FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Hawaii basketball coach Riley Wallace had an angioplasty performed on Wednesday and was back at practice yesterday.

UH’s Wallace
returns to court

The Rainbow Warriors coach
returns to practice after surgery
and is as intense as ever

The decibel level in Gym I on the University of Hawaii campus yesterday provided little indication that Riley Wallace had been in the hospital earlier this week.

Just a day after being discharged from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, the Hawaii basketball coach returned to practice with the same intensity he had before having surgery to clear a blocked artery.

The atmosphere in practice had been significantly quieter for the two sessions Wallace missed this week. But things were back to normal yesterday.

"It's a big difference," UH guard Deonte Tatum said. "Everybody has to pick it up. He demands that and he will let you know."

Wallace visited his doctor for tests early this week and had an angioplasty performed to clear his right coronary artery on Wednesday. He also had a stent inserted in the artery to improve blood flow.

He had the same procedure performed on his left coronary artery during the 1997-98 season. He was on the bench for a game two days after being released, but later decided to take two weeks off to recuperate after complaining of dizziness.

Associate coach Bob Nash guided the team for two games while Wallace rested at home in Hawaii Kai.

Wallace said improvements in medicine since then have accelerated the recovery process and he now has experience on his side.

"They're much more advanced in what they're doing now," Wallace said. "Of course, they know my system a little bit better, too. The processes have been sped up and are much more effective and the medicines have been good."

Nash and fellow assistants Jackson Wheeler and Bob Burke ran practice while Wallace was in the hospital this week. With seasoned assistants to pick up the slack, Wallace said he wasn't concerned with the progress of the team during his absence.

"We had talked about some things I wanted done and they did them and they looked pretty good," he said. "And the guys respect Nash, you don't have to worry about them."

The Rainbows have won their first five games and are preparing to defend their title in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, which opens on Monday.

UH, winner of the last three tournament championships, faces a Long Beach State team that has stumbled to a 1-5 start in the opening round. But Wallace is wary of overlooking the 49ers.

"They've played a tough schedule and everybody tells me they're getting better," Wallace said. "If you take them lightly they can beat you."

Among Long Beach State's defeats are road losses at Charlotte, UCLA and Loyola Marymount. The 49ers suffered a four-point loss to Pepperdine at home and lost to Portland on a buzzer-beater on Dec. 11.

The 49ers are led by 6-11 center Anthony Coleman, who averages 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Forward Shawn Hawkins is next at 13 points and five rebounds per game.

The Rainbows and 49ers meet at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at the Stan Sheriff Center. Georgetown plays Oral Roberts in the first game of the doubleheader at 5 p.m.

UAB faces Clemson at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and USC meets Indiana State at 7:30. The semifinals are Wednesday and the tournament concludes with the championship game at 7:30 on Thursday.