Chasing the dream
Maybe something big will happen, maybe nothing at all.
But Craig Cofer — a player without a permanent position — recently participated in an invitation-only workout with the San Francisco 49ers. He also is in line for a private workout with the Arizona Cardinals.
At UH, Cofer worked hard and maintained an upbeat attitude despite shuffling between defensive end and tight end. There were a few practices where he wore a defensive jersey over an offensive jersey.
In a couple of weeks we’ll learn if his persistence will lead to a free-agent opportunity.
COMMENTS
Comments are closed.
first?
Seems like a terrific young man. Hopefully all will work out in his favor.
Yup. Hope Craig makes it.
Every time people talk about UH needing a big booster, talk always centers around Larry Ellison. Sure, he owns a lot of property, including an entire island. But there always has to be a link, and there doesn’t seem to be any tie between Ellison and UH.
So, how about this: Jackson Wheeler, a UH instructor and former UH associate head basketball coach, is best friends with Stedman Graham. (Graham served as Wheeler’s best man.) Graham’s long-time girlfriend is Oprah, who is rumored to be interested in buying the L.A. Clippers.
UH has the right idea seeking a big donor. But there’s a more suitable billionaire target than Ellison.
Oprah has a house on Maui if I’m not mistaken.
Good morning Tsaikos!
Best wishes to Craig Cofer.
Hope Mr. Averill has a good time in Chicago.
BTW, once again, NoClueAtAll has totally screwed up the seedings and bracket for a national championship. Lewis was given one of the at-large bids over Pepperdine, even though they only beat 3 teams with winning records. Lewis then loses the play-in game to Penn State in 4. BYU and Stanford will meet in the semi-finals. I guess the NCAA couldn’t have 2 MPSF teams in the final, since the tournament is in Chicago. 🙄
I heard UCLA turned down a 3 million dollar donation from Donald Sterling. Sure he has a history of discrimination, prejudice and racial rants with money-grubbing vindictive girlfriends, but I think UH might be willing to overlook that if he makes a substantial donation to UH athletics.
GOOD MORNING HAWAII!
If Ms Oprah and/or Mr. Graham wants to assist, great!
But we better chip in our dollars – we can only depend on ourselves.
ST,
I agree that there needs to be an inside contact to make ‘large’ donors come forward (or be approached). Many of my recent conversations with fellow letterwinners, sportscasters, media gm’s, UH Admin & Athletic Admin insiders, and tsaikos dealt with fundraising by ‘too many hands out to the same people’ or no ‘connected’ hand out to major potential donors. This is a major problem for UH.
UH Admin uses the UH Foundation to solicit funds. Each school (Arts & Sciences, Business, for example) has a dedicated fundraiser in the foundation. UH Athletics uses its marketing dept. as well as the AD to raise funds; this is in addition to sub groups of UH Athletics (ie., Na Koa, Letterwinners, individual sports booster programs). Is there any coordinated effort with these fundraisers? Do they share data on who has been approached? Given the isolated donor ‘pool’ here in Hawaii UH is going to see diminishing returns shortly if not already. Too many times to the well and the donor funding will dry up.
Do we use former athletes in their full capacity? Put Mike Biscotti in front of a donor and something will happen. Put Kelly McGill in front of a donor and something will happen. How about Michael Carter, one of the Nogas, one of the Fab Five, Brandon Kop, Derek Tetsuno, Charlie Araki, Ed Guyagas, and many others with name recognition in the community?
One of the major hurdles facing UH Athletics is the future funding of ‘the training table’. Who gets on? Who is left off?
What group or individual is going to take the lead on this? Are they (is he or she) going to hit the same contacts that are already giving or have already been approached. Is the request just for the money to supply the training table or can restaurants, food purveyors, major food distribution chains be asked to ‘donate’? Will Sodexo allow donated products onto the training table? If not does the training table need to be off site?
It will be interesting to see what the plan will be, or, will there be a plan??
My apologies for running on; I spent a lot of time in the park with the dogs and drank a full pot of the kope!
Oprah has a beautiful place in Kula at the old Thompson Ranch. She has been improving the property for the last ten years.
Don:
Mike Biscotti intercepted Garrett Gabriel in the alumni flag-football game.
He can ask anybody he likes for donations at the moment.
Think of UH athletics as a stock,UH athletics is a bad stock. People with deep pockets money don’t invest in bad stocks.
Good Morning Gangeez! 🙂
Good luck to young Cofer! The worst shot is the one not taken.
Excellent points Don Weir.
Funny, as I was perusing the blog, I was installing a Java update from Oracle. Is that enough of a connection?
Love the Oprah idea.
not sure if she still hangs out there…but, once or twice a year oprah would reserve a whole wing at the koele lodge to take her feet off the ground as well as literally walk around barefooted.
The Oprah thing is intriguing. A friend of mine is one of her handlers that serves as her right-hand person while she is in Maui, which she basically owns like half of lol.
Hmm, The O Stadium.
Guud Morning Tsaikos….bootiful day.
#9..Don..great observations/points….With the amount of UH graduates, athletes who have gone through the program, with just a small donation it’ll add up big time. As you asked, do we have a coordinated program?…I’m not sure. I know I get request from a lot of health organizations trying to fund the same thing. Gets frustrating at times.
btw, interesting that Craig gets a private try out for a player who had no permanent position. Tells me the man can play some football.
Guud Luck Craig. Hope to see you on Sundays!
ST,
Mike Biscotti went to the ‘dark side’ of the ball in the game.
After the game I asked him if he wanted to change his completion stats for the record book.
Sports Tidbits
MWC Craig Thompson said he believes individual institutions should be able to choose which athlete benefits they can afford.
Jake Heaps, former BYU pro-style quarterback is leaving Kansas. Possible destination schools include Utah State and Boise State.
19. Other schools have received permission to speak with Heaps, including Montana State, Northern Colorado, Fresno State and Hawaii.
Heaps link.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865602078/ESPN-report-Former-BYU-quarterback-Jake-Heaps-is-transferring-from-Kansas.html
Good morning all! Everyone has made keen insights towards foundational/development work for our athletic department, and I have my own added 2 cents:
One, large donors want to know that there money is going to used efficently, and thus, there is a necessary component of whether projects are sustainable or we are going to be right back at their door in another couple of years, asking for more money:
Two, is there a 1. A clear and comprehensivegrasp of external opportunities and
challenges, again, this relates to sustainability and our capacity:
Three, have we made a realistic and comprehensive assessment of the organization’s strengths and limitations. Too often, I think, this self-assesment, has relied too much on external factors and entities to shore up our bottom-line.
In sum, vision, if appropriately constucted is incredibly important. Why vision matters??
A strategic plan cannot succeed unless it is derived from a clear vision of
what the organization will look like at a specific point in the future. This
vision is encapsulated in a written description of the organization’s
desired future state in terms of budget size, client base, staffing levels
and program areas and other parameters.
Sometimes the vision is so self-evident at the outset of
the planning process that the statement virtually writes
itself. But more often, the existing vision may be hazy,
ambiguous or outdated. Indeed, the effectiveness of
many various sub-divisions ( Upper campus, the legislature, boosters, etc) is hampered by conflicting visions, or myopic visions devoid of “big picture” thinking.
Regardless of the starting point, an external scan and
organizational assessment are essential prerequisites
for drafting an effective vision statement. They ground
the process in reality, thereby helping stakeholders
narrow their choices or see opportunities that they had
not previously considered.
But then again, just my lousy 2 cents….
If Ben Jay made his pitch to the Sharks on Shark Tank you would very quickly hear “I’m Out” .
Looks like Oprah is interested in sports. It’s rumored that Oprah, Larry Ellison and David Geffen are serious about buying the Clippers.
Hereʻs my take on fund raising for UH Athletics.
I agree 100% with Don Weir that the same people get called upon by different people at UH. To my knowledge, thereʻs been very little or NO new money raised recently. Just a bunch of hacks baby sitting the same old money.
The key is new money. Period.
I red a post that compared UH athletics to a stock, and state investors donʻt pour money into a bad stock. Correct. Sadly.
Football in particular, thereʻs absolutely no connection to UH history. No former player involved in the program, in Na Koa, no relationships t all. Thatʻs key.
Then thereʻs the matter of trust.
Do we really trust Ben Jay as the leader of UH Athletics?
For me, personally, I canʻt really say heʻs earned my trust. I mean word on the street says heʻs made an offer to extend the contracts of Gib Arnold, Mike Trapasso and Charlie Wade.
Simple question, but why?
Gibʻs lost more players than heʻs brought in. Now heʻs about drop off two coaches. Not to mention the team wet the bed during the Big West tournament.
UH Baseball, please, stop with the “Big West is a good conference though”. If that is the case, then become a good damn team / program. Keep up or get out / off.
UH menʻs volleyball….well, what a struggle. Poor recruits, worse results.
Yet our fearless leader wants to extend contracts.
Finances, Ben Jay always throws out fund raising in the papers and / or on TV / radio, now I got a question. “How much money has HE raised?”
I love my teams, my schools. I buy season tickets etc, but Iʻm not thrilled by leadership or results.
Haleakala….that was my sisters place…kids finally sold it…
Buy low, sell high. If I were a season ticket holder, I’d try to move into better seats now.
The Word of the Day: ACCOUNTABILITY.
http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2014/04/28/21932-contractor-suing-university-of-hawaii-over-campus-center-delays/
Contractor Suing University of Hawaii Over Campus Center Delays
The company contracted to oversee various construction projects at the University of Hawaii is suing the school for more than $4.6 million over complications related to two projects, including $2.8 million for costly delays to the brand-new UH Manoa Campus Center.
The Campus Center complaint, filed in Circuit Court on Monday, comes on the heels of a separate lawsuit brought against the university by the same company, Honolulu Builders LLC, earlier this month. That suit contains similar allegations about another ongoing construction project, Hawaii Community College’s new Hale Aloha building.
Monday’s lawsuit basically accuses UH — specifically its procurement and capital improvement offices — of being unprofessional in handling numerous delays that held up the recently completed $47 million Campus Center Renovation and Expansion Project, which includes a $38 million fitness and recreation center. The center which was partially funded by student fees, opened earlier this month — more than a year later than planned.
…….
“We were under a lot of duress to complete everything,” said Honolulu Builders head Tom Ryan. He said that more than 200 changes were made to the project contract.
All in all, the university and its design team failed to properly communicate with Honolulu Builders regarding key changes to the project and then ignored the company’s subsequent efforts to negotiate and resolve disputes and adjustments to the plan, the lawsuit says.
Had the university addressed the claims “in a responsible and timely manner,” the lawsuit could’ve been avoided, according to a statement from Honolulu Builders.
hashtag “accountability”
Spot on Nuha….need more like you who not scared to ask questions….
Don Weir spot on….they neva ask help….. from our former athletics…
Wanted to but season tickets on line….yesterday,,,went to UHAD site..n what do I find…..this disclaimer, Must renew with PC running: Win98, WinME, Win2000, WinXP, WinVista
or Mac OS 10.1x & 10.2x (Safari 1.0) or higher
UHAD SITE is to say the least ARCHAIC….we must be the laughing stock of the IT world….as far as sports dept. n ticket ordering is concerned…
Vista started in 2007….xp in 2002….(n Microsoft not support ne more)…I am in 3rd world country…but use windows 7…
I wanted to support n give away single ticket to sum…as I Aonly be there 4 one game..can’t do it on my computer….
If people want to give, they should give. If they don’t want to give, they shouldn’t give. It’s like tithe. If your heart isn’t in the donation, it’s better not to give.
SAT: It is a beautiful place. She kept the house in the front and built a new one in the back. Also, built tennis courts. Her trainer who is also the manager of her property lives at the end of the road.
I sometimes go up there with my family and we just walk on the road taking in the views of Maui down below. We pick and eat the loquat from the trees.
Your family sure did have a nice place. In a way, it’s too bad that they sold it.
Doesn’t Windows 7 fall under the “or higher” category?
I am sure there is a Vegas Casino, out there. That would be more than happy to spring a few 100k per year for the training table.
I remember the phrase “chase championships” in December of 2011. Still relevant no?
But hey, good luck to the Wahine Sand Volleyball team as they chase their championship starting this Friday.
GO WAHINE!
Entitlement, guess that’s what a Heisman winner thinks he deserves. Bet he told his friends he could go in, order crab legs, walk out without paying, and no one will say anything…WRONG!
The writing is on the wall, give him a lifetime sports ban. 😆
Why is UH constantly being sued? Are they truly that incompetent? I do know that most of them are some of the most arrogant SOB’s out there! But that University is always catching law suits left and right?
Pick loquat…good one…not eat one in 40 years I think.
Do they still have the Kula feast yet ?
I guess to many kids…better to sell…but grear buyer…she will care for it…
Sent a suggestion to B. Jay a few months ago on holding a series of fun runs or races as a means to help raise athletic monies. (You know how much the Honolulu Marathon & Aloha Run bring in each year!!)
To date, not a peep from B. Jay on consideration (one way or the other) to the idea. Makes me wonder how much effort is really being put in internally to help the athletic dept help themselves.
Mr. Tsai, I feel where you are coming from, thing is though, I want to give, more than the season tickets I purchase, but I just do not trust whatʻs being done with the money. Nor do I trust whoʻs controlling the money.
To be honest, I still havenʻt come close to figuring out what that eye-soar on TC Ching Field is for. I get thereʻs offices and locker rooks under that monstrosity, my question is, why are there really nice / solid bleachers?
Nothing goes on there but old-poeple track meets, a womenʻs rack and field team practice that just destroys the field-turf, and absolutely zero high school football games.
Kind of my point, how can we trust people who make such stupid / no common sense decisions?
Couldn’t have said it any better NUHA….
trojan, just to let you know that dr andrews passed away. the old days, he was dr ferkany at kula san.
trojan, is sherman t your brother, cousin, or uncle????
Shadow do feel 4 you….being rejected like that and not even a courtesy reply….
Should be like the lower educational system…at one time all letters or e mails of correspondence had to be replied to…
Also a policy of the FAA, when you write a complaint to the air line…not sure about now.
But business courtesy should prevail in your case.
And the expertise available an at hand for them….if they only reach out to the community like Mr. Don Weir suggested earlier…
Ms. Carole Kai reached out…looked what she did with her ‘Fun Run’ …and the rest is history…Hotel Association reached out (charity walk)…Jerry Lewis reached out (March of Dimes)…Aloha United Way…..reaches out….UHAD wants to reach out for ‘big donors’…that they have been doing over n over (don weir above) n get same results…auwe…sum marketing people never learn….is why they maybe not work in the private sector …maybe…no sales no job….novel idea huh…fill the stadium or take a hike…IMUA WARRIORS….GEEF UM
Whitey…old man Charley, Sherman’s dad, was married to my sister.
Nuha, et al,
Did you spock the ticket windows on the mauka side of the Ching concrete elephant??
And we are selling tickets for (your guess is as good as mine here):
1. next UH President job raffle,
2. next overpriced UH construction project ‘opportunity drawing’,
3. next UH change order ‘contract’ lotto,
4. next UH lawsuit ‘see you in court’ seats
5. next drawing for naming rights to the fence on the Ewa end of the Ching Complex,
6. next UH Admin golden parachute contract sweepstakes?
ST,
You finally get the rubber ‘filings’ and/or pellets out of your shoes from the field on Saturday.
The field is in the worse shape I have ever witnessed. If the turf is not vacuumed it starts to breakdown and the lifespan of the turf is marginalized.
Yea do miss the feast there the church….was a time when if ne one needed help it was always available…the Kula farmers (japanese) n Ranchers (podogee) n Merchants (pakes) were something those days…everyone helped….now only …mostly… politicans turn to community for help…then lie to us…UHAD nada….go away…we know what we doing….
ST..me guess the message is…many here…very many… want to do more…but keep getting rejected…guess what Mr. Yee expressed…why JJ left…why Mr. Price resigned…Mr. Shadows rejections not enough hand writing on the wall…that sumthing is amiss up there …n now that suit filed….more millions to defend it…
Ne way…at least they made 4 us a bigger wall….Mahalo Mr.Ching…..he he he
Good posts so far on UH ….problem …my guess… is we are spinning our wheels..
At least the posters chests feel lighter…I hope…which is good 4 us ‘old farts’ he he
Say no to Jake Heaps coach Norm!!!!
Why would he say no to Heaps…He is currently better than anything we have now. No quarterback we have will be worth a damn soon. Don’t say Reilly hes like 78 lbs
Mr.Don Weir…..you try be comedian….but not a very good one…
All them 6 points you stated…maybe turn out to be true…
Give them a chance…he he he
Hence they be no jokes……
Who’z da stahting quatahback
The main concern that Ben Jay is focused on atm, (aside from running the department) is getting the new space at Ward in working order.
WOW…..An AD…..spending time setting up a boutique…
Yeah blame the Rainbow Wahine Track and Field team for the condition the field turf is in.
Idiot.
Seems like Schroeder will be getting a look in the NFL.
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/hawaii-quarterback-sean-schroeder-q-182051846–nfl.html
Kevin,
I truly doubt UH athletes are responsible for the condition of the field. Who is responsible for field upkeep??
ST: What’s the latest on Brendan Dailey’s NFL chances?
trojan, thanks. my dad tell me stories about him and sherman’s “bird hunting” in the adjacent pasture and have to hide. hahahahhaaa. we used to go visit him in kihei and sometimes he stop by in puunene to visit my dad. you get huge ohana. thanks.
At my Alma Mater, any potential big donor contact goes directly through the President’s office, to make sure there is no double dripping and thus turn off. Works very well
Heaps can’t play at this level. Watch the Spring game at KU for proof.
At least Craig is not chasing championships.
Hi Dennis Halloran — long time!
Are you planning to attend the UH-San Diego game this year?
Whitey…..my podogee grand-dad n mom had 22 kids….if had hospital delivery room that time..
they would probably be named after them….he he he
Yea…Charley had a few as my sis…
Me here in Manila trying to break the family record….but a politician here has over 72…not from the same woman…he he…be a good football team with cheerleaders…no one recruits here ??
trojan, hahahahahahaaaaaa. maybe shouldn’t be ohana, but ohohohohdangwhereyoufrom. hahahahaaa. meanwhile, stay low, have fun, and will catch up with you later. take care.
That’s a good one, St Anthony (#55)! 🙂
#30 I understand about giving and I agree to your point, however, giving to the UH is in another dimension. The administrative culture has too many forks in the road and no one knows what the other part is doing. If you want to donate to a particular area and you watch your donation go into a black hole, it is cause for some consternation. A big donor should put in contingencies as to how the monies are used with time applications and with each completion of the time elements more monies would be released as part of the total donation. If the UHAD to succeed than it must be reorganized as a separate entity and not part of the total University financial pot.
If we allowed the current and past UH administrations to run a business for profit we would be out of business in no time.
As the University is a State entity than it is status quo as usual.
I know that there are a lot of anti-Chow people out there but I like what he has done to the program to instill more discipline and to be accountable for their school work. When you have 41 student/athletes with a grade point of 3.0 and better than that is commendable. I am hopeful that the third year will see better results on the field and unlike some people, we do have some quarterbacks that will surprise a lot of you.
# 37 nice to see your post….like some injury prone….some up there are ‘naturally bright….
so they get sued more….n of course ‘deeper pockets’ us…a million or so tax payers…
remember ripper collins…Kapaapaa….we are heading there saturday…..he he he
#47 Don Weir,
It’s my understanding that the rubber pellets you are talking about is supposed to be there. It’s filler to provide some cushion. They had the same rubber pellets from NJ days at Aloha Stadium.
Sounds like the ones who are in charge of running the show at the university of hawaii have their heads up their a$$e$.