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POSTED: Friday, December 26, 2008

Bill Amis and three other returning Hawaii letterwinners have two excellent reasons to shoot for the 45th Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic title starting tomorrow.

               

     

 

 

45th Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic Day 1         » Hawaii vs. Colorado State, 7:35 p.m. tomorrow, Stan Sheriff Center: Also tomorrow, Vermont vs. George Washington, 5 p.m.         » TV: KFVE, Ch. 5         » Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM         » Tickets: Rainbow Classic Package (all tournament games), $90 lower seats, $70 upper. Evening session, $26 lower, $18 upper. Afternoon session, $7 (general admission).

Pride and legacy.

Hawaii was upset by Louisiana-Lafayette in the first round of the Classic last year, 61-59, with ensuing losses to St. John's and Georgia relegating the Rainbow Warriors to eighth place.

This year is the Rainbows' last chance to take a Classic title in its current format as the longest-running eight-team tournament in the country. Next year, it will be reformatted into a four-team round-robin style tourney played at or near the start of the season.

The nationally televised Diamond Head Classic will become Hawaii's signature holiday eight-team tournament starting next year.

“;It's of course the last Rainbow Classic and ... I know the guys who were on the team last year, it hurt to come out and play the way we did,”; Amis said. “;We have basically two incentives to come out and win this thing.”;

Point guard Kareem Nitoto and forwards Adhar Mayen and Paul Campbell were also participants for the Rainbows team that went 0-3 for the first time since 1995.

No team in this year's field appears head-and-shoulders over anyone else. In terms of winning percentage, George Washington (6-2) is tops. Colorado (6-3), Vermont (6-3), and Buffalo (5-4) could also be contenders.

The Rainbows (6-3) have played well for the last month, with six straight home wins and six victories in seven games overall. They open up at 7:30 p.m. against Colorado State (3-8), which has struggled to a six-game losing streak entering the tournament.

UH plays either Vermont or George Washington on Monday.

Coach Bob Nash, who put his players through an energetic 2-hour practice on Christmas Day, has emphasized looking beyond teams' records. The Rams boast the top scorer in the Mountain West Conference last year in senior guard Marcus Walker.

Nash also reminded the Rainbows they should be winning for the sake of winning.

“;I don't want to put too much on them,”; Nash said. “;We want to win the tournament because that's why we're in it. Not just for history's sake.”;

Here's a look at the eight-team tournament field:

Vermont (6-3)

Coach: Mike Lonergan (fourth year)

Conference: America East

Classic history: First appearance

Leading scorers: F Marqus Blakely, 17 ppg; G Mike Trimboli 16.3; F Colin McIntosh 13.1

Catamount notes: Senior guard Trimboli has earned two straight America East player of the week awards. ... The Catamounts are making the longest single trip by a Division I men's basketball team this season (more than 5,000 miles). ... Two of the team's losses (vs. George Mason and at Maryland) have come in overtime.

George Washington (6-2)

Coach: Karl Hobbs (eighth year)

Conference: Atlantic 10

Classic history: 1-2 (2000)

Leading scorers: F Rob Diggs 11.9 ppg; F Damian Hollis 11.6; G Noel Wilmore 10

Colonial notes: GW won at Sacramento State, 59-47, on Christmas Eve on the way to Hawaii. ... Hollis and Wilmore have combined for 30 blocks. ... Colonials had three straight 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament berths until last year's 9-17 campaign.

Colorado State (3-8)

Coach: Tim Miles (second year)

Conference: Mountain West

Classic history: 2-4 (1972, 2005)

Leading scorers: G Marcus Walker 15.8 ppg; F Andy Ogide 12.5; F Andre McFarland 10.6

Ram notes: CSU is 0-4 in road games. ... Walker led the Mountain West in points last season at 17.1 ppg as a junior. ... UH is just 2-9 against MWC teams since the conference's formation in 1999, with two of those losses to the Rams (2001, 2005 Rainbow Classic semifinal).

Hawaii (6-3)

Coach: Bob Nash (second year)

Conference: Western Athletic

Classic history: 72-60, 11-time champion

Leading scorers: F Roderick Flemings 19.1 ppg; F Petras Balocka 13.6; F Bill Amis 10.3

Rainbow Warrior notes: Flemings has scored in double figures in all nine games on a team-best 52.3 percent from the field. ... Before last year's eighth-place finish, UH had won five of six Classic titles, with the most recent a 76-60 win over Creighton in 2001. The previous time the Rainbows finished eighth was 1995.

Buffalo (5-4)

Coach: Reggie Witherspoon (10th year)

Conference: Mid-American

Classic history: First appearance

Leading scorers: G Rodney Pierce 17.1 ppg; G/F Calvin Betts 10.8 ppg; G/F Greg Gamble 10

Bull notes: Pierce scored 28 points to lead the team to the cusp of a huge upset (68-64 loss) against No. 2 Connecticut on Dec. 4. ... Betts is shooting 53.6 percent (15-for-28) on 3-pointers. ... Buffalo will play the Buffaloes of Colorado if both teams win or lose their quarterfinal games.

Pepperdine (1-11)

Coach: Tom Asbury (seventh year)

Conference: West Coast

Classic history: 1-2 (2003)

Leading scorers: G Keion Bell 11.7 ppg; F Mychel Thompson 10.2

Wave notes: Pepperdine won its first game against Division II Cal State Monterey Bay but has yet to beat a Division I opponent (11 straight losses). ... Of the Waves' 10 players averaging the most minutes, seven weren't on the roster last year. ... Freshmen account for 55.4 percent of Waves' points.

Colorado (6-3)

Coach: Jeff Bzdelik (second year)

Conference: Big 12

Classic history: 2-1 (1999)

Leading scorers: G Cory Higgins 17.9 ppg; G Dwight Thome II 12.3; F Austin Dufault 11.1

Buffalo notes: The Buffs are the only BCS conference team in the tournament ... Bzdelik coached the Denver Nuggets from 2002 to 2005 ... Buffs escaped with a 65-62 win at home over Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday. ... Colorado has already defeated rival and fellow Classic team Colorado State 75-56.

Coppin State (1-8)

Coach: Ron “;Fang”; Mitchell (23rd year)

Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic

Classic history: First appearance

Leading scorers: G Tywain McKee 20.6; G Jordan Lee 9.9

Eagle notes: The Eagles came to Hawaii last year, losing a stand-alone game to UH 79-58. ... Eight of the Eagles' games have been away (all losses). ... McKee leads MEAC and all Classic players in scoring and accounts for more than one-third of his team's offense.