RAINBOW BASKETBALL
Rainbows return to work
Hawaii has two home games this week before resuming its conference basketball season
With a grueling Christmas week behind them and the new year swiftly approaching, the Hawaii basketball team is approaching this week's schedule looking to avoid a post-Rainbow Classic lull and protect its home floor against two nonconference opponents.
The Rainbow Warriors (6-3) have two games this week, starting with tomorrow's contest against North Carolina A&T (0-8), before jumping back into Western Athletic Conference action in early January.
"We're going to stick together," UH senior guard Deonte Tatum said. "We've still got a couple of games before the WAC, and guys are getting minutes who hadn't gotten a lot of minutes early. We're working out the kinks so we can all be on one page on the court."
UH faces the Aggies of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at 7:05 p.m. tomorrow at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbows also face Pennsylvania on Thursday before resuming the WAC schedule against Nevada on Jan. 5.
The Rainbows returned to practice yesterday following a third-place showing in the Rainbow Classic that ended Friday. While enjoying the holiday festivities, the team also got a needed breather after playing three games in four days.
"We needed some rest," Tatum said. "It was a long tournament, a lot of guys had to play a lot of minutes, so (the day off) was good."
The longer minutes some players received resulted partly from a shorter bench, and UH again had nine players available for practice yesterday as they got one key player back, only to have another go on the injured list.
"It's a good thing we're at home," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "If we get through it here at home we'll be all right."
Forward Julian Sensley was back on the court after sitting out Friday's game against Northwestern State with a strained Achilles' and worked with the first unit. Sensley leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game.
Center Chris Botez missed yesterday's practice due to costochronditis, an inflammation of the muscles around the rib cage that can cause pain in the chest and shortness of breath. Botez had a similar ailment earlier in the season and will be re-evaluated by a doctor tomorrow.
The 7-foot senior is averaging just 3.4 points per game this season, but gave the team quality minutes off the bench in the post during the Rainbow Classic.
UH forward Ahmet Gueye has been able to stay relatively healthy and is among the Rainbows' most consistent producers so far this season. He's scored in double figures in each game to average 14.4 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds.
North Carolina A&T's trip to Honolulu is part of a travel-heavy nonconference schedule. The Aggies have played just two home games and suffered lopsided losses at Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech, Nebraska and USC. After playing UH, they head back east to face Cincinnati on Friday to conclude a 13-day road trip.
Guard Demetrius Guions leads four Aggies averaging double-figure scoring with 13.6 points per game. As a team, the Aggies are shooting 37 percent from the floor.
Despite North Carolina A&T's struggles this season, the Rainbows vow not to discount the Aggies.
"They've got athletes, they'll pressure you full-court all the time, zone you some. So we just have to come in and get after it," Wallace said. "We'll get them ready."
"We're definitely not going to overlook them," Tatum said. "We don't want them to get that first win on us -- we'll be ready to play."
