Warrior Beat

Here are a few takeaways from today’s ninth practice of spring training: > Wideout Devan Stubblefield is not yet fully recovered from last year’s major knee surgery, but in route drills he appears speedy. He also is making sure-handed catches. > We’ve noted the Warriors are deep at the safety positions. Today, second-year freshman Dany Mulanga was the No. 1 free safety. He nearly intercepted a pass in team drills. > With the shortage on the offensive line, Sione Kauhi […]

After five weeks at No. 1 in the AVCA rankings, the Warriors dropped to No. 3 following two road losses to Brigham Young this past weekend. 1. Lewis (27 first-place votes), 262 points, 24-2 record. 2. UC Irvine (5) 251, 25-4 3. Hawaii 224, 23-5 4. Loyola Chicago 218, 22-2 5. Pepperdine 194, 22-5. The Warriors host No. 11 Long Beach State in Saturday’s MPSF playoff quarterfinals in the Stan Sheriff Center.

One of my favorite Warrior alumni is Ricky Lumford. He’s smart. He’s funny. He’s charismatic. He was raised in hard-scrabble South Central, recruited by a coach who was soon fired, contributed to the UH turnaround in 1999, and never left the islands. He did some TV work for KFVE, coached at Saint Louis and, for the past four years, at Kamehameha. And at yesterday’s practice, which followed a coaches’ clinic, only a handful knew him and his story. A couple […]

Well, the volleyball Warriors probably need a redo on last night’s four-set loss to BYU. That’s the beauty of teams on polar ends of the MPSF. There is a rematch. The teams do it again at 3 p.m. Hawaii time. It’ll be on BYUtv. Things to ponder: > Charlie Wade is correct that the Warriors just need to make a decision, any decision, and go with it. If a player wants to rip a serve, go ahead and rip it. […]

> What’s happening: UH and BYU play volleyball matches tonight and tomorrow night in Provo. > What’s at stake: Because UC Irvine has zero chance of losing to UC San Diego, the volleyball Warriors need to beat BYU in both matches to win the regular-season title. (Irvine owns the tie-breaker advantage over UH.) > Why is it important to win title: The MPSF’s regular-season winner earns the No. 1 seed in the league’s playoffs. After the quarterfinals, the highest remaining […]

There is a modern parable about a billionaire, who donated a million dollars to charity, mocking his daughter’s boyfriend for donating only $20. The boyfriend said: “I only had $20. I gave everything I had.” Samson Anguay is, maybe, 5 feet 7 when he inhales, and 170 pounds after a full meal. But when it came to football, he gave everything he had. His three-sport skills enabled the 2010 Campbell High graduate to earn a UH football scholarship. After grayshirting […]

The volleyball Warriors have loyal fans. The most dedicated appear to be the players’ parents. Carole McKellar, mother of opposite Iain McKellar, follows every match on the Internet. Well, actually most matches. She often travels from England to attend UH matches. Middle blocker Davis Holt’s parents donated volleyball equipment. The parents of California-raised players host barbecues when the Warriors are on the mainland. Middle blocker Taylor Averill’s father sang the national anthem and Hawai‘i Pono‘i on senior night. Outside hitter […]

Nose tackle Nikko Taylor of Riverside City College told the Star-Advertiser he has accepted a football scholarship from the Warriors. This is what it means: > Fills a need: Three guys who played nose last year — Moses Samia, Marcus Malepeai and Calen Friel — graduated the past December. Kory Rasmussen and Penitito Faalologo have taken most of the snaps at nose this spring. > Big body: Taylor is 6 feet, 300 pounds and capable of benching more than 400 […]