RB overcomes adversity
It was a difficult 13-month period for the football player who wore jersey No. 13.
Kamehameha’s Kaulana Apelu was set to be the starting running back in 2013 after averaging 6.4 yards per carry as a sophomore. But he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the 2013 opener.
A few months later, his father died.
After making a full recovery, Apelu suffered another season-ending ACL injury in the 2014 opener against Del Oro. He had rushed 10 times for 79 yards when he was hurt.
But Apelu continued to fight the good fight, and he has an invitation to join the Warriors as a preferred walk-on this coming season.
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good morning
The MBB seem to be stricken with bad luck and publicity, all on Ben Jay’s watch. The AD must feel snake bitten.
good get. need to build the walkon program
I’m surprised Ben Jay “can’t comment further” on the allegations that there was weed-smoking on the basketball trip.
OK, I’m not surprised.
But why can’t he comment further?
If the school was billed, and it was, he can comment.
What does further investigation mean?
The key in dealing with any administrator is to never let him “get back” to you. NCAA investigation? We’ll get back to you.
I see our new DB coach Miano is already beefing up our walk-on program.
is Kainoa Wilson a scholarship or preferred walkon?
I suppose Ulu-Perry visiting UH is a way of not burning the bridge if he decides to return to Hawaii to play football if things don’t work out on the mainland. Then again, I think Chow is willing to give local players another chance if they wanted to come home and play even if UH was never on their radar coming out of high school.
UH has done OK with walk-ons recently: Max Wittek, Ryan Tuiasoa, Jason Muraoka, Damien Packer, Colton Goeas, Kory Rasmussen, Brodie Nakama …
letsgowarriors:
Wilson will be a preferred walk-on, as of now.
really?
none of them have made an impact in a game yet. and i dont really consider transfers as walkons unless they come from a lower level school like Tuiasoa.
Dang. I was feeling so proud of this team. This would tarnish a lot for me.
I hope this comes out as not true. But usually, by the time these things hit the media, and the AD is at least acknowledging a “look into it,” there is likely some truth to it. BTW… anytime BJ opens his mouth, something bad is likely to happen.
Now, I’m not naïve. I know college students smoke weed all the time. However, if you are a scholarship player – heck even a non-scholie player – part of a program and TEAM that depends on you, put down the weed and don’t put yourself or your team in jeopardy. Wait until the off season.
You can’t really consider a D-1 transfer who is promised a scholarship a walk-on.
#10 … yup. Agree.
Shoko:
An All-State guy who plays for a Big Five school contacted UH about transferring. But he would have had to redshirt and count as an initial, so UH passed.
As Jackie (Cynthia Rhodes) told Tony (John Travolta) in “Stayin’ Alive”: “I can’t always be second choice.”
12. I agree.. I consider walk ons like Chad Owens, Britton Komine, Shane Austin, Steele Janz, Lono Manners, Richard Torres, Ashley Lelie, James Fenderson, and so on… Nate Jackson and Eddie Klaneski might have been but that was before recruiting service days so I’m not sure. Guys who came in and earned everything they’ve gotten. Wittek is pretty much a “hey, come walk on, we’ll put you on scholarship next semester” and still counts against recruiting class.
and Wittek taking up an initial 25 scholie, he aint no walkon.
Bain, Libre, Torres, Steinoff, Farmer, Pollard, Shane Austin, Kawika Ornellas some recent guys who made impacts as far as being 2nd team, starter or ST player. not even including guys like Lelie, Owens and Fendo.
i guess for this season we can include DeMattei, Donovan, Tulimaiau and Joas. but i still want better.
BowWar:
When you have to write a tuition check, you’re a walk-on.
Every semester, I write a $5,300 check to UH. I know what that’s like.
RE: #17
Agreed. If you are paying any form of tuition, you are a walk-on.
14. Depending who the kid is, that’s not a good thing in my opinion. I get it’s win now mode, but I still think you have to balance win now, and set up your future. If it’s someone like Scott Pagano who could help the D line in the future, you def take a chance. If its some former all state LB or something, I would pass.
Every walk-on comes in with the idea he eventually will receive a scholarship. Colt Brennan and Dan Kelly were walk-ons.
There needs to be a balance, though. I thought JJ’s staff did a great job with walk-ons, but they also missed a lot on scholarship guys.
17. I think everyone means we want a better walk on program that consists of the minimum 3 year type guys. 1 year fixture isn’t really building a walk on program.
There was one year when Mack had 10 walk-ons in spring training. Everything was hunky-dory until one of the walk-ons had an emotional meltdown and started to attack a quarterback. Ah, this is when I didn’t have an iPhone and couldn’t record the fight. By the way, the QB won.
thats what im saying though, Chow is missing on recruits. big time. so why not supplement that w a better walkon program.
Colt Brennan walking on had nothing to do with talent. He was a 4 star JC kid who had other reasons for having to walk on…
The actual walk on program where kids choose to play for Hawaii vs go to a D2 or JC needs to improve. The walk on program where scholarship athletes transfer here after graduating to get playing time for a year or 2 is fine…
Speaking of fights, there was one time when a lineman false-cracked Allan Sampson, who probably weighed 150 pounds. Sampson went to his locker, took off his gear, then beat up the lineman.
Ah, good times.
23. I think attractive offenses can help. Guys like Shane Austin, Steele Jantz, Royce Pollard really saw an opportunity to flourish in a pass heavy offense. Right now, there isn’t anything attractive that would lure good walk ons.
Don’t know how Miano always found walk on DBs to out perform scholarship recruits. I’ll give him props there for whatever it was that attracted guys like Lono Manners, Richard Torres, etc.
Most intriguing fight I heard was Wayne Hunter and Pisa… Forget the details since it was so long ago but I heard Wayne is someone you don’t wanna F with.
Letsgo/Jeezy:
Is there a qualified person who wanted to walk on at UH who was denied? I don’t recall any really good players with no offers being rejected as a walk-on at UH.
Torres was a great high school player. But because he was a wrestler, he weighed about 145 pounds. Torres made himself into a Division I player with all the work he put in. Chow hired him as a GA, but because of his family situation, he needed to find a higher-paying job. I think he might be a stevedore now, or at least an apprentice.
No. 28:
I actually don’t know the answer to that one.
I do know that since 2011, UH has a policy in which walk-ons need at least a 2.5 GPA. I think UH lost a couple potential walk-ons because of that.
28. Not that I am aware of. But there needs to be something or someone that can attract players to choose walking on vs go to a JC or NAIA/D2. Those NAIA scholarships are fools gold… Going to a JC is no cheaper than staying home and paying in state tuition.
Anyway there is a walk-on tryout in February.
I’m sure everyone can come with the stopwatches.
There are a lot of borderline good local high school kids that maybe just need to add a few more pounds, work on technique, get a little stronger.. One thing impossible to scout is mental toughness. Just takes a few of those mentally tough kids to stay home, flourish on ST in year 1, and earn himself a scholarship. How to get more to buy into that?? Not sure.. But we used to do a pretty good job before.
Kaulana had a preferred Walkon to Oregon.
BTW, any relation to former Rainbow Augie Apelu?
ST. Just curious. I don’t get excited over the walk on try out process… But did guys like Richard Torres, Royce Pollard, Shane Austin have to actually try out? Or did they have a walk on spot available for them?
Jeezy:
If you’re going to go to a JC, it’s better to go to one outside California. I think the California CCs are either free or relatively inexpensive. Arizona JCs offer scholarships, right?
There also is that really depressing period entering a JC. But if you go in with the right mindset, hit the books and get serious about classes, you can transfer faster.
It’s always disappointing — but understandable — when the light goes on after four semesters. You end up losing a year while trying to complete the AA requirements.
#22 … If you are referencing what I think you are, that was not an emotional breakdown. It was a the onset of a serious mental health condition. Not the same as an emotional breakdown. The player now lives with the condition. Sad really.
Cali JCs have gotten pretty expensive for out of state. After paying rent and food, UH would probably have been cheaper for me. But I get that some kids here want playing time so it makes sense to develop in JC. But keeping a few home to develop here would be nice too.
I guess Matthew Mariota is lucky his brother is about to make millions and can pay his tuition fairly easy at ORegon.
Torres was talked into not going to a college in Oregon. Then again, UH had pretty good ties with his father, so there was an understanding he would be a hard-working player.
I was the unsupervised workouts one day, and there was Pollard. But he had a tie because he was born in Hawaii.
Austin had a good background — his father works with pro athletes — but I think he’s not quite 6 feet. Austin came in during the JJ era, and JJ loved to add QBs. Where have you gone Mike Harrison and Ryan Stickler?
Kev-1:
That is sad.
if kids live in the dorm…how much more have to pay per semester ?
Yeah. It was really bizarre. Sad thing is, people just thought he was a punk who couldn’t handle. It was much more.
i think Wilson and Apelu is a great start. few others i really like Fetui-Suapaia, the Damien LB and TE/WR.
Utah actually hold a meeting for their preferred walkons. that would be great if we did something like that so their is no confusion.
What I’ve learned from raising three kids: Sallie Mae is not my friend.
Kev-1:
Well, I hope he can find the right treatment and care.
I tried to figure it out, but I have ADD and just lost interest, but I think there are restrictions on contact with walk-ons. And, of course, walk-ons can impact initials if they’re put on scholarship within two years.
I dont mind walk ons impacting initials if they out play guys on scholarship. I guess it starts with building good relationships with local high school coaches. Wilson from Mililani is a start. Piceno from Leilehua and Damien TE/WR would def be 2 intriguing kids. Even a Randy Neverson has talent to contribute.
RB depth has definitely been an issue for UH……so hopefully Apelu chooses to stay home……instead of head up to Duck Country……
http://www.hawaiiprepworld.com/football/quack-attack-ducks-hovering-over-tafua-apelu/
Either way, hope that he can regain his health……so can compete again……like he did before…….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Z8hAD5QJY
Obviously, the king of the walk-ons, is Richie Rich. 10 Year NFL career, as the rare white DB, well, does not play out any better than that…but, there were plenty of guys, quasi-recruited, and then given scholarships. Vince Sides, my bestie, was one of those guys. His first year, he weighed no more than 155 pounds, and was told if he had a good spring, he would get a full scholly in the fall. Brother, was straight decking fools…saw him lay-out transfers, Danny Lei (UCLA) and Reggie Young (Oregon)–both these guys weighed in around 235 or so. The thought of a fullride, and the man became a demon.
That said, even with Rich in the backfield, probably, for my money, the hardest hitter was Kent Kefenztis. Brother, had a bit of tourette’s syndrome, and would actually bark in the huddle during games, (which was scary even for his teammates) it was a close tie, but Kent really like to lay wood on folks.
Iosefa invited to NFL combine?
Ranan Mamiya.
Walk-ons who start in place of scholarship players are a result of poor recruiting. In Hawaii’s case with Miano, I believe it was more because Miano showed them special treatment and gave them more chances to shine. Having a good walk-on program can hurt sometimes, recruits are not going to take a chance on some school who has the history of starting walk-on’s over scholarship players. Then you start slacking on your recruiting efforts thinking you can coach-up a walk-on to start anyway.
Alohi gilman.
I see Ranan as sort of an Ewaliko type player. He’s got speed, but needs to work technique. I see him as a SB/WR more than a RB like he was in high school, though.
There is talk that he may not be a qualifier? Is that just talk?
Other walkons that are returning
WR Ryan Pasoquen, Duke Bukoski, Adonis Phillips, Aaron Ho
RB Parese Joas
OL Brenden Urban, Kaiwi Chung
DT Haani Tulimaiau
DB Gaetano DeMattei, Josh Donovan, Kawika Borden
LS Brian Hitner
PK Kainoa McDonald
What happened to Keahi Hogan?
Was Austin Slade-Matautia a walkon?
Also some new WR Domenic Ortisi
#27,
Definitely the case with big Wayne……that a certain starting DB from Cali had the unfortunate case of experiencing first-hand……first on the practice field……then later on Upper Campus……that got big Wayne suspended from the 2002 ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl game……that UH got upset by Tulane.
53. That’s false…. Best players most times play. Sometimes walk ons are late bloomers, out work everyone, or fall through the cracks during recruiting. James Fenderson didn’t play because our RBs sucked.. Fenderson was legit.
58. yes. and Fendo didnt play until the 2 starters in front of him got hurt.
Richard Torres never played until Spencer Smith broke his arm.
Lono Manners was a long process, he didnt really play until his junior season.
they capitalized on their opportunity and never looked back.
RE: Ranan Mamiya . . . when his own mother says he is not a qualifier and has yet to take the SAT, who do you believe? If he were, Norm would have offered him a scholie, or at least a grayshirt.
ST,
The UH Pizza Hut incident…..
Now that was…….Da real good ol’ days!
Good thing cell phone hadn’t yet been invented back then!
Warbow, I cant speak for any other era, but that was not the case of the early and mid 80s. Prior to the over-hyped recruiting services, we had many athletes that would have been 4 star guys—many of these folks were “rogue transfers” from the then Pac 8 schools. When I say rogue, I mean, indicted and convicted fellows—hey, a fellow has to go somewhere…
But, I still think, that era still produced the most NFL players, and for that matter, NFL players who had the longest and productive careers. I informally count, 12-13 guys that played on Sundays. So, I don’t think there was poor recruiting, although we did lose out on the most marquee players of the time—Leroy Lutu and John Kamana—but it was also still a time, of finding gems–like Rich and say, Mike Akiu.
I mean who knew that you would have someone walk-on (from Wazzu) and he would be faster than Ron Brown (who played for the Rams and was on the 1984, 4 by 100, Olympic squad that won the gold). In this day and age, I don’t know if a guy who had a legitimate sub 4.3 could go under the radar…..
Kapakahi I was at that practice when JJ threw him off the field and rightly so. But it was far from being a tough guy. He got in a tussle with I thought was another lineman cause the guy was pretty big himself and after the ruckus was broken up he snuck up behind the guy and false cracked him when he had his helmet off. Everybody heard the sucker punch and it was the first time I’ve have ever seen June get so upset. He yelled at Wayne that it was the worst cheap shot he had ever seen on a football field and basically kicked him off the field and team right there. Lost all respect for a guy had already had issues with beating his girlfriend etc. A guy I would never f with is Alvis Satele. Quiet, humble , but deadly. Saw him get called out by the bull of the team (no name shall be given) at a team picnic at Andrews Ampitheatre. Let’s just say it ended quickly and a new leader was born. Ahh the good ol days.
Part-time starting DL Renolds Fruean was a walk-on…..who was discovered at the UH walk-on tryouts…..
http://www.hawaiiathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5589&path=football
Hit his growth spurt after HS…….after not being recruited from Waipahu HS……as a 6’2, 200 lb. DE for Waipahu HS.
“and the beat goes on”
you know, da wan!
Wot! Like scrap!
#63,
That’s why none of the UH coaches had an issue with big Wayne declaring early for the NFL Draft following his junior season.
boolakanaka, good points. The way recruiting is now days and all the different recruiting services and camps around there’s not many good players who can go undetected now days. You got 125 D-1 schools now, if you’re now offered a scholarship now days is because you’re not D-1 material or have been injured in high school or ran into some legal issues and not able to prove your worth. There’s no more trying to find that hidden gem anymore.
I’m confused why people are saying the MBB team has bad luck. Smoking weed in your hotel room that is non smoking isn’t bad luck. It’s called stupidity.
Fun Fact…….
The RB who regularly substituted for Apelu in goal line short yardage situations during their sophomore season together was……Salanoa Alo-Wily……before SAW transferred to Kahuku for his junior & senior seasons.
Pono: The bad luck was getting caught. The stupidity was smoking in a non-smoking room (with smoke detector). They can’t be two of the only college BB players smoking pot.
71. If you don’t want to get caught dont do it. I’m sure there are many other athletes out there that didn’t get caught but saying bad luck means that what they were doing was OK. Lots of murders just have bad luck too I guess.
58, If the best players play and you have walk-on’s starting in front of scholarship players what does it say about your recruiting. Doesn’t coaches evaluate players (skill, hard work, passion) before they decide to offer a scholarship? So when a walk on starts in front of a scholarship player, it only means your recruiting evaluations were wrong from the start or your playing favorites. Hard work doesn’t make you a good football player, it makes you a better.
73. No one is perfect. NFL guys miss in the draft all the time and FA’s make a bigger impact over top picks. We aren’t going to be 100% correct on all scholarship evals. I solid walk on program will help to fill the gaps where we do miss.
Pono, pot smoking = murder . . . hmm good one!
For every walk-on who succeeded in earning a starting spot, I can show you 50 others who “walked-off” never to play a single down or who has never been heard of again. If you’re relying to much on walk-ons instead of actually going out and finding good via recruiting then you’re bound to fail.
GOOD DAY, HAWAII!
What QBs got drafted before Tom Bradley (sp?) – a rhetorical question.
The girls one dated back when and the one that you may have married?
Walk-ons and scholarship players can be a crap-shoot like other things in life.
I hope Apelu stays healthy and has a great career here. Nuff said.
Love this time of year, but until I see who is dressed and making plays next fall, its fun to imagine what might be.
i dont think anyone is advocating for an all-walkon team. or a team full of starters that are walkons. but youre only allowed 25 new scholarships a year, you are bound to swing on miss on some of them. why not help yourself out and supplement it w a walkon program.
like i mentioned yesterday, we have already lost 7 members of our 2013 recruiting class to transfer or medical retirement. another 5, that were JC transfers, will use up their eligibility by the end of this coming season. thats half a class right there.
i just want to get better. there are some things in our program that are great, like: summer bridge program for incoming recruits, having a junior day, local Big Man & Skills camp.
strictly from a recruiting standpoint, things we can improve on or build:
1. a little more emphasis on walkon program. assign 1 coach to do it like Miano did. reading stuff like Utah holds a meeting for incoming preferred walkons makes me feel like we can improve. if a Pac12 school is trying to leverage in state talent, why dont we?
2. having a bigger social media presence. a lot of it is to generate buzz for your program, but all these kids are on social media. theyll be able to see you out there and the hustle the coaches are putting in.
3. if money permits, holding a satellite camp in the mainland. itll give the coaches an opportunity to evaluate in person. and also more exposure for our coaching staff.
of course, having a full coaching staff would definitely help spread the duties around a bit more.
Okay, I’ll bite Warbow, show me 50+ walk-on players never to play a single down for every walk-on that started.
#28 & #30. ST,
Here’s an specific case example……from 2010 – 2011……
This kid wasn’t a really good HS player (since definitely overshadowed by a certain All-State QB teammate…..and an All-State OL teammate – who eventually quit school & football) so wasn’t ranked among Hawaii’s Top Class of 2011 local HS prospects back then…….
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20110109_hawaii_continues_to_produce_top_talent.html
Since know his the family and his then HS position coach, know first-hand that this local kid was interested in and willing to consider walking on to UH……but never got contacted by the previous UH coaching staff after attending UH’s Spring 2010 Junior Day……but still was fortunate enough to eventually land an FBS scholie through PIAA……and has been a starter the past 2 seasons……heading into his senior season……for this weaker FBS program…….with a comparable record to UH’s the past 3 seasons…….
http://www.nmstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205158073&DB_OEM_ID=1900
76.
Very ignorant statement. I don’t care if 100 walk ons walked off and didn’t play a down. It doesn’t cost the University a dime to bring in walk on kids. All it takes is to hit on a couple every year and you can find some steals. Poor recruiting had nothing to do with Bryant Moniz winning a starting job. Coaches actually gave Greg Alexander (scholarship) first chance and Moniz ended up being better. So there goes your theory. Was Chad Owens a product of poor recruiting or was he just a good player who fell through the cracks?
What most of us are trying to say is build a stronger walk on program so more kids take a chance on fulfilling their dream to play for Hawaii. If they don’t pan out, oh well. If they do, a big bonus.
81. It’s going to take him a while. Haha… Even a Jordan Monico type walk on who makes every ST tackle on kick offs are good for the team.
Even the” top” schools have the pot “problem” , Oregon had two players suspended right before the national title game. A top Michigan basketball player was caught last season in March and opted for the NBA.
Interesting to read about Mariota…….from back then…….
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20110109_parker_and_robins_could_be_chasing_teammate_mariota.html
Warbow,
During Miano’s 13 seasons at UH, there were 11 1st team All-WAC selections at DB. From 1978-1998 there were only 6, and Miano was one of them. Miano can evaluate talent and develop players. So what if the kid isn’t the right size. A lot of the kids that potentially have d1 talent in Hawaii don’t have the right size(especially the skill positions). Miano was at UH when the recruiting budget was a lot lower than it is now. He played the guys that fit UH’s system. It did not matter if they were on scholarship or not. Many of the DB’s that played under Miano had opportunities to play beyond college. I’m not seeing that with our current secondary.
If I have read correctly, Oregon offered Kaulana Apelu a walk on spot as well?
so, if Miano was sooooo good, why Chow fired him?
why, why, chicken hanawai
#88,
Yup!
Still has to decide between the 2 walk-on invitations…..UH or Oregon……but don’t know what (if any) the RSVP deadline is on either invitation.
Maybe no room for walk-ons at UH as only 65 suit up for home games therefor, maybe not interested in walk-ons. Will only get in the way.
Miano was never hired by Chow. Hence, Miano was never fired by Chow.
Jeezy: Moniz won the job after Alexander went down with a season ending knee injury. He may have won the job eventually, but I was at the game where Alexander got nailed on the sidelines as he stopped before going out of bounds to attempt a pass.
A-House: Chow did not fire Miano, he just didn’t offer him a job. Miano did well for the program and walk-ons specifically, but there is a lot we don’t know about him which caused Chow to pass on him as an assistant. Chow was going to offer Miano a position, but stuff happened which resulted in him heading in another direction.
93. I know that. Which is why I am trying to explain that our scholarship guys do get opportunities, but if we have good walk ons, it doesn’t reflect poor recruiting all the time. Sometimes we run into some good walk ons who are just better than any guy we could have gotten. Billy Ray was a 3 star recruit that had pretty good offers. Doesn’t mean Chad Owens who walked on wouldn’t beat him out any day of the week.
dont forget that Brent Rausch was the 2nd string to Alexander but hurt his finger in practice before the game.
All these discussions of walk-ons and missing the premier recruits made me start thinking of those delicious questions–what would have happened if they had gone to UH?
So, speaking from my era, the class of 1980 had a fair amount of D1 guys, but the blue chip guys were : John Kamana (USC), Leroy Lutu (u dub), Kaulana Park (Stanford) and John Haina (Cal). What interesting to note is that Niko Noga, was not that highly recruited as the others.
So since this is a fun fictional game…the guy I think would have most impacted the program, had he attended would be John Haina. Teamed down at DE with Niko, he would have made an already tough D, even tougher. So, while I think Leroy and JK would have probably switched positions, I’m not sure they would have beaten-out the guys we had at that time.
Consider, we had Anthony Edgar, a 9.7 100 yard UCLA transfer, he later played for Philly, and then shortly after Nuu–not sure if JK would have beaten those guys out–although he could have switched to flanker, which he played and was all-state as a junior in HS. Now, Leroy who was an incredible athlete–all-state in bball since he was a soph, may have not beaten out Ron Hall, who went on to a nice NFL career. So, what position would he have played?
Here is also interesting thing to fictionally consider, Ronald Bailey (st. Louis) all state at safety was also recruited heavily by Wags to walk on, but he never did–was considered a much better natural athlete than Rich. The bottom line is that no one had the work ethic and desire as Rich….Kifi will tell you stories that on bye weekends, with all the boys hitting the clubs, Rich was found on many a late Friday and Saturday night, putting in a workout. Oh well, just some fun things to consider…
Tulieta chose to walk-on at USC but is one of 9 qbs on their roster and they may be bringing in 2 more top recruits on Scholarships. But he does play on the volleyball team. Will be interesting to see how their recruiting goes since they are now offering 4 year scholarships.
93
Sorry but I call BS. Chow also didn’t see fit to keep Rolo and Aranda either. The problem is Chow wanted his own people but could not find better people who were already on staff but decided to hire unexperienced guys anyway.
Not Nasti…you are correct. A program, can only have “one man”, and well Rich made it known, that he wanted to be that guy–so, it was something that had to be circumvented by Chow. Better Q, has enough time passed-by, that maybe the relationship has a different patina? And if so, perhaps an olive branch extended, and maybe a job offer as well???!
A fellow can hope….
curiosity question: who on this blog would accept a job offer from Chow?
There seems to be a misconception that Miano was in charge of everything during the Jones and Mack years and therefore should be blamed for all failures during that time. Fact is only the head coach can hand out scholarships. Miano had to make up for recruiting deficiencies by many times convincing local players to give up solid offers from mainland schools and walk on at UH. This pissed off many of them and their coaches but what choice did Miano have? I remember one team in which every captain was a walkon. If anything one can conclude Miano was at times making better recruiting decisions with walkons than the head coach who was handing out scholarships.
Pizza Hut incident! Blast from the past. there have been many incidents. One comes to mind is the Fitisemanu/Noga incident and one involving Iosua and some others. Cant remember who was involved in the Pizza Hut one, could have been same parties of that era.
99
That is conjecture. You could say the same about every coach who was on staff at the time.
*88 Yeah, chow headed in another direction alright! A 3-12 season followed by a sterling 1-11. Who does he have now as DB coach? I think our HC thot he could do better in finding somebody else. Arrogance? or stupidity?
You guys should get together and write a book, “Under the Rainbow – the Gritty Untold Stories of Warrior Football”.
Big Island Tsaikos: Coach Chow coming to Big Island on Feb 5th-
For talk story Luncheon to Discuss the 2015 Recruits. Buffet luncheon and soft drinks ($25.00) call Nakoa Fottball.
Place : Imiloa Astronomy Center
Time : 11:30 A.M to 1 P.M.
contact Nakoa for tickets!
#5 You mentioned Miano as the new DB coach. When did this happen? Or can anyone enlighten me mahalo.
Old Diver: You can call it whatever you want, but the word is (from people inside the program), that Chow WAS going to keep Miano, but the word got back to Chow about what Miano was saying about him to whoever would listen, and the rest is history. Has enough time passed for Chow to offer Miano a job? I think it has. Most coaches clean house when they take over a program. That’s the way it is. Just like politics. Chow has said that it was a tough call not to keep Rolo, and it might have been a mistake. Chow’s failure to assemble a competent staff from day 1 will prove to be his undoing. It doesn’t mean that he didn’t try, or want to succeed.
Champ…I had a ringside seat with rumble in the jungle 5–aka Niko and Aui….good times!
Boo- talking to Tomey one day he said he wanted to play Lutu at LB and felt he would have had a long NFL career at that position. I forget what position he even played in high school. I do remember he was a great basketball player along with the Morales twins. They had great chemistry on the hardwood.
The last time I got excited about a recruit was when it was announced that a former 5 star RB was being signed. Leon Wright-Jackson wasn’t a bust but neither was he a difference maker.
Funny story…..as much as I can remember…..
Back in the day…….one of my friends signed up with his downtown work buddies (all white-collar types – then called yuppies) to play rec league b-ball at the Nuuanu YMCA. They show up for their first game……only to find out that their opponents are the Noga brothers (Niko, Al, Pete).
Let’s just say that…….the guys on my friend’s team were rather intimidated……and concerned about their physical well-being.
Lucky for my friend’s team……that only Niko, Al, Pete showed up for their team……so the game gets called……and my friend’s team wins by forfeit.
My friend still says that…….that was the most scared he’s ever been.
#102,
No names please…..out of respect…..since not all participants still with us today……but ST must remember since he was a UH student back then…..
Turf–Leroy played the old school, one side end. But, played tight end at Udub. I’m not sure he had the straight end speed to play wide receiver–although he had incredible dexterity and agility. I also thought that Kaulana might have been misplaced at fullback at Stanford–maybe OLB would have been a more natural position.
That said we were already loaded at OLB–Alvis, Johnny Taylor, ML Johnson, etc…but it is super fun to consider.
Great Afternoon All!
TBT(uesday)?
Good to see that…..Joey being invited to the NFL Combine……
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20150127_Former_UH_running_back_invited_to_NFL_combine.html?id=289991471
First UH invitee since Mike Edwards and Luke Ingram.
This years examples of poor recruiting:
Brenden Urban, Duke Bukoski, Dominique Small and Gaetano DeMattei. Walk on’s who played terrible while scholarship players road the bench.
Warbow, got list?
Warbow: In your opinion, DeMattei played terrible? Wow! We must not have been watching the same games. He may not have the flat out speed to cover receivers, but was pretty stout against the run. And I think you mean “rode” the bench, not “road” the bench.
76 Jeezy…But it does hurt. It takes away valuable playing and practice time from those scholarship players who you invest big dollars on to pan out. It also takes away valuable one-on-one coaching one would receive from coaches.
Poor recruiting had everything to with Moniz walking on. He should have been afforded a scholarship based on his play at the JC level. Instead they give a scholarship to guys like Corey Nielsen, Kevin Spain and Cayman Shutter.
So there goes your theory.
Nothing against Miano and his walk on’s. They saved the day for Hawaii many of times. What I’m saying is this all transpired because of poor recruiting from the start. There’s nothing wrong with trying to build a strong walk on program, many pan out to be decent players. But to be reliant on walk-on’s to be successful like Miano did is just plain crazy. It’s like JJ saying he don’t need to recruit a QB, he’ll just make one with who ever shows up for practice.
119, Go back and look at the tape. Big plays were make against Hawaii mainly because he was out of position, missed a tackle or they broke his tackle attempt. All you see are the good plays he made, which were few. For every good play he made I can show you 5 that he got abused on. LOL. A scholarship player like Marrell Jackson should have been playing there instead where he did great a couple of seasons ago.
u are crazy if u think Moniz’s JC play should have afforded him a scholie. he only completed 54% in his 1 years at Fresno City and threw for only 9TDs
Stephen, what happened to Soph WR Frank Kainoa Abreu who walked on last fall?
122, I predicted Moniz would end up being the starting Hawaii QB the day he walked on. This was all based on his high school and JC play as compared to the other QB’s were gave scholarships to. His performance against the level of play was outstanding for the type of offense they ran at his JC as compared to Corey Nielsen’s who basically put up all his high school numbers because of the offense they ran and playing against JV type player levels in California.
With scholarships limited to 85, walk-ons are an essential part of every college football program. Even at schools such as Oregon and USC, you hear stories of walk-ons cracking the starting line-up. More importantly, walk-ons provide a vital role on special teams. But then again, Warbow, you have to forgive us for not being perfect like you. For every walk-on that succeeded, you called it beforehand. For every scholarship athlete that was a bust, you knew it would happen as soon as it was offered. Your foresight and hindsight are 20-20.
I’m a little confused with the logic that “walk ons” take time from scholly players. One, practice would not even be possible, if not for walk ons. Two, if a walk on is getting individual coaching, it just means he has moved into the two-deep rotation, and either someone is injured or is outplaying a scholly player.
The two reasons walk ons get noticed, is one: they are rocking other players in practice. Two, they know the assignments, no small feat when you are not getting reps in practice.
I tell you this..the walk ons that rise to the two deep rotation, all have a similar trait…they are fearless. Like speed, you can’t teach that….from Nick Saban to Pete Carroll, all programs not only have a place, but a need for walk ons. If NFL types can make Jamarcus Russell type mistake, so much more at the college level….sort of a silly to say anything otherwise.
NotNasti, you’re forgiven. I’m not as good as Jeezy but I try.
Actually, I’m all for walk-on’s. Just wanted to make a point that no team should be reliant on them for their success rather then using good recruiting to succeed.
Boolakanaka, you’re missing the point. If you did your homework before you offered those scholarships, walk-ons shouldn’t out perform the scholarship players in practice. If that’s the case then their status should have been reversed. Walk-ons would have got the scholarship offers and those schollie players would have been offered the walk-on. Like I said, they are exceptions to those who were not properly evaluated in high school because of one thing or another (injury etc.)
It’s unfair to use walk-on’s from USC or Alabama as compared to lower level G-5 schools like Hawaii. Most of those walk-ons have other scholarship offers from other D-1 schools but choose to and give it a try with the big boys. Like someone said, there’s only 85 scholarships to give out and schools like Alabama and USC have 3 and 4 star players on their 3rd team. They can’t give scholarships to every good player that wants to play for them. Their excepted walk on’s could probably start at any G-5 school (except Boise).
Ok, I gotta slip on my waders and drop into my boots because this stuff is getting thick!
There’s nothing wrong with having walk on’s, K State started its season with 16 of them in their 2 deep, add JUCO’s and their line up was a hodge podge of players that weren’t highly recruited. A good coaching staff molded and developed them into a fine football team.
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/89520/kansas-state-walk-on-u
120. Who cares who plays as long as the guy is good??? No other school in the country offered Moniz either… It happens… Hawaii also offered Greg Alexander who was pretty good but got hurt. It was a blessing to have Moniz as well on the team. Walk ons thrive every where. Key is to land a couple studs every year from walking on combined with good recruiting. Our recruiting has been bad. I’m not disputing that. But that has nothing to do with walk ons turning out good.
128. That sounds as stupid as undrafted free agents should never start in the NFL because if scouts did their homework, those guys would have gotten drafted… I think everyone is still waiting for your list of players for every walk on that thrives, 50 walk away…
Chad Owens, James Fenderson, Ashley Lelie, Richard Torres, Royce Pollard. I guess no one in the country did homework on Ashley Lelie in Hawaii.
5 times 50… Hopefully you can name 250 walk ons at Hawaii.
Glad Hawaii got CB Cam Hayes to commit. He was probably my favorite high school CB target we were after…
Jeezy it helps he comes from a pretty good High School Program that plays in one of the tougher league’s
108
Doesn’t bother me that you don’t care for Miano, my objection is you making up stuff to diss him. Chow wanted a new staff, nothing wrong with that. Why you choose to only point out Miano while the rest of the staff except for Tuioti was released is telling. On the plus side fewer people are blaming Rich Miano for Chow’s miserable three year record.
132… It’s stupid to bank your success on walk on’s or free agents. The percentage of those succeeding is very low. 1 in 50 will succeed.
Fenderson was an average running back in college and a poor NFL running back. Special teams earned him an NFL spot. Basically another Mosi Tatupu, although a better running back. If Lelie played today in high school he wouldn’t have slipped thru the cracks and would have gotten an offer from a big time school just based on his speed only. Torres and Pollard were average players that wouldn’t have started on any P-5 school. Owens was rare and a late bloomer. The way recruiting is now days it would be hard for someone with skill not to get noticed.
Who do you think gets cut very year to make room for the incoming scholarship recruits to make their roster limit for fall practice? That’s right mostly walk-on’s. There’s your 250 walk-ons who walk off.
136. Where did anyone say to bank your success on walk ons??? All anyone is saying is to improve the walk on program so we have a better chance at finding the next Owens, Lelie, Moniz, Fenderson, and so on. If you can find solid contributors who are scholarship worthy, then its a bonus. No one is saying to abandon recruiting.
Wow.. no Warbow is comparing our former walk ons to NFL and Pac 5 teams like it’s a bad thing..
Can someone explain to Warbow that Walk on mean they pay their own tuition so any walk on that succeeds is like a bonus??? Not every kid in the country is going to be D1 ready by the end of their senior year in high school and kids fall through the cracks a lot.
Hmmmn, not sure how you are making calculations, but almost every year, you will get in addition to guys becoming a starter or spot player, folks playing on special teams, getting PT late in games, etc…and these total easily over 10. So, unless we are getting 500 walkons invited every fall, well that is at best an embellishment and at worse, well, you are just wrong.
Everyone is wrong at some point….as you are here. You overstated your point, walkons are essential of all D1 programs, but no one ever said there are the core recruits., merely they are indispensable, especially at a program like ours where we have historically found frontline players in our own backyard.
Jeezy, you think he’s a better get than Chuck Davis or Trequan Smith? Davis had a lot of offers so schools must have though highly of him. There’s two Trequan Smiths but I believe the one we offered had some good credentials too. Just want to get your thoughts since you’re up to date on recruiting.
Saw that Ulu-Perry had a great talk with Mora today. I wonder if Mora saw all the comments relating to UH and figured he better call.
141. I know nothing about those guys… I kinda gave up focusing on those Florida type recruits. I’m not familiar enough with the leagues/ divisions down there. We been getting all excited over Florida kids past few years and still waiting for 1 to really pan out.. Might be better to find a Texas pipeline and focus on getting the good California guys.
137.. If you’re using walk-ons to find your next superstar, you’re in trouble recruiting wise. In this day and age of recruiting services and camps to evaluate players, there should be no walk-on who should start in front of a scholarship player unless circumstances prevented the walk on player from getting a proper evaluation. i. e injury or PED use after high school. I’m not the one who brought up comparing the NFL or Alabama or USC to Hawaii. I just responded to it.
140. Not saying walk-on’s are not essential to any program, they are if your recruiting has been poor and you don’t do your homework on who you recruit. In the perfect world of recruiting, walk ons should be just scout team players and maybe special teams players. If walk ons out perform scholarship players then they shouldn’t renew those scholarships and admit you were wrong in recruiting and give them to the walk ons. Simple as that.
Then why did Joe Schmidt start at MLB for Notre Dame this year? Or Terris Jones Grigsby started at UA….please almost every team in D1 has multiple examples of this occurring.
Why? Because recruiting is not a science–and like most things in life, some are better at it than others. Who knew David Robinson would grow seven inches in college, or despite being a consistent 4.6 guy, know one can actually catch Jerry Rice after a catch…it’s sport and there are no metrics on being competitive.
137. Stop putting words in peoples mouths… No one said use walk ons to find next super star.. Having a good walk on program can help you in many areas.. Special Teams, a #3 WR, back up RB, maybe even a starting QB in some cases. You have NOTHING to lose by having a strong walk on program. Only things to gain. If Chad Owens decided to head to a JC, Hawaii’s success would have been a lot different. IF you can keep a lot of these undersized athletes home who get over looked, you increase your chances of finding another Owens, Torres which help your program.
Walk ons have been a huge part of the June Jones era success. If you can’t see that, then sorry. Hawaii isn’t a PAC 5 school. They need to use all resources possible. Ikaika Alama Francis was a walk on too by the way. Maybe the next stud will be a kid that didn’t play football before but a good athlete that can convert..
#143, ok thanks.
Zach vigil
Old Diver: first of all, I have nothing against Miano. I was a fan of his in college, and really enjoy his commentary. Secondly, I’m not making anything up. I’m merely offering an explanation of why he was not retained, as told to me by a reporter, UH trainer, and HI S&Q (former) trainer who was with him from its inception. Now one or all of them may have lied to me, but could they individually and separately come up with the same lie? My initial post was in response to A-House, who said Chow fired Miano. Too many people state opinions as fact on the Internet. I don’t have an opinion on Miano. I don’t know him. Again, and the last time I will comment on this, I was just offering an explanation. Pau!
I believe Jeremy Kelly visited SDSU last week. I wonder if he is still on our list. Could use another WR if we have schollies.
Would be nice to have a good walk-on program.
aloha everyone !! walk on have alway been a big part of the UH !! these guy have to work for what they get !! and i think there heart are more into it !!
and for Miano if he coming back to help all the better !! in anybody is all about UH FOOTBALL thats miano !! hope u can get jj to help too!! and wags and tommy co dc
Some of the craziest post game brawls happened in the JJ era on national television.
WE need a damn mascot! It livens up the crowd and atmosphere!!
Mr. A-House, if I knew enough about football I’d gladly work for Coach Chow. I would make real money instead of the hay and water I get for pulling a plow. If I don’t do a good job, you could joke that I still have my blinders on. 😉
#133 Jeezy33
About the corner commit Hayes. Any info on him?
If Coach Miano is even a little good, it is better than not having any DB coach at all.
#109 Was Fitisemanu and Al Noga as I understand it. could have been niko too.
157.. Plays for power house Serra High in southern cali. Really good footwork and hips from what I’ve seen. Very quick feet. Not sure why he wasn’t recruited more highly. I feel somewhat the same way as Mageo last year… Thought he should have been more highly recruited.. But keep the Serra pipeline coming. I’ve been some what critical on the DBs we recruited the past 3 years.. So far, I am much higher on Hayes and Butler..
Re-Apelu
Apelu also has a preferred walk-on invitation from Oregon.
Between now and the start of the next school year he can exercise his options…he might even go the JC route or even pick up a scholarship offer from another school.
In the blog entry there’s no indication he accepted the Warrior’s offer…or he even has visions on becoming a Warrior. There’s nothing written in stone.
But I think this player is a dark horse…a very good player that very few college coaches know about because of his injuries his junior and senior seasons. Check his tape: On the youtube tape (his sophomore season) he looks faster than his 4.7 40 time (PIAA combine-5/13) and shows good shiftiness and toughness (where he often outruns the defenders). To my eyes he can be just as good as any of the other RB Chow has signed in the last three seasons.
What I can’t understand is why Chow is sitting on this. He should jump and grab this player (the player is hungry for a scholarship, has the ability and talent)…before some other school does. See for yourself-look at his tape on youtube (you will see).
Champ..no Aui was gone by then.
Yep, Tomey’s players were regulars on the local police blotter. Some of the best players got into trouble with the law and campus police back in the day. The bounchers in Waikiki were very “familiar” with many UH players.
#161,
No doubt….that Apelu was a stud RB his sophomore HS season……but can’t blame any coach for not offering a scholie to a RB prospect with a history of chronic leg injuries……due to the uncertainty following 2 knee surgeries.
I wish Kaulana Apelu well and hope his dreams come true.
From a recruiter’s point of view, it is like betting on a horse who has had a history of leg problems.
Two knee surgeries is a lot to overcome and not many people get back to 100%. Hoping the best for Apelu and hope he makes an impact at whatever school he attends.
el burro sabio:
your #156 – I give you points for courage!
Knowing what I know, it would be very hard pressed to work for him – just not my type of boss I can give 100%
I told my staff once, all Colonels, as a staff officer you have a choice on positions I take for the unit – accept it and give me your 100% or place a letter of resignation on my desk within the hour.
I would be willing to give a 100% and a blank check if its a position where there is a chance for career progression.
Good luck, Joey!
The curious case of Robert Allenby.
Femme Nu owner claims Allenby wasn’t at the club yet he was found not too far from there. I can imagine him leaving the club and in a drunken stupor blacked out and some passerby decided he was ripe for the picking and rolled him of his valuables.
In the movie Rudy, remember stadium crowd were chanting “Rudy… Rudy… Rudy…”.
For me, I am chanting: “Recruit… Recruit… Recruit…”
Anyway, my friend always had good advice when it comes to visiting any kind of strip club: Always use the buddy system.
And if one decides to go alone, let friends and family know where you headed in case you get lost. Similar advice when one goes hiking alone.
170… By law, the establishment with a liquor dispenser license is liable for the actions or events of a patron should he have had “too much to drink”.
So, I can see why the owner denies this.
Allenby on the other seems to be denying any thing at all. Is it to appease a po’d wife?
Well, its possible he was drugged but the question is where. It’s been reported he was at Amuse which isn’t too far from where he was found but I don’t think the bar owner denied that he was there earlier.
I think they need to identify who are those three individuals he left with at the Amuse bar because that’s where things getting a little vague.
speaking of Alvis and Aui, their Castle Teammate Louis Wong was said to be the only local recruit to leave the island in 1981.
http://byucougars.com/athlete/m-football/louis-wong
Whatever happens at Club Femme Nu, stays at Club Femme Nu. Ah, the wonders of Kapiolani Blvd after dark.
Polly:
He accepted the offer. But he’s a walk-on, so anything can happen in the next five months. That’s why I left it vague.
There’s also been a report of a California high school guy committing. That’s actually a complicated situation — he won’t be signing on Feb. 4 — so I’m leaving that one alone until it becomes less complicated. We’ll know how everything shakes out after this weekend.
New post: http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=27353