Wilton speaks to Rotary

KAPA’A — He’s the coach with the most all-time wins in the University of

Hawai’i men’s volleyball history, with a compiled record of 172-72. He guided

the Rainbows to back-to-back NCAA championship appearances in 1995 and 1996.

Through his volleyball system have traveled seven All-Americans and 14

all-conference performers.

Thursday at the Kapa’a Rotary Club meeting,

however, coach Mike Wilton showed a soft edge, spoke about things not entirely

related to volleyball and displayed a heartfelt parental instinct.

“I don’t

mind saying that a kid named Wilton was pretty good, too,” said Mike, as he

spoke about players and teams in the recent past. “I’m his dad and I’m biased

as heck, but I don’t mind saying that I’ve never had a kid that I enjoyed

coaching more than that kid.

“He played wall-to-wall and

ceiling-to-ceiling. He’d dive over chairs and I’ve never had a kid like that

since.”

Aaron is now an assistant with his father, and together the pair

will try in 2000-01 to devise a way to get more wins and put a nice product on

the floor.

“I think we’re going to be really good,” Mike told the rotary

club. “A lot of our teams have had talent, but what distinguishes this team is

their lack of selfishness. They seem to genuinely care about each

other.”

Wilton would like to see that sincerity lead to wins. His club

finished 19-10 last season. With the players he has returning, Wilton said he

certainly would like to see that win total improve.

“We played a lot of

freshmen last year,” Wilton said. “So now they’ve had a year in the loop, and I

think that will help us.”

One of those sophomores is outside hitter Costas

Theocharidis, an All-America selection last year. He will be joined on the

outside by all-conference performer Torry Tukuafu, a senior from Heber City,

UT, and Eyal Zimet, a sophomore out of Israel.

In the middle, Hawai’i will

benefit from the return of junior Dejan Miladinovic. The Serbia native was an

all-conference selection during his first two years in Honolulu, but suffered a

shoulder injury that forced him out of action last year.

“That really hurt

us to be without him last year,” Wilton said. “So it will be nice to have him

back.”

Joining Miladinovic will be senior Brenton Davis.

The only

question lingering for the Rainbows is at the setter position. Wilton will have

a freshman, Kimo Tuyay, handling the ball-control duties. The rookie will be

counted on to run the UH’s complex offense.

“I think he’ll be fine,” Wilton

said. “He played well in the exhibition games we had against BYU earlier this

season.”

The Rainbows split those contests, played on four consecutive

nights on different islands.

Tuyay and his teammates will have to be ready

for a challenge every night as the season gets underway. Playing in the

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with UCLA, USC, BYU, Long Beach State,

Stanford and the University of the Pacific, nary an easy night will exist,

according to Wilton.

“We’re going to play a tough schedule,” the coach

said. “But it’s not like we have any choice. Our conference is going to be

tough.”

Notes

Wahine’s chances

The University of Hawai’i

women’s volleyball team is scheduled to face Long Beach State in the third

round of the NCAA tournament Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Stan Sheriff

Center. The 49ers are the only team to defeat the Rainbow Wahine this season, a

3-1 victory November 25 in Long Beach. Wilton had some thoughts on the game,

and the UH women.

“I think the women (UH) are better than Long Beach

State,” the coach said. “But they do have some psychological hurdles to deal

with. Long Beach has had their number in the recent past. It should be a heck

of a match on Thursday.

Kaua’i boys at UH

Though NCAA rules forbid

Wilton from saying too much on the subject, the coach did share a few thoughts

about Kaua’i High School senior, and KIF All-Star, Mark Rodrigues.

“We want

him,” Wilton said. “That’s all I can say. We’d like him to come. But he has a

few decisions to make about which sport he wants to play.”

Rodrigues is

also a standout baseball player.

Wilton also spoke about Imai Karratti, a

sophomore this year, who was slated to play an increased role. Instead,

Karratti, who played his high school ball at Waimea, opted to give up the sport

so he could concentrate on his academics.

“That was hard, when he decided

that,” Wilton said. “Imai was getting his game to a point where he could come

in and get some playing time and really help us.”

Wilton said he tried to

talk Karratti out of giving up volleyball, but that he respected the player for

making his decision.

“He was going to be invaluable to us as a practice

player, if nothing else,” Wilton said. “But, of course, I had to leave the

decision up to him, and I know it wasn’t an easy decision.

“I see Imai

almost everyday, and he’s doing well in school and seems very happy.”