Wallace more ‘satisfied’
with upcoming schedule
Hawaii's basketball schedule for the upcoming season isn't what it could've been, but it's still better than those of recent years.
"We're satisfied," coach Riley Wallace said. "That's what we could get. It's getting tougher and tougher to schedule."
After a Nov. 14 home exhibition against Hawaii-Hilo, UH opens its 2004-2005 schedule Nov. 23, hosting Mississippi Valley State. The Rainbows were trying to get a season-opening game against Kentucky, but that venture fell through early in the process.
"We would've gone to Kentucky if they would return here, but they wouldn't return it," Wallace said.
After the opener, the Rainbows host Coastal Carolina and Southern Illinois before traveling to St. Louis (which will play at Hawaii the following season, Wallace said) on Dec. 4 and hosting St. Mary's on Dec. 11.
Then UH hosts the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, Dec. 20-23. Georgetown, Alabama-Birmingham, Clemson, USC, Oral Roberts, Indiana State and Long Beach State (UH's first-round opponent) will participate.
"The Rainbow has a very good field, it's a good opportunity for us," Wallace said.
The Western Athletic Conference season begins with road games at Fresno State on Dec. 30 and Nevada on New Year's Day.
The Rainbows are tentatively scheduled to host an ESPN Bracket Buster game Feb. 19 after traveling for the nationally-televised nonconference matchup the past two years.
On the recruiting front, UH is in the hunt for two junior college point guards. Wallace is not allowed to talk about recruits, but other sources identified them as Kris Groce (5-feet-11) from Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash., who visited UH yesterday, and Deonte Tatum (6-2) from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, who was in town last week.
The UH staff was hoping to sign one or both of the guards as early as today.
One scouting service listed Tatum as the third-best point guard in the junior college class of 2004. He led the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference with 4.8 assists per game. He dished out 119 assists in 25 games and averaged eight points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Groce has played just one season at Columbia Basin, so he could play three at UH.
"He had a great year, about 22 points and eight assists a game," his coach, Lane Schumacher said. "He throws people off because he looks really small. But he's quick, shoots well and gets to the basket. We needed him as a scorer, but he's great at delivering the ball. We'd hate to lose him."
Groce declined a scholarship offer from Boise State and has also been offered by Sacramento State. Texas-El Paso and Gonzaga are beginning to show some interest, the coach said.
"It's probably down to Hawaii or coming back to play another year here, playing in his backyard," Schumacher said. "I think he's leaning to Hawaii."
Logan Lee, who started 26 games at point guard for the Rainbows last season, told UH coaches he was leaving the team last month.
The Rainbows have four scholarships available.
Hawaii went 21-12, including 2-1 in the NIT, last yea
uhathletics.hawaii.edu
2004-05 schedule
NOVEMBER
14--Hawaii-Hilo (exhibition), time TBA. 23--Mississippi Valley State, 7:05 p.m. 26--Coastal Carolina, 8:05 p.m. 29--Southern Illinois, 7:05 p.m.
DECEMBER
4--at Saint Louis, time TBA. 11--Saint Mary's (Calif.), 7:05 p.m. 20-23--Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, (20--Georgetown vs. Oral Roberts, 5 p.m., Hawaii vs. Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m. 21--UAB vs. Clemson, 5 p.m., USC vs. Indiana State, 7:30 p.m. 22--consolation games, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., semifinals 5 and 7:30 p.m. 23--seventh place game, 11 a.m., fifth place game, 1:30 p.m., third place game, 5 p.m., championship game, 7:30 p.m.) 30--at Fresno State, 5 p.m.
JANUARY
1--at Nevada, 5:05 p.m. 8--San Jose State, 7:05 p.m. 13--SMU, 7:05 p.m. 15--Louisiana Tech, 7:05 p.m. 20--at UTEP, 4:05 p.m. 22--at Boise State, 4:30 p.m. 27--Rice, 7:05 p.m. 29--Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.
FEBRUARY
5--at San Jose State, time TBA. 10--at Louisiana Tech, time TBA. 12--at SMU, 3 p.m. 17--Boise State, 7:05 p.m. 19--ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday, time TBA. 21--UTEP, 7:05 p.m. 24--at Tulsa, 3:05 p.m. 26--at Rice, 3:05 p.m.
MARCH
3--Nevada, 7:05 p.m. 5--Fresno State, 7:05 p.m. 8-12--WAC Tournament at Reno, Nev. 17-20--NCAA Tournament first and second rounds. 24-27--NCAA Tournament regionals.
APRIL
2-4--NCAA Final Four, at Saint Louis, Mo.
All times Hawaii time.
All home games at Stan Sheriff Center.
Pairings for ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday will be announced in early February.r.
