UH lands JC cornerback, offensive tackle
By Stephen Tsai
UH yesterday received commitments from cornerback Melvin "Tank" Hopkins of Navarro College and left tackle Brett Leonard of Saddleback Community College.
Hopkins is 5 feet 10 and 165 pounds, and has been clocked at 4.38 seconds over 40 yards, according to his JC head coach.
Leonard is 6 feet 5 and 306 pounds. His line coach is Jackie Slater.
Both earn associate degrees next week, and will enroll at UH in January.
Here's Hopkins' video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht7_aOyV7D4
* * *
The Warriors are going to use the extra practice days as a mini camp, giving work to the redshirts and developing players. This will give them a boost for spring ball. Starting Wednesday, the Warriors will focus solely on Notre Dame.
* * *
Some of the Warriors participated in yesterday's Christmas party for foster families at the Blaisdell Center. Here's Adam Leonard:
Alex Walker, Dan Johnson, Brent Rausch, Tua Mahaley and Josh Rice strike a pose:
The Warrior Beat
December 15th, 2008 at 12:12 am
wow first
December 15th, 2008 at 12:13 am
WooHoo!
Welcome Tank and Brett!
December 15th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Nitey nite and sweet Warrior dreams!
December 15th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Tank and Chizzy. This could be an interesting class.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Geez, Jackie Slater is your line coach. That's a bit intimidating.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:18 am
that's less than 48 hours!
December 15th, 2008 at 12:19 am
stephen are these two walk on's or on scholarship?
with all the other commitments how many scholarships does the warriors have left?
December 15th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Top Ten Baby!
Awesome News!
Welcome Tank and Brett to Warrior Nation!
December 15th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Top 10!!
OK, nitey nite. See all in the am.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
December 15th, 2008 at 12:22 am
correct me if I wrong but wasn't JSlater an oline tackle for the rams when the team was still in LA.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Alright two more 3 star commitments including a much needed offensive tackle. Thanks for the great news ST! I'm glad I stayed up so late now.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:37 am
koakane: Yep, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle, his whole career with the Rams.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:49 am
And, of course, he's best known for bitch-slapping my favorite J-E-T Mark Gastineau.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Great news!
Hall of Fame, All-Pro... Jackie Slater #78.
http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?PLAYER_ID=197
December 15th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Thank Stephen for the report on the commits.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:05 am
How's the practice field?
I hope we can get solid practices before the Bowl game and not have to "CANCEL" or practice on the baseball field, Klum or St. Louis.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Why not focus solely on Notre Dame the whole time????
December 15th, 2008 at 1:14 am
They've got the game plan for Notre Dame, but they want to use the extra time to work out the new guys.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Mahalo for the info, ST.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:21 am
When does ND arrive and where they going to practice at?
December 15th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Morning gang. Up and @ 'em
Our bud, Larry Biel, plugging away on the Yahoo sports for the Hawaii bowl matchup being one of the best Non-BCS bowl games this season.
Good job Larry, and way to go staying connected.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:22 am
So how was 3 star RB, Isi Sofele's visit ? Reporting that he will make his decision after visiting SMU in January.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:30 am
Great decision Tank and Brett. Can't wait to see you guys play for the Warriors! Tanks ST ! Keep plugging Larry !
December 15th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Welcome to the Warriors Tank Hopkins and Brett Leonard!
LT was a *big* recruiting need and the team loses a lot of CBs, so this is great news! It is great that they took care of schoolwork so they can get to UH in January and get adjusted to school and go through Spring Practice!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:11 am
Good morning.
ST: condolences...He was also a great grandpa to the two grand babies!
Great news on all the new recruits.
Will be sitting in K yellow for bowl.
Kekoa: nephew? The one I know who is pretty big!
We worked the Marathon on Saturday setting up and opala crew on Sunday...muddy!
Well back lurking..
Hope all is well as can be after the rain...know the person whose car got smashed by tree on Thursday by I'olani Palace.
Go Warriors!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Aloha Kakahiaka Tsaiko's!
O-line left tackle Brett Leonard trained by HOF/7 time Pro Bowl OT Jackie Slater and ready to step up to the next level of extreme warfare is exciting!
Excellent report ST. This one is good for one late pass to practice this morning.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:31 am
jaM ~ Nope, not that Nephew, that one is a linebacker for Kapolei that Pride asked me about at one of the UH camps. He's still a work in progress, and getting taller!
This one is a RB for Saint Damien of (J. James). Quick like a swift (4.4) and strong enough to carry people along for the ride thru the secondary. After Kealoha & Kama graduated, he got his chance to shine. Pops sez he got spahkle!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Good morning Tsaikos everywhere.
Melvin Hopkins. Welcome, Warrior.
Brett Leonard. Whew! I am so excited tinkin about da possibilities wit you on da oline.
You two, work hard, play hard! Go Warriors!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Kekoa,
love dat cheer!
Capitol -ist/Wassup Doc,
hiya. hope your heater gets fixed soon.
for me, heaters are a luxury.
nuttin like cold watah to give yu da bumps!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Big Hilo ~ When you come ovah for T-gate, we can practice a few of our team cheers. Not goin' be "closed" practice like da Warriors. We make 'em fo errybody can yell LOUD & PROUD! Eh!...we get a few good men from da Marines can help us make noisy too!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:43 am
al, LizK,
48 hours pau last week!
that was the soak cycle.
now is time for agitation.
then comes da wringing.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Hiya Kekoa,
so you tink da Marines goin come back an join us at TGage.
nice buncha guyz.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Doze buggahs are used to excersing their leather lungs everyday at PT. That's all part of the Espirit De Corps. We just gotta unleash that animal inside da stadium and raise da noise level a few decibels! Hooooraaah!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:54 am
so, who is doing the master planning on the recruiting? Only Coach Mack? somebody had to be looking at Rivals.com and Scout.com.
Brett Leonard is all ova their spaces.
Brett Leonard get credentials! 3 to play 2
December 15th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Good morning Tsaikos. great news about our latest commits. i do not know masa y, but over the years, he has done a great job for waipahu and the community. my sincere condolences to his family and thank you masa for all your contributions.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Tony T. is da man wid da plan BHF2.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Howzit Whitey!...I had this visual of you cleaning out da cage at da Palms Casino. Da Maloof Braddahs was begging you to stay one more day so dey could recoup da million smackers you walked away wit. Hehehe!
Come September, all da Tsaikos goin' make like Oceans 11 and scoop da slot tourney!
December 15th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Good Morning Tsaikos!!
Welcome Brett and Tank to the Warrior Ohana!!
December 15th, 2008 at 7:21 am
holy kadoodles!
next week we get ND by da nawts!
December 15th, 2008 at 7:22 am
I like see all da Warriors get to make memories!
Go Warriors!
December 15th, 2008 at 7:27 am
hi ho hi ho
gotta go work.
esme wooooshhhhhhhh!
Go Warriors!!!!!
December 15th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Wow, I just had a telecon with 7 or 8 people from one of the biggest defense contractors...keeping up with all of the different questions was tiring but very, very positive. Hopefully I can build this up and be in a position to help Na Koa and others.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:37 am
I can blog for a few minutes before I have to meet with my law firm....
Colt McCoy wants to break Colt Brennan's records. They talk about McCoy's accuracy now just like how UH talked about Colt's accuracy last year.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Morning Tsaikos!
Welcome Mr. Hopkins & Mr. Leonard.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:38 am
I found 5 articles that mentioned Bess. I'll post them and get back to work.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:39 am
December 15th, 2008 at 7:40 am
December 15th, 2008 at 7:40 am
December 15th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Off to work now. Funny how I actually look forward to meeting with my lawyers today. Maybe part of that is that they are providing lunch...
December 15th, 2008 at 7:55 am
hopefully we got our bookend tackles for the next 2 years w/ lacount and Brett leonard. good size on both them tackles. c'mon coach smith, it's on you now...
December 15th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Too bad he is a "system" quarterback, that's the reason he didn't win the Heisman and will not be able to make it in the NFL....
December 15th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Good morning Tsaikos and Tsaikettes…
More good news.....
Just a quick reminder gang before I have to leave….busy busy again today…
Its that Holiday time again…..
2nd Annual Tsaiko Christmas Party
6:30 p.m., December 18th, 2008
Murphy’s Bar and Grill
2 Merchant St
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 531-0422
Parking is available in the Harbor Court building (entrance on Bethel Street) or in the pay lot next to Murphy’s.
Party will be pupu style/order off menu and drinks. More details to follow.
We will also be having games so we are asking everyone to bring $1 for the games and than, if we are amenable, we will be collecting the money for a donation to the Advertiser Christmas Fund. There will be prizes.
Also, if anyone wants to just donate, they will be more than welcome to do so.
This one is important…cake will also be served Bwahahahahahahahahahaha
Please RSVP me at jgo8464822@aol.com if you can so that I can figure out how many will be attending.
See Steve M’s website for more information.
Thanks.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Stretch...I was thinking the same thing...LMAO
I also saw future warrior George Daly Lyles playing on FSN West. The announcers had nothing but praise for him and talked about what a steal Hawaii was getting.......awesome.....
December 15th, 2008 at 8:00 am
okay...gotta go....Esme and out....
December 15th, 2008 at 8:04 am
GARRET:
The Greeks had a saying - beware of lawyers that buy you lunch!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Good Morning from the land where you dont need a freezer. Just go outside. Hope everyone has a good week.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Leonard is a key pickup. He sounds like a very good Left Tackle and if he can start right away it will give the Freshman pickups time to develop.
Great job on the recruiting! This may be our best class in the last 20 years! Certainly in the top 3 though you can't really evaluate until 2-4 years later.
The key here is the effort McMackin has put into recruiting and the changes to the recruiting philosophy overall. A lot of that has to do with a greater budget but a lot of that is McMackin's philosophy. I can't wait til he's had 3-4 classes come in with "his" guys!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:12 am
You are absolutely correct Stretch!
It won't make any difference if McCoy breaks Brennan's record, who cares about a WAC QB who was a 6th round draft pick who languished on the Redskins bench this year. He's just another system QB, and everybody knows they just throw the ball all over the field and somebody will run under it.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:13 am
tom,
I've gotten a lot of lunches from my law firm...they are good people and the food is always good! Today's seminar is over some boring but necessary stuff (learning about the change in ethics rules for government contractors), so they are providing lunch to get people to show up. After the seminar I'm going to meet with the lawyers about the deal that I've been discussing with that other company.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Stretch,
Both Graham Harrell and Colt McCoy have *already* been labeled system QBs. They don't think that Harrell will even be drafted...so, the label goes with Big 12 QBs and not just UH.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Okay, now I really do have to go...
December 15th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Man, this is like the twelve days of Christmas. A new recruit almost everyday. Way to go Mack & Co.! Keep 'em comin ST! And for the twelfth day of Christmas, I want a victory in the Hawaii Bowl!
Go Warriors!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Gotta head over to Tripler and get Pop's Energizer Battery re-charged. He wore out 5 already, and the old one almost stopped running last week. We've been push starting him since.
Ya'll have a good time now! BBL
December 15th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Hawaii has had real good success recruiting the Leonard family. I'm sure Leonard will be a real ball player like his two older brothers Adam and Josh were.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Great Morning All!
Nice job with the two new recruits! Addressing immediate needs; building for the future...
Have a great day erryboddy!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Curveball, still praying for you and your family.
Hawaiianbod, praying for your family also. If you guys need anything don't hesitate to ask.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Was CB's completion percentage just during his time at Hawaii? I wasn't sure if they figured in his year at junior college also.
Colt McCoy has nothing on CB!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Good luck, Garret!
Pride. Yep- gotta always have 1 or 2 Leonards on da team. Big, diverse family, dem!
HIHO!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Can I hire you to do some PI work, you are goooooood!!
December 15th, 2008 at 9:02 am
From yesterday's blog:
Anyone up for food & beverages and some tv sports late next Saturday morning in exchange for help in moving a very large dog house from our back yard into the carport? It will take maybe as much as ten minutes all totaled. We live in Kailua - the Enchanted Lake area.
One of DrDoc’s contractor clients built a beautiful and very large house for Saturn The Dog, but now that Saturn has been diagnosed with lymphoma and won’t be able to overcome it in the long run, we need to move his house under cover in the carport in order to make him less vulnerable to the wind and rain.
It will take about four guys plus DrDoc. Is there anyone here on the blog who can help out? You’re welcome to bring along your SigOth and kids/grandkids as well for the party. Please send an e-mail to swood at hoku dot com if you can. Mahalo.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:08 am
WDoc,
Sorry, but I'm working on Saturday.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:14 am
WD:
Sorry my daughter has a soccer game at Kalani.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Aloha WDoc,
I can come by this week sometime to help out in the afternoon, but weekends are busy. I can also round up a few guys if needed. Check your email.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:21 am
congrats rod flemings, hopefully one of many many more to come
December 15th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Colt Brennan is the real McCoy.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Morning/afternoon, Tsaiko-Nation and Tsai-Meister.
Man, just what the Doctor ordered, another 6'5", 300 + p, O-Tackle, well trained already and ready to go in spring. It doesn't get much better than this.
With the red-shirting JC's coming in at receiver, we'll be pretty solid and big Mack has just started.
This really could become a perennial top 20 team in a couple of years, maybe even next year,especially if they find their agressive offense again..
December 15th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Pride, Stretch: Does Brett Leonard have Bulla Ginlack or Josh Leonard "do"?
Welcome on board to the Warriors, Melvin and Brett
December 15th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Stephen,
Any change to Coach Mack's initial plan for closed practices for the SHB?
December 15th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Good morning everyone!
Welcome to Melvin Hopkins and Brett Leonard!
At work today, so will look in at lunch time...
BTW, Midnight gave me a tips on obtaining a karaoke mic system locally...and look at chip #12.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Welcome to the Warriors, Tank and Brett!
December 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I find it interesting that under JJ's old recruiting policy, he wouldn't recruit until the season ended, yet this, his first at SMU, he did most of his recruiting during the season.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Aloha Kakahiaka!
Okeydokey,
Airline price war time-
$39 fares are available just in time for the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl!
I just booked Ukuboi and myself on HA and got a room at the Plaza with the savings.
Decided to return the next day to help prepare/serve dinner for the families in transition.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:42 am
A certain local guy played defensive back in the NFL and had the oppurtunity to take it to Jackie Slater. Jackie was looking inside and didn't see the blitzing safety coming from the outside perimeter. Just as Jackie turned to check outside he was hit in the chin buy local boy's helmet, giving him a very pleasant surprise.
A few series later, local DB was assigned to blitz again, and just like before caught Jackie Slater peering inside for a stunting linebacker. Just as local guy was about to put his helmet in Jackie's chin again, a huge grizzly like paw struck our boy in the face, with such a large impact that it lifted him off of the ground and onto his back. Just then our boy heard a low, deep, gravelly, voice reply, "Don't you ever blindside me like that again............rrrrookie."
December 15th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Hopefully Brett Leonard will be the same type of intimidating force that his tutor was during his playing days.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:50 am
MELVIN HOPKINS & BRETT LEONARD:
MOST HEARTLY WELCOME TO THE WARRIOR FAMILY AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR MANY SUCCESES AT UH.
ST:
Is this 4 of 10 or 5 of 10 for recruits who visited on the Cincy game?
Kudos to Coach Mack for setting the tone and Coach Tuioti for getting the commits.
HAKA:
That is a most interesting point on June Jones - WHY the sudden change in his recruiting "modus operandi"?
December 15th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Liz - be careful with those fares, if you have to change the flight, you will pay a BIG penalty, probably more than what you paid for the ticket.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Aloha Tsaiko Nation!
Continuing to enjoy the parade of Commits! And glad to see another Leonard aboard. We've had really good experiences with guys named Leonard in the past (besides the 2 current ones, don't forget Peters!!)
I'm trying to arrange a quick trip to the big city for the game next week. If can, I'll definitely stop by the T-Gate. I'd like to get a seat in a Tsaiko-populated section of the stadium -- any suggestions for where that might be?
Mahalo! And GO WARRIORS!!
December 15th, 2008 at 10:59 am
unkanesson - d1 might have an extra ticket, need to check with him. If not, they are in Blue Section C Rows 43-45
December 15th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Stretch- thanks.
If I need to, I can buy another ticket instead of changing the old one
December 15th, 2008 at 11:26 am
i am sure that slater was asked about leonard's potential. between miano and mack they must have some connection with former all pro ot other than miano's kissing the ground experience.
hopkins sounds like ryan mouton type. i am sure that the navarro cc connection started by erob had something to do with this. i was just surprised that we didn't get any blinn cc talent this year.
all we need for the frosting on the cake is an isi or a hs dick butkus award winner.
...reload baby!
December 15th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Pride. - #83 LMAO. Wonder if local DB remembers that.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Aloha kakahiaka!
Great news about "Tank" & Brett!
December 15th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I'm hoping we still land Destin Stewart. He's supposed to be visiting soon and I hope he commits.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Alright we got another Leonard. Wooooooopeeeeeee..............
December 15th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Love that story, Pride.
I was thinking — I wonder if giving a couple days to work out the redshirts and developing players will allow for the starters to take their finals early, get those over with so that they can concentrate on football the rest of the week.
I personally would like to just skip finals. Ah, senioritis kicking in already, and I still have a semester to go. Five posts from now, al will admonish me for saying that.
Okay, gotta study.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
If you forgot to go take your final, then it's senioritis, and yes, al will tell you all about it, if he remembers.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Stretch - How come you don't have football pics from Aloha Stadium? You should have taken some of the opposing coaches getting all habut before they frost the glass.
What's with the glass frosting? Are the coaches are feeling that intimidated? I thought that was the point of home field advantage...a hostile environment. Better take away the "gauntlet" and "bone yard" from Fresno! I mean really, are we still talking about football?
December 15th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Should say: Are the coaches feelin that intimidated by "some fan?"
December 15th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Unkanesson,
e-mail me. dean(dot)shima(at)gmail(dot)com
To other Tsaikos who contacted me about the block of Hawaii Bowl tix,
If you haven't contacted me about payment/confirmation yet please do so post haste.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Just checked the SHB site and no Event Schedule yet
December 15th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
...also no fo'get about Leonard's Malasadas!
heheheh
December 15th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Rob25- and his whiteboard???? Mr. Potato Head????
December 15th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Aloha Tsaiko's..
Condolences to the Masa Yonamine ohana. The sports community has lost a great sportsman. He shaped and molded a lot of youngsters and he wil be sorely missed.
Great news on the recruiting front and it's shaping up to be a good recruiting year.
The O-line prospects look really good for next year. Can't wait for spring ball. Defense, reloading.
Will Beavers be in the mix next season? I hear he is one stud on the D-line.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
NorthShoreFan:
Unsure if Beavers has lost the necessary weight the coaching staff asked of him BEFORE he could join the team. Does that mean he "redshirted" this year?
He would be a great addition in the middle of the D-line!!!
December 15th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I don't want to incriminate myself.
BTW - this season I have been pretty mellow (except this past Cinci game). Don't want to create headaches for people when others complain.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
And then again you "lost" your whiteboard!
I wonder if that was a "head" ache for someone!
December 15th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
rob25 - ssshhhhhhhh.....
December 15th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
OK on to other subjects...like my daughter's jv soccer team beating Moanalua!
Kaiser JV girls soccer has beaten Moanalua, Castle and Kalaheo, losing only to Kahuku. They are in second place. Those Kahuku girls are tall and aggressive! They play Kalani this weekend.
GO Lady Cougars!
December 15th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Rob25 - your daughter's soccer team would take an azz-whooping if they played the Mililani jv team.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Wafan, LV,
Sorry I couldn't make the mini CC with you - as mentioned, I had grand daughter in town over the weekend. Poor girl, wanted to see snow- when we left for the A/P this morning, it started to snow westside. It's been snowing and accumulated approx. 2 inches.... must be left over from wafan side.
Any snow down by LV's house?
Glad to read about the new Warriors to the Ohana!
Back to making my snowman.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
*cough* SMU! *cough*
December 15th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
we shoulda got justin jordan from blinn cc this year! but yeah, lets keep the blinn and navarro pipeline going. nice pickups. is there going to be a press conference or anything on wednesday? is mack going to at least comment on the JC recruits? do the high school kids sign LOI on the 17th as well? or do they just enroll in january...
December 15th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Thanks to Coach Mack and some of his players for coming out to the Foster Family Christmas Party at the NBC yesterday. Steve introduced me to Adam Leonard.
Steve told me a funny story that happened at the Christmas party. I called him on the cell and told him that Coach Mack and the UH players are at the NBC. He was supposed to be there early since we were volunteering to do the face painting. When Steve did come, he took some pictures of the players, and one of the volunteers in charge told him, No autographs...just pictures. I just thought that was funny. (The UH players were signing autographs...but I really don't know when or why the lady told Steve that. Maybe he cut in line to try and take a picture...I don't know.)
December 15th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
A house and Haka from what I understand, JJ and his staff recruited by internet and phone, difficult to close early in the recruiting process. with JJ gone, I believe coach mac got a boost in recruiting funds over the 50K jj had and Tuioti position was created...At SMU his budget is 500K, and his recruiters can drive to a ball game and his recruits likewise can drive to campus saving lots of money...JJ is focusing most of his recruiting in the dallas fort worth area and there are lots of talent in that region alone...his clinics drew over 300+ fb players last spring, this year should be a lot more and this is with a 1-11 team....
December 15th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
wena - ST is one of the UH Football groupies.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
That makes sense. Thanks Ralph.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Ralph,
JJ is also doing home visits all around the state of Texas. I think that the increased budget and having a director of football operations (who can do many of the tasks that Tony Tuioti is doing now for UH) makes a big difference.
Remember, JJ offered to reduce his salary to pay for others who could help the Warrior program and HF refused. Not only would it have been impossible to get the funds for a recruiting coordinator under HF, I really think HF would have refused to let JJ pay for that position out of his own salary!
One correction to haka's post--JJ didn't just do most of his recruiting during the season, he got most of his commitments *before* the season. I think that SMU had something like 16-18 commits when the season began.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Ralph,
From what I read and heard from others here, an increased recruiting budget was one requirement Mac had for taking UH's job. Also, the free flights on Hawaiian Airlines for the coaches to recruit really does help stretch the recruiting budget!
December 15th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Some recruiting gets done VERY early. Here is an example. This kid got a Virginia Tech offer before he began high school and he's only 5'10" and 145 pounds!
December 15th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Hey, thanks Bulla. I stole his joke today.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
More about this kid from his middle school days:
December 15th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
December 15th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
computer is very slow refreshing today....opening new tabs even slower for HA
December 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
The Humanitarian Bowl is going to have MAJOR problems this year with attendance. That is a problem for UH, since the money that the Humanitarian Bowl loses will be taken from the Bowl profits from the other WAC teams, so each WAC team will get a lot less money because BSU is playing in San Diego instead of in Boise. If BSU played in their home bowl and Nevada went to the Pointsettia Bowl, the WAC (and UH) would make a lot more money.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I like how Nevada assistant athletic director Chad Hartley tries to spin the fact that Nevada has only sold about *100* tickets to the Humanitarian Bowl so far! At least that was up from the 8 they had sold last week Monday.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Al, I don't remember the guy's name, but it wasn't Miano.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
is that due to senioritis??
December 15th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Re: Humanitarian Bowl
If I was a resident in Boise, I wouldn't go to the bowl game. It is the second year in a row that the people of Boise get shafted and the team plays elsewhere. I guess there are opportunities for the BSU football team, but it must be getting old for the fans to have to watch other teams play in the bowl game.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Pictures from QB Club luncheon, Tsai started things off with Bulla's joke.
http://picasaweb.google.com/808Cruiser/121508?authkey=wjHXFtwitCY#
December 15th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
All June Jones needs is a good O-Line coach, a good DC, and a good special teams coach.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
who's alex walker? o_O
December 15th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
al - maybe it was Dana McLemore.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Pride,
JJ has a very good special teams coach (Gansz) right now and they improved significantly from the year before on special teams. They didn't have great talent on their roster but they did cover kicks better and they blocked well for their kicker/punter.
Defense is a big problem for SMU, especially the talent on D (especially DL). I don't think Fresno State's former LB coach was JJ's first choice for DC (that was Mac) or even in the top 3 or 5...but he was hiring pretty late in the process.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
lewis walker??
December 15th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Pride,
I really did enjoy the Jackie Slater story! I grew up a Rams fan and was a big fan of his.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
letsgowarriors,
Lewis Walker info can be found at the above link. He committed to the Warriors in January.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
SMU has a good st coach in Ganz! the SMU players and fans write good things about bulla's twin at OL...but the DC is getting his share of thumbs down, the team is dead last or near the abyss in a lot of defensive categories...but JJ started 22 freshmen and red shirt freshmen and a bunch of soph and took his lumps, a lot of juniors and seniors sat on the bench...he had a whole year to recruit this incoming class, interesting to see who starts next season...
December 15th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
who is alex walker and dan johnson?
December 15th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Garret - #119, 121, 122 - are there not limits on the number of years a kid can play hs sports? or is it just an age thing? back in the dark ages when I was in high school, one of my classmates couldn't play his senior year because he turned 19 before the end of the school year.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
who is lewis walker?
December 15th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
btw speaking of Melvin, if you go to the stadium and see an HPD officer C. MELVIN, it's not former Rainbow Warrior Calvin Melvin. It's his brother
btw2 speaking of Leonard, former Rainbow Warrior WR Leonard Lau has a son Ezekiel who is killing it on the local amateur surfing scene
btw3 speaking of Leonard, does any of you have Chinese friends who pronounce Leonard... Lennit?
December 15th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
how come my computer refreshes faster with firefox than chrome? Chrome is a faster browser per techies or is the HA server not friendly with chrome?
December 15th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
garrett, thanks for the link to lewis walker. i know who he is. i was referring to "alex walker" caption in tsais blog pic.
ralph, dan johnson is an OL from the state of washington. he is a junior.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
lewis walker is a freshman CB on UH that is redshirting this year. i think tsai mistakenly named him "alex" above.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Ralph - re #137 - I remember a couple of years during the JJ era when the Warrior D was almost dead last in Div I-A. Pre-Glanville?
December 15th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Ralph: Lewis Walker is a freshman cornerback who is redshirting this year. I'm high on him, he looked like a solid athlete in fall camp.
Pride.: Dick Vermeil once called Frank Gansz the best special teams coach ever. He won two special teams coach of the year awards in the NFL. The guy is a legend. I believe JJ brought him in one spring camp to work with special teams.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Many mahalos to the Warriors who participated in the Christmas party for foster families. It's great when these players take the time to "give back to the community"...
December 15th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Ralph - yes
December 15th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
letsgowarriors,
My bad, I just noticed that you were asking about Alex Walker and I pointed to Lewis Walker's info!
December 15th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
jm2375,
I believe that each athlete can play hs sports for 4 years. The age thing depends on the state...lots of kids are held back in places like the south in order to get bigger for sports (at least that is how it seems to me).
Lots of boys in my daughter's schools have been held back an extra year and start Kindergarten at 6 years old because their parents want them to be more mature before they start school. I do think that is a big advantage for those kids in school and in sports.
It is crazy that middle school athletes are getting scholarship offers and being followed around by coaches and recruiting services...
December 15th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
The only Alex Walker I could find is a freshman football player at Georgia Tech. So, I'm guessing that was a typo by ST.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Ralph,
Dan Johnson was in the same recruiting class for UH as Colt, Blaze, Adam Leonard, Sol, etc.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Check out how scout.com gave 1 start to John Fonoti and 2 stars to Adam Leonard and Sol!
December 15th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
no,no,no......alex walker is the long lost twin of lewis walker, the redshirt freshman defensive back.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Good afternoon gang...taking a break...
Just a quick reminder...…
Its that Holiday time again…..
2nd Annual Tsaiko Christmas Party
6:30 p.m., December 18th, 2008
Murphy’s Bar and Grill
2 Merchant St
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 531-0422
Parking is available in the Harbor Court building (entrance on Bethel Street) or in the pay lot next to Murphy’s.
Party will be pupu style/order off menu and drinks. More details to follow.
We will also be having games so we are asking everyone to bring $1 for the games and than, if we are amenable, we will be collecting the money for a donation to the Advertiser Christmas Fund. There will be prizes.
Also, if anyone wants to just donate, they will be more than welcome to do so.
This one is important…cake will also be served Bwahahahahahahahahahaha
Please RSVP me at jgo8464822@aol.com if you can so that I can figure out how many will be attending.
See Steve M’s website for more information.
Thanks.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
jm#### - as you can see, some states allow playing up. so if you are good enough then you can play high school sports as a middle school or junior high student.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
(J)J - after the Christmas party you plan on hanging out on Merchant St?
December 15th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Is it safe to say that the players pictured above are red shirts?
December 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
homey...nope...I think wreck might be...although I heard Koakane said he may meet up with Koamahu there.....LMAO
December 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
ralph....i got your joke on #138 & 140.
letsgo....i got your joke on #134
December 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
homey - i'm assume HHSAA doesn't allow that here? otherwise, kids like Kanoe Kamanao would have been playing from the 7th or 8th grade.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
homey....could have been blane gaison???
December 15th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
tsai-
It's raining again....
December 15th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
lizk....just meander over to hamura's and you will feel better.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
princess video:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081215/BREAKING02/81215057
December 15th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
or maybe Glaine Baison?
December 15th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Dear Tsai-kos- curveball reports Kristin has improved and is able to walk around again! Mahalo, Ke Akua!!!
December 15th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
oops I pooped my pants
December 15th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Wasn't Dan Johnson highly recruited out of Washington? Any chance of him getting some playing time?
December 15th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
al- TMI!
December 15th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
So with all the recent rain, has there been any setbacks in the completion of the Ching/Cooke field turf?
December 15th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
homey why do you think jamie makes the parties at murphy's. It's near his stomping grounds. he is the original kmahu.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
J-Dog,
From what I saw on Saturday night looks like the entire thing was rolled out. I could see that the end zone towards the complex was down on the ground and you could see "HAWAII" printed on and seeing that they started from the opposite endzone you can tell they are sooooooo close to completion.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Looking forward to seeing everyone at the holiday party. I'll be in Kona for the Hawaii Bowl (hosting a rather large Hawaii Bowl / Holiday Party at my house in Kona so I wont see you guys at the game.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Kazz the season is so close to be ending......can it be completed by next tuesday, at least one day on the new field before heading for the hotel...
December 15th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Pride.,
Was thinking Miano also but agree with Homey, McLemore would be a good candidate since they were Divisional rivals.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Eh, better for them to just take their time, make sure everything is installed properly; wouldn't want to get anyone hurt because they tried to rush it just for one or two practices.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Ralph... I don't think so.
When I saw it, it was raining and dark but the entire turf is indeed laid out. I think they just need to get the goal posts in.
Besides I think the weather may hold up all the way until the Hawaii Bowl.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
homey - They already got the beat down during the pre-season from the Mililani JV!
Stop being such a punk!
December 15th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
*cough* SMU25! *cough*
December 15th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Utah fans don't seem to care about supporting their team at the Sugar Bowl.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
humble sensei al, are you coming to maui tomorrow or wed?????
December 15th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Illinois sure spends a lot in recruiting...
December 15th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
TE is transferring from Notre Dame
December 15th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Garret and Jason,
What I meant that, on a yearly basis, if June has a good O-line coach, good special teams coach, and a good D.C. his teams would be literally unstoppable.
But then after saying it, I realized that we be the same with all offensive geniuses.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Samson is taking some criticism in Miami. He's one of three Dolphins listed as having their stock down.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
shiiroi one
see your email please.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Pride,
Now I understand your comment...and of course you are correct.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
pride. i caught your thoughts.
i have a question for you.
you know how they say too many chefs spoil the soup.
do you think the same applies in coaching football?
lets say oline for example, shouldn't there be one oline coach who may have a student assistant to help demonstrate or keep stats. of course, he needs to be on the same page as the coach and follow exactly his instructions. therefore, one method is taught and not several.
what say you????
December 15th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Yes Al, that cheap shot on Jackie Slater was none other than Blaine Gaison who was then a Falcon and played against Jackie Slater and the Rams twice a year.
By the way Blaine's son Kepa is in the starting rotation at linebacker on the Utah football team. Family is scrambling like the Hawaii fans were last year to get up to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.
Luckily for Kepa, Kyle Whittingham made his coach Kalani Sitake the DC for the 2009 season. That would prevent Sitake from following Gary Anderson to Utah State where he was offered the D.C. job there.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I think every team needs a good OL coach, special teams coach, OC, and DC. With JJ, the OC is set. With Mac, the D will always be solid.
Some head coaches with a background on one side of the ball do not guarantee success on that side (Mumme at NMSU, etc.). But I have the utmost respect for Mac and JJ on their respective expertise.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Al,
I agree with you. Both coaches will definitely need to be on the same page.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
ditto garret....every team needs excellence in teaching the game at all positions.
equally important is how you motivate and inspire them to reach beyond their potential.
now that is a good coach!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
▌equally important is how you motivate and inspire them to reach
▌beyond their potential.
That's what I'm trying to learn now. That's what Rolo, Smith, and these young coaches are also trying to learn now. I'm hoping we're all successful, cause we all have talented kids, whether it be in math or football. But it's our job to help them realize their potential.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
UH TO BE THE GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS FROM NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame is going to have to do MORE than us to win the Hawaii Bowl. This is not me taking the game lightly, but just stating the facts.
Jimmy Clausen's reputation of forcing balls into coverage upon pressure does not bode well for them considering their offensive line is as questionable as ours at times. Our front seven has been awesome all year long and they must be foaming at the mouth at this opportunity.
Notre Dame's players, for the most part, have not had to travel so far to play a football game and a lot of them have never even been to Hawaii so regardless of all the "all business talk", the shock of spending the winter in paradise as opposed to South Bend will catch them off guard.
We come into the Hawaii Bowl wounded from the give away loss to Cincy pissed off and angry and anxious, where as Notre Dame comes in limping with a loss at home to Syracuse and an expected blow out by SC (blowouts are never good even if you expect them).
Charlie Weis will have some obstacles to overcome himself with having to undergo surgery before the flight to Honolulu and I am still not convinced that Weiss is the kind of coach that the kids at South Bend would "take a bullet" for so I won't even bother to factor in "Notre Dame will play to win for their coach" stuff.
Our boys get to stay home, our seniors get to spend a little more time in Hawaii Nei, everything is as it should be for them and no BIG adjustments need to be made off the field. On the field, it's the same thing. The things that killed us and allowed Cincy to come back to win the game is the conservative play calling and the players loosing focus in the dying moments of a well played game. Both things can be fixed. It's easier to get results off attempts to improve past situations when you know the skill and ability to win were there and everyone had a brain fart.
The fact remains, Cincy did NOT deserve to win that game against us, we lost it for ourselves plain and simple.
Right now, with all that I have mentioned, there is NO excuse for NOT beating the Irish on Christmas eve.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
is there an idiots guide to coaching OL...the publishers offer a guide for practically everything else....
December 15th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
***Off topic tidbit***
Sports Authority at Waikele is selling #1 UA home jerseys in ladies sizes.
So all da Greg Salas stalking Wahines can at least dress the part!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Stories out of Punahou in the early seventies say that Charlie Ane would go around and motivate the football team by asking players if they wanted a big old size fifteen shoe up their butt. Legend has it that he motivated more than a few players to reach their potential that way.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Ralph: There is a great book that I just so happened to find at a bookstore one day. It's called Play Football the NFL Way. It's a great textbook on the fundamentals of all positions. It contains diagrams for drills, explanations of what players are supposed to do, etc. It's a bit dated (1990), but still pretty good. I am slowly going through the book, studying everything that it says.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Jason scan the OL section and e mail an attachment to coach Brian...
December 15th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
December 15th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
ralph....i beg to differ. you are barking up the wrong tree.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
why do you beg to differ Al, 10 sacks in the last two games alone...how many qb hurries and at least one deflection for an interception...
December 15th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
add the false starts and holding because the OL is compensating for the quickness of the DE and DT charge...Cincy had a four men rush, not an extensive package of blitzes to put pressure on alexander....if alexander is given time with his slow windup, he is accurate enough to complete most of his passes.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
coach ron is conservative from the third quarter on but everything starts with the OL on offense. ESPN bowl mania, as bad as ND is and they favor Hawaii, they state the game will be close because UH doesn't do a good job run or pass blocking...
December 15th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
ralph....i sent you a love letter.
and btw why are you blaming brian smith? he hasn't played in years. he inherited these guys didn't he?
December 15th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Have a nice night everyone. Gotta run....
December 15th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
He is the coach, the players we have are good athletes and the new recruits aren't that much better coming, its how they are molded after they get here will we see their potential...another facet of coaching is the adjustments made during game time, i'm sure they are well versed and practiced a lot of techniques during practice but the coach I got see what should work and help make the adjustments...
December 15th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Al replied to your e mail...
December 15th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Ralph - ... cuts sharply with and without the knife!
December 15th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
ok, al san. got all 3 mail. must be using your new toy.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
is that right, a 290 center for chicago state....i hope he doesn't land on Flemings foot.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
...or Nitoto's toes...
December 15th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Wow, watching the Bows play CSU, the audio is only 14 mins behind the video feed. Tried listening to the 1420 audio and watching the game, but thats 10 sec in front of the video stream, kind of annoying.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
whitey...3?
December 15th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
if i ran a 5.5 forty and i am the safety in the middle of the field when this guy malcolm salas catches the ball ten yards in front of me and then makes a move on me and takes off to the flag with his 4.28 forty speed....now i don't have any angle on him....can i catch him at the 2 yard line?
i don't think so. but, i'll blame my coach for poor techinique.
right.
larry price says it all the time, "physical superiority beats.............all the time". no matter if lombardi was the coach.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
what was it?
"physical superiority cancels out all theory"
December 15th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
whitey read your e mail with his trifocals, wondering why all three messages are the same..
December 15th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
if you ran a 5.5 forty, why are you even playing...you should be in the stands with the tsaikos wondering with the rest of us-gee, what just happened.....the coaches teaches alignment and assignment, if you that slow al, it is the coaches job to bench you for being slow...proper alignment and knowing your assignment and will lots of smarts might give you a chance at taking the proper angle to make the play...but it is best to keep you on the bench and ignore you with your 5.5 speed..Brew add one of your smileys here....
December 15th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I pooped my pants
December 15th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
oh ralphy, you so silly.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
why does the city and county allow building residences in obvious flood zones...every year the sames areas are flooded and with climate change it's going to get worst....so who pays, i'm sure the insurance companies won't insure most of these homes...asking Fema for a bail out. oops, it's not 9 p.m.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
upper deck of the arena looks empty.....is chawan wearing a white shirt with an H in back of the basket...
December 15th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
false al has resurfaced.
such an honor.
mahalo.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
...Feeling like Katrina with no FEMA...Like Martin with no Gina...
December 15th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
eh, i wasn't that slow. i used to run a 6.1 fifty.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
you can tell who the false al is.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
mockery is the best flattery
December 15th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
sorry, but blog is so slow, i can go to the darkside and back before my post shows up.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
i think i need one of those tags.
where's homey?
December 15th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
ok, Im not changing my name cuz I was here first.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
tks false al.
maybe together we can break garret's string of 17?
December 15th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
he's good.
hahahaha.
okay, i'll leave so the false al can have fun.
har, har, har..........
December 15th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
here we go again.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Coaching can always get better. It's not A++, so it can get better. But I wouldn't say that's the only issue. I'm with al; we don't have Adrian Klemm, Tala Esera, or Dane Uperesa here. Brian Smith could probably coach them up better, but they aren't the best athletes either. In all, I think everyone shares a little bit of the accountability.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
anyone seen dpk
December 15th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
where's tsai tonight? Wena esmed earlier!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Jason you've got two exams tomorrow, go back to your books and get a good night sleep...ignore the blog tonight and turn the tv off, its a lousy bb game
December 15th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
get sum geniuses here.
Pride,
you got all da inside scoops.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
alnbama how come the audio and video aren't synchronized....is it like that in football boardcast....
December 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
So Im gonna spend 22noon - Xmas morn in Honolulu. I'm ready to celebrate Christmas with my friends at da stadium. yee hawwww!
back in a few!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
kakanui,
man up bro! we gotta plan tings fo da 23rd,
December 15th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Well, one is a take-home exam, which I just have to turn in. And for the other one, I have ten more review problems, and I'm pau.
And I'm recording the game to watch tomorrow.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Amanda Simmons, 6'3, wahine vb is transferring after this season..Hewitt, 6'3 rfr, fowler, 6'2 senior transfer, and tuaniga, incoming freshmen will compete for nikki thomas's mb position..Ferrell for houston, so where are the subs for OH next year....
December 15th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
shoji recruited two vb players, hopefully the other one is an OH
December 15th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Where is Simmons going and why?
December 15th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Ralph,
If you are using Google's Chrome, you hopefully have downloaded the latest version. Chrome is out of Beta with this latest version.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Free play link time. Please ignore my next 5 posts if you do not want the off-topic stuff.
The Air Force has failed its third nuclear inspection this year. The Air Force has 3 missile bases with ICBMs and all 3 bases have failed their nuclear inspections this year!
December 15th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
3D biometric facial-recognition software is coming, and they are looking to embed the technology into passports.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
It amazes me that inflation in Zimbabwe hit 8 quintillion percent! That is 18 zeroes after the 8!
December 15th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Hackers have illegally gotten permits to cut down 7 million cubic meters of the Brazilian Rain Forest.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
China is awarding 3G licenses finally–they say that it is a response to the struggling world economy. The $29.1 billion in equipment they will buy will be GREATLY appreciated by the telecom industry!
December 15th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Free play links pau.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I didn't know that Simmons was transferring either. I don't follow the Wahine Volleyball team nearly as closely as the Warriors, though.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
UH 85 - CSU 65
December 15th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
FT - man, I was gonna watch the replay later.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Sorry, I had the wrong score anyway.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
jm### you and jason, maybe Al, but the game was sporadic...some highlight shots but not a well played game....
December 15th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
don't know where she is transferring to, she got a release from shoji, and she is from des plaines, Illinois...maybe she doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of a fellow Illini, Cayley, and seat on the bench. she would have been an academic junior next year....a 6'3 vb player who can jump, what a waste...
December 15th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I wanted to see what Simmons could do next year, that's too bad.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
It is official this time...the Arena Football League has canceled its season. That is too bad for so many players, including a few Warriors.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
The AFL doesn't even have a commissioner now.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Since things a little slow right now, please check the Tsai-kos in Las Vegas (Sept 2009) logistics page if you are planning on attending the UH-UNLV football game:
http://home.roadrunner.com/~smurashi/tsai-kos/las2009.html
This is a compilation of data from the Las Vegas surveys, email, and other sources. If there are updates, errors or omissions, please email me: stevem.hnl (at) gmail.com with the corrections. Thanks.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Seems like too many JC players being recruited.
Also, another view: maybe it's not Brian Smith's fault, maybe it was McKnight's coaching before that? ST doesn't say everything he knows or hears.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
For the long-time Tsai-kos.... just curious, who coined the term "Tsai-kos"?
December 15th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
good evening tsaikos,
good to see the football team participate in the x-mas for foster families. im ashamed to say that aside from brent, i have no idea who the rest of the people are...(O_0)...
in any event, yay to getting a tackle. we sure as heck could use him next year!
go warriors.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I think it was princess Leila who first used tsaikos
December 15th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
garret,
does that mean in zimbawe i can get a pack of gum for about 10000000000 zimbawanian dollars? what a steal right?
December 15th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
the SMU players seem to be very positive about McKnight based on articles in ponypride, and the fans who go to practices think the OL and the rest of team received alot of positive coaching compared to years past. The ponys played nearly an entire freshmen OL this season with soph receivers and fr qb...JJ took his lumps for next season..the juniors and seniors hardly got any PT. I only wished that mac was true to his word and rotated more players in all phases of the game...
December 15th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Ralph is correct.
ST mentioned to me as we discussed the name long ago, "It was (Princess) Leila that coined it. It was popularized by Cat" (Catherine Toth--when she published it Feb. 21, 2007).
Cat's blog with the title "Meet the Tsai-kos" is not coming up in the HA archives right now, but a partial photo of her original entry is part of my web page masthead picture (click on my name above).
December 15th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
i don't think too many of coach cav OL players from OSU made it to the nfl...most of the OL guys he is credited with developing played for him in hawaii...maybe it was both the available talent level and his coaching at UH, and the talent level after manuwai, forney, satele, etc.were not at the same level...a lot of the kailua players, including satele, lacount, etc, were recruited by cav.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
SteveM you must have been lurking all night long
December 15th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
The problems with the 2008 offensive line actually is a very complex one. Our issues actually began in the 2005 season when June Jones appointed Wes Suan as the O-line coach. Again it isn't Wes' fault either. Wes was a running back coach for years at Linfield. Jones then had Mouse Davis help Suan. Mouse Davis had his own O-line philosophy and techniques that he established at Portland State.
The O-line during the 2005 an 2006 seasons possessed a few linemen with strong personalities, and leadership qualities. These individuals on their own stuck with what they were taught by their own line coach Cav. It worked out well during those two seasons because the line had a good base foundation that was taught by Cav.
When the 2006 season rolled around, coach McKnight was given the responsibilty by June Jones to whip up the O-line. Two things happened. First, I am not sure what kind of experience that Mcknight had coaching offensive lines. He was a good ball player, but in my opinion lacked experience at coaching the O-line. In time I am sure that he will be a great O-line coach. Luckily he had two Sateles, Esera, Uperesa,and a steady Estes. He was good for one season with the carryover of linemen that learned under coach Cavanaugh.
The problems with steady and good offensive line play started at the start of the 2007 season. The problems were hidden by really great play at the skilled positions, especially at quarterback. McKnight didn't have the benefit of having Cav built linemen. He now had to deal with players that didn't have the good base foundation that Cav's line had. The players now had philosophies that originated from Linfield, Portland State, Drake, the Chargers, Lions, and Eagles.
Brian Smith was brought in this year to shore up the line but now had to start from scratch. Inexperience at the skill positions added to the problems. With the inability to go down the field with the QB's this year, defenses could just pin their ears back and attack at the point.
Smith's trying to build the line from the bottom up, but in the process has to have them ready to play games. He's trying to teach basic fundamentals like A,B, and C, while at the same time trying to get them to play at level X, Y, and Z.
Another factor in the line play could be that Smith's assistant Zerke hasn't had the time to catch up with philisophies and style of offensive line play. That can put a strain on the kids if one coach is teaching something but the other coach can't lend adequate support.
In time, I believe that Smith will be able to catch up and have the troops ready to perform at a high level. This year's recruiting class will be a big help.
Even with all these problems, Hawaii was five minutes away from being 9 and 4. One minute against San Jose and four minutes against Cincy. Throw in the hiccup against Utah State and we are 10 and 3. What an awesome season if you look at it that way.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
ralph....i know where you got the 411 on your post 244. careful, careful, you walk the line.
eh just cuz you 6'3" and can leap tall buildings don't mean you superman. volleyball is also about quick feet, reading where you should form the block, playing smart, you know you gotta be a rather exceptional athlete.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
okay, brian smith has taken a lot of flack all season.
but, did you know?
did you know that there are more than one oline coach?
should we be sharing the blame??
December 15th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
oh. i didn't see pride.'s comment.
good read spoken from a man with the actual experience in the trenches at this level.
thanks for bringing light to the subject. so now we know the rest of the story.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
rumors flying around that chizzy has decommitted...he visited colorado state this past weekend.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
like always, shoji likes to develop players like amanda...Hewitt's from Idaho, her competition level in vb is rooted in Idaho...she'll be a project, but I believe I read she made vb magazine fab 50...He mentioned that Tuaniga is athletic and needs some work....she too made vb monthly fab 50. Ferrell is a project, coach Haley helped recruit Ferrell for hawaii off his club team..Haley didn't think it would be fair for her to be recruited by him. He knew that she has lots of upside, needed a good mentor, and felt shoji would be just the coach she needed....
December 15th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
two more months of agony waiting for NLI day...who will sign the dotted line for UH...
December 15th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
What a game tonight - assuming no injuries and no primo donno moments, this basketball team is going to go way beyond everyone's hopes, dreams & expectations.
As usual, the Orange Traffic Cone was sitting by the band.
We're going to revise our plans from Sunday lunch with Kamali'o NYC to Sunday pupus and beverages at a sports bar because of the football game - Giants v Carolina at 3 pm - and then go out for Mexican food at El Mariachi in Aiea after that. If anyone wants to join us, please let me know.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
off to dream land. nitey nite.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
December 15th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
evening tsai-ko's
on a somber note best wishes to Lilian Yonamine on the passing of her husband Masa. he was the a good man whom I had the pleasure of knowing some time back. masa was out of coaching and in the twilight of his years as AD at waipahu when I first meet him. he always had a smile and greeted everyone courteously. he loved to golf with his buddies especially Eddie Hamada. Together along with some friends they would travel to another island and golf a few rounds but always made it back for dinner. the 808 will miss this fine person. again my condolences to mrs. yonamine who in her own right is a super counselor now at Iolani but spent many many years at Waipahu along with her husband.
good background info on the warriors oline pride.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Nice blog!
December 16th, 2008 at 12:10 am
howzit
December 16th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Hey, UH got another commitment.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:10 am
Pride (273),
Excellent analysis of the O-Line situation. You've shed a bright light on the goings on and it makes perfect sense. I think it's time to back-off the coaches and let them coach for awhile, before we play the blame game.
I agree, with what they had to work with, they did an excellent job.
Thank you, Tsaiko Brother.
Good night all, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
December 24th, 2008 at 2:37 am
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January 4th, 2009 at 5:48 am
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January 19th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too...