Working holiday for
Rainbow Warriors
Election Day may have been a holiday for some, but don't count members of the Hawaii basketball team among them.
The Rainbow Warriors were hard at work at the Stan Sheriff Center yesterday morning, ending their practice session with a set of sprints meant to test both the players' conditioning and their resolve.
"It's time to start testing them, getting them in there and pushing them because they've got to get that intensity level up," UH coach Riley Wallace said.
Although the sprints weren't perhaps the most fun way to end the morning workout, the 'Bows understood the reasoning behind all of the running.
"We needed it," senior guard Jake Sottos said. "We're not into game shape yet, for sure. That just shows who's out there, who wants it more. It helps us."
The Rainbows are 11 days away from their exhibition game with UH-Hilo and the Nov. 23 season-opener against Mississippi Valley State is even farther on the horizon. But the end of yesterday's practice sent a message that there's still much to be done in the remaining days.
"We're not where we're supposed to be right now," junior forward Julian Sensley said. "I think (Wallace's) trying to prove a point that we're not ready. If we had a game tomorrow we'd probably be in trouble, so I think he's trying to get us fired up. I think we'll come back (today) ready to play."
The 'Bows are working to integrate five new scholarship players into the system, a situation similar to last season when five newcomers joined the program. But where last year's squad returned three starters, Sensley is the only member of the 2003-04 starting five back on the roster.
"We're still struggling a little, but we've got the core down," said Sottos, part of last year's class of recruits. "We're still learning each other with all the new guys. By the time the games start we should be all right because we keep progressing each day.
"We have a lot of plays so you have to learn them fast," he added. "This year the returnees know them, but we see the new guys and we understand. We were in the same boat last year."
Health report: Barring any new injuries -- though given the way UH's preseason has gone so far, there's no guarantee of that -- the Rainbows may be close to being back at full strength.
Guard Kris Groce returned to practice yesterday with a brace on his right knee. He injured the knee on Saturday and sat out Monday's practice. Center Chris Botez missed the weekend workouts with a bruised knee and was back on Monday.
Vaidotas Peciukas has been out since having knee surgery on Oct. 22, but Wallace said the senior forward hopes to be ready to practice again next week.