Hawaii’s next wave of 2-guards
has a lot to live up to

A glance through the Hawaii basketball record book is all that's needed to appreciate the impact of the shooting guard.

Shooting Range This season's candidates at shooting guard: Name Ht. Wt. Class Matt Gibson 6-5 170 Soph. Bobby Nash 6-6 185 Soph. Jake Sottos 6-4 180 Senior Seth Caine (walk-on) 6-3 200 Junior Last year's production (per game) Name PTS. 3-pt. ast. Michael Kuebler 18.1 2.9 2.3 Sottos 2.2 0.4 0.7 Nash 1.8 0.3 0.3 Top marks under coach Riley Wallace * Season Career Points: 625 1,734 Trevor Ruffin Chris Gaines 1993-94 1986-89 3-pointers: 97 178 Kuebler Predrag Savovic 2003-04 1999-2002 Assists: 125 344 Gaines Alika Smith 1989-90 1994-98 * Riley Wallace has coached the Rainbows since 1987

From Chris Gaines to Michael Kuebler, 2-guards have taken turns etching their names into UH basketball lore during head coach Riley Wallace's 17-year tenure.

Five -- Gaines, Alika Smith, Predrag Savovic, Phil Lott and Carl English -- shot their way into the program's 1,000-point club. Two more -- Kuebler (977) and Trevor Ruffin (967) -- finished within shouting distance of that group.

So the guards stepping into the role this year have a little history to live up to while working to establish themselves in the current UH scheme.

"I'm not too worried about history," sophomore Bobby Nash said. "I'm just worried about making this team the best team it can be."

Senior Jake Sottos and sophomores Nash and Matt Gibson are battling for the job this year, and all three could see extensive playing time.

In the UH system, the guard spots are somewhat interchangeable, allowing Sottos and Gibson to play the point when needed. With no one entrenched at either of the guard spots, practice has become a daily audition for playing time.

"We feed off each other," Gibson said. "In practice we're always getting better just because no positions are set yet. We're all still fighting and we're all still looking for our roles."

Unlike past seasons, this year's team doesn't have a featured returnee in the back court. Nash and Sottos played sparingly last season and Gibson transferred from Three Rivers (Mo.) Community College.

However, the Rainbows' tall and talented front line may take some pressure off the new-look guard tandem.

"This year's team is different in the sense that we don't have that guy," Wallace said. "That's OK because we have a good overall shooting team and our mentality now is to throw the ball to the open big man and see what he can do. We'll have a good inside-out combination and that may be a stronger team down the stretch."

Sottos bided his time behind Kuebler last year. He joined the program with a reputation as a long-distance threat and provided a glimpse of his potential by knocking down three 3-pointers in the first half of a UH win over Southern Methodist last season.

"Last year I kind of knew it was Kuebler's spot," Sottos said. "This year it's anyone's spot. I was learning from (Kuebler) a whole lot last year."

Nash knows better than any Rainbow player the legacy of UH shooting guards, having grown up with the program as the son of UH associate coach Bob Nash.

"I think the biggest person I looked up to was Carl (English)," Nash said. "He kind of took me under his wing when I was still in high school."

Gibson started alongside Sottos last week vs. UH-Hilo and finished with nine points and two steals in the exhibition match. He was among the top junior-college scorers in the nation last season and is working to integrate his game into the UH sets.