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Wednesday, December 20, 2000

Islanders confidence soaring
Near-miss against Texas, win over Tech shows team can play
By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times

Associated Press

Texas Tech guard Marcus Shropshire (10) and Islanders’ guard Brian Hamilton (21) battle for the ball during A&M-CC’s 86-80 win over the Red Raiders on Monday.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi left town last Friday knowing it was about to face the toughest test in the brief history of its men's basketball program. What the Islanders, or anyone else for that matter, didn't know was how well they would pass that test.
   Following its win over Texas Tech Monday night and an 8-point loss to Texas two days earlier, A&M-Corpus Christi returned home a legitimate Division I program, a scenario that hardly seemed likely in the weeks leading up to this road trip.
   Coming off four straight losses to lesser opposition, the Islanders righted their wayward ship thanks in part to what head coach Ronnie Arrow termed a commitment "back to the basics."
   "The word I kept using with these guys was 'accountability,'" Arrow said. "Everyone had to be accountable for the way they play. Now the guys understand if they are accountable as individuals, the team as a whole is pretty doggone good."
   A&M-Corpus Christi (4-6) looked pretty doggone good over the weekend, particularly in its 86-80 win over Tech Monday night in Lubbock. The team shot 53 percent from the field, 83 percent from the free-throw line, played solid defense and left town with the biggest win in program history.
   Perhaps most impressive, though, was the air of confidence the Islander players had when they walked into the United Spirit Arena. They knew they could have beaten Texas and they knew they were going to beat Tech.
   "We worked hard that last week," said senior Arunas Drasutis, who poured in 18 points against the Red Raiders. "The coaches were very energetic about winning, and when we played Texas, we felt that we could do it. By the time we got to Texas Tech, in our minds, we already knew we were going to win."
   Though senior forward Michael Hicks stole the show with his second-straight 33-point effort, the Islanders won this game because of the support Hicks got from his teammates.
   Drasutis provided the outside shooting, nailing four 3-pointers. Freshman Brian Evans was hardly fazed by the setting, finishing with 16 points, eight assists and no turnovers (backup C.J. McBride also failed to turn the ball over).
   And senior center Pathe Diene provided the muscle inside, hauling in six rebounds while forcing Tech big men Andy Ellis and Cliff Owens to stay on the perimeter or risk having their shots swatted away.
   "We can play against anybody," Drasutis said. "When we play our best game, we can beat anybody."
   Now, with their season-long six-game road trip behind them and their 5-game losing streak a thing of the past, the Islanders will look to sustain their success at home. They host Portland State Saturday at 2 p.m. in their first game at Memorial Coliseum in a month. Then after a break for the holidays, they return to the coliseum Dec. 28-29 for the Koch Petroleum Islander Invitional, a two-day tournament against Winthrop, Cleveland State and Birmingham-Southern.
   "Hopefully this propels us to be the team we should be," Arrow said. "There's still a lot of games to be won this year."



Staff writer Mark Zuckerman can be reached at 886-3747 or by e-mail at zuckermanm@caller.com

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