Men's Basketball: The Word from Hawaii 5
11/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2008
Aloha!
Monday was a business day for the team and staff. With the game against Oregon slated to be the last of four on the day at the EA Sports Maui Invitational, there was time early in the day for the players to rest while the coaching staff had breakfast followed by some final game preparations.
The players had their team brunch at 10:30 in the Whalers Room in the Westin. The room has served as the team's meeting place for the entire trip. On Monday morning the room served as the team's breakfast site before several players including Mikhail Torrance, Anthony Brock and Andrew Steele spent extensive time with academic adviser Lance Walker working on some class assignments to finish prior to Thanksgiving break.
At 11:30, the coaches and players headed to Lahainaluna High School for a shoot-around, returning to the hotel around 1:30. A couple of coaches, assistants James Holland and Phillip Pearson, went to the Lahaina Civic Center to scout the other teams. Texas defeated St. Joseph's in the tournament's first game on Monday morning, taking a 68-50 verdict in the opener. In the tournament's second game, Notre Dame walloped Indiana by a final count of 88-50.
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| Alabama fans made a solid showing for the Tide's first game of the tournament. |
While fans from North Carolina dominated the seating in the 2,400-seat Lahaina Civic Center during the Tar Heels' impressive victory, the 7 p.m. tipoff of our game with Oregon was a perfect opportunity for many Maui locals to attend a major college basketball game, and they filled the seats as well. It provided a neutral setting for the game, although the boisterous Oregon fans made plenty of noise. Alabama fans made a solid showing, as well. Unfortunately, we didn't have as much to cheer about.
Monday's loss makes it tough on the Tide. We have to come right back in the morning for an 11 a.m. Hawaii Time (3 p.m. Central Time) game with host team Chaminade. But there is actually a game taking place before ours. At 8:30 a.m. Hawaii Time (what a wake-up call!) St. Joseph's takes on Indiana. The winners of that game and our game with Chaminade are slated to meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. Hawaii Time (1 p.m. Central) in the final round of the tournament.
After our tough loss tonight, we're hoping for a pair of morning games to wrap up the tournament. For one, that would mean we win on Tuesday and follow up with a win on Wednesday morning.
The time difference makes for some interesting occurrences. For one thing, an Alabama football fan in Hawaii can take in ESPN College Game Day at 5 a.m., with games telecast live from the mainland as early as 7 a.m. On the other hand, the ESPN prime time game ends at about 7 p.m. Hawaii Time. So, if you lived here you could get a full day of college football viewing done and still be able to go out for a full evening on the town.
More importantly, this basketball team is still trying to find its way. Monday was a frustrating night for the guys. It was clearly evident that this team has learned some hard lessons very early in this season. But as the team left the locker room to return to the hotel, there was a sense of resolve from the players and coaches. There is a long way to go in this season, but they are being tested early. How they respond will determine the direction of their season.
