, they've embraced their shared duties.
"We congratulate each other when we do something, and just cheer each other on," Carter said. "There's no competition, just us doing our job."
