[ UH ATHLETICS ]
Botez caps UH
recruit class
The hum of the fax machine signaled the end for Jackson Wheeler's rapidly thickening beard.
The associate head coach with the Hawaii basketball team had vowed not to shave while he awaited a decision from recruit Chris Botez. After spending an anxious week next to the phone, Wheeler finally got the answer he was hoping for from the 7-foot center yesterday.
"I wasn't going to shave until we got a yes or a no," an upbeat Wheeler said. "We got a yes and I'm gonna shave tonight."
Botez informed UH head coach Riley Wallace of his intention to join the Rainbow Warriors yesterday morning and capped the process by sending in his national letter of intent later in the day.
The signing not only provided a positive end to an uneasy week for the UH coaches, but also meant Botez could rest easier as well. He visited Boise State two weeks ago and spent last weekend in Honolulu. He then took the past few days to mull over his decision before committing to UH.
"It's a huge relief," Botez said. "It takes a lot of weight off my shoulders. Now I can actually think.
"It was a pretty hard decision and I was just counting down all the positives and negatives. I liked Hawaii's academic program and their athletes and staff. I liked everything about them."
The 'Bows addressed the loss of three starters with their signings, as Botez and 6-foot-9 forward Matt Gipson figure to bolster the front court, while guard Matt Gibson was recruited for his back-court scoring.
Botez and Gipson will enter the program as juniors. Gibson will be a sophomore.
"We got the No. 1 players we went for at each position and that's very unusual," said Wheeler, who coordinates the 'Bows' recruiting efforts.
"Everything worked out great and we feel like it'll put us right back in the hunt. That's always our goal, to be in the hunt for the (Western Athletic Conference) championship and get to the postseason."
Botez was a first-team Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Southern Division All-Star this season at Chemeketa (Ore.) Community College. He averaged 12.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocks as a sophomore.
"He is very agile and has good, quick feet," Wallace said. "He's a good rebounder and will fit right in with the departure of Haim (Shimonovich) and Phil (Martin). With this addition, this could arguably be one of our strongest recruiting classes."
Gipson was a third-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American after leading North Idaho College with 16.3 points and eight rebounds per game. Gibson was among the nation's scoring leaders with 25.8 points per game at Three Rivers (Mo.) Community College.
The newcomers will compete for playing time with seven returning scholarship players next season. With Botez and Gipson joining returning forwards Julian Sensley (6-foot-9) and Jeff Blackett (6-foot-8), and center Milos Zivanovic (6-11), the Rainbows again figure to have one of the tallest front lines in the WAC.
"One thing we've done since we've turned our program is had a lot of size," Wheeler said. "We put an emphasis on it and we really believe in being big and I think this worked out for us."