UH set to add Washington D-tackle

YIKFHOJNOTFXKCL.20130603012446Four years after committing to UH — and then de-committing to sign with Washington — defensive tackle Lawrence Lagafuaina is poised to join the Warriors.

Lagafuaina earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington and has applied to a UH graduate program.

If everything goes according to plan, Lagafuaina will be ready for the Aug. 1 start of training camp. Here’s what this means:

> No waiting period: As a university graduate, Lagafuaina is eligible to play this coming season.

> No risk: Similar to former USC quarterback Max Wittek and Washington safety Tazz Stevenson, Lagafuaina is willing to join as a  walk-on.

> Husky Husky: At 6-1 and 300-plus, Lagafuaina is suited as a nose tackle in the Warriors’ new 3-4 base. But the Warriors have several schemes, and Lagafuaina also can play the 3-technique. He’s another big body on a unit that can never have enough bulk.

> High school days: As an Aiea High senior in the 2009 fall semester, Lagafuaina was a 3-star defensive tackle, the OIA White defensive player of the year, and member of state’s Division II all-state first team.

> College days: He redshirted in 2010, and played in eight game in 2011, three in 2012 before suffering a season-ending injury and 12 of 13 in 2013.


> From the archives: Lagafuaina video

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Please e-mail name and address to stsai@staradvertiser.com

Thanks for playing.


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COMMENTS

  1. NorthShoreFan July 3, 2014 7:55 am

    Guud Morning Tsaikos…bootiful day.

    Welcome back Lawrence…IMUA!

    Wow..DOW over 17,000!…since we blame him for everything…it’s all Obama’s fault…imho.


  2. boolakanaka July 3, 2014 7:57 am

    Elua. Na Ali’i imua!


  3. BigWave96744 July 3, 2014 7:58 am

    He might be able to help his new mates scheme against his old mates in the season opener


  4. Stephen Tsai July 3, 2014 7:58 am

    It’s a beautiful day … to fight off people in the Costco aisles.


  5. al July 3, 2014 8:03 am

    nice bounce back.

    he could petition for a sixth year under the medical redshirt proviso.


  6. NorthShoreFan July 3, 2014 8:04 am

    Lines will be nutz!..guud luck.

    Vinne….HPD awaits!…time to return “home”..


  7. Stephen Tsai July 3, 2014 8:04 am

    It’s going to get interesting in the next three weeks.


  8. NorthShoreFan July 3, 2014 8:05 am

    lemme see….steaks, dogs and crab legs…den out da door…no fool around “eye shopping”.


  9. NorthShoreFan July 3, 2014 8:08 am

    oops gotta go back fo da taejee.


  10. Buffoman July 3, 2014 8:23 am

    #7 ST, Really? Any hints without a full reveal as to why?


  11. jeezy33 July 3, 2014 8:28 am

    Lagafuaina would be a solid pick up…… Will be a much needed NT for Hawaii 3-4. He is listed at 334 pounds at Washington so unless he went on a major off season work out program and diet, I don’t think he’s close to 300. Also doubt he’s capable of playing a 3 tech. Would mainly be used as 0 tech if anything I think. Would be better to simplify things for a guy just coming without off season with the team.


  12. Stephen Tsai July 3, 2014 8:36 am

    Buffoman:
    More players are interested in joining. It’s getting late, tho.


  13. jeezy33 July 3, 2014 8:41 am

    12. Does it boil down to whether guys want to pay their own way or not?


  14. Old School Dave July 3, 2014 8:43 am

    Welcome home Lawrence!! Go easy on the local grinds, though 🙂 Food in Seattle is mostly teriyaki this, teriyaki that, Panda Express, and Dick’s burgers, (maybe a decent Hawaiian Plate at Uwajimaya’s).

    Stephen: Good luck at Costco today. Went yesterday and it was CROWDED.


  15. Stephen Tsai July 3, 2014 8:47 am

    Players are willing to pay. Admission isn’t as simple because of the lateness.


  16. Rodney July 3, 2014 8:50 am

    More good news!!!
    In Chow I Trust!!!!!


  17. boolakanaka July 3, 2014 9:02 am

    You ever notice how those bruddhas from Aiea are real handsome??!


  18. tommui July 3, 2014 9:12 am

    GOOD MORNING HAWAII!

    Lawrence only has one year eligibility?


  19. al July 3, 2014 9:14 am

    15…this is the kind of stuff that makes doing things hawaiian style is so ridiculously cumbersome. whether if its a new student willing to put up money to attend the university to getting a permit to construct, fly a family member (a pet that is) over, etc, etc, etc.

    we have too many hurdles on the road to doing anything that is tied into some state or city administrative process.


  20. al July 3, 2014 9:14 am

    17…haha.


  21. Soompi808 July 3, 2014 9:15 am

    Wow! Good news.
    Can hardly wait for more.
    Another great day in Hawaii!


  22. Turfwar July 3, 2014 9:19 am

    This is already interesting ST. Getting a guy back in his fifth year when he is already seasoned as an athlete and student and when it should be the payoff year for the school is great for UH. You can never have enough fifth year guys on your roster. We’re not getting a pup here. Big congrats to Lawrence for finishing in 4 years which is no small accomplishment in itself. Average is usually 5 years for a non-athlete student.


  23. boolakanaka July 3, 2014 9:22 am

    22–Very good acknowledgment Turf! Bruddha should be commended for taking care of business, but, you know dats how Aiea bullies represent!!!


  24. Andrew July 3, 2014 9:41 am

    Hopefully his admissions process is quick so he can join the team as quickly as possible. He will be a great addition to the team, although sorry but Pearl City > Aiea


  25. Z July 3, 2014 9:44 am

    Alright. I hope Lawrence’s is healed and good to go. I was kinda worried about the NT position with the loss of Saui. Good to have another big body to put into the rotation. We have seen a lot of injuries at that position where we have had to go with smaller players like Yap.


  26. Turfwar July 3, 2014 9:56 am

    Boo back in the day as a 73′ Kailua grad I didn’t know much about the bullies but the coeds at Aiea made the school the envy of a lot of guys.


  27. boolakanaka July 3, 2014 10:17 am

    26…Huh, Aiea is known for a lot of things, but wahines?? New one for me…??! So, you are just a couple years behind the ole, Kailua, Oregon, NE and SF great Russ Francis?? One of my classmates’ mom was in HS with Bette Midler at Aiea–said she use to “get bust-up back in the day!!” I always thought this was some story she made up to tell us kids, anywho about 20 years later, I see Bette on some TV interview and she recites that going to school at Aiea was the worst time in her life, that all these titas use to pick on her and take her lunch money….too classic!!


  28. A-House July 3, 2014 10:19 am

    #7:

    baiting us again, eh?


  29. A-House July 3, 2014 10:23 am

    boola:

    a good friend taught Bette at Radford HS -said she felt sorry for her cause she was so “busty”


  30. A-House July 3, 2014 10:26 am

    NSF:

    good to see the “dow” over 17,000 – unfortunately, only the 1% are the primary beneficiaries because they own so much “stock”

    guy like me may own 1,000 shares and the stock goes up $5 – so I am richer by $5,000

    just imagine the % ers who own hundreds of thousands or millions of the same stock – dang, I make $5,000 and another makes $5,000,000 – same stock, but numbers for this is everything!!!!


  31. A-House July 3, 2014 10:30 am

    ST:

    #7 – good to hear that “others” are looking to play for UH and this is a boost to the coaching staff; however, each one has a special situation to overcome

    good to hear that they are willing to pay their own way at the start and hope for a scholarship later

    wonder how this will affect any decision on Chow IF he has another losing season?


  32. Turfwar July 3, 2014 10:59 am

    Yup. Russ was the QB during I think my soph year. But with over 1000 kids per class during that time Kailua was a power in football for a bunch of years. No Kaiser or Kalaheo yet so there were many athletes to chose from. Today Kailua ranks with Anuenue and Nanakuli as the three smallest schools in the OIA.


  33. SteveM July 3, 2014 11:03 am

    Good morning everyone!

    Welcome Lawrence Lagafuaina! Hope grad school admittance is in time.


  34. Da Punchbowl Kid July 3, 2014 11:04 am

    Good Morning Gangeez! 😉

    Great news about Lawrence – fresh legs on the D-Line is a lot of help.
    Agree with al’s #5, hope he can swing another year.

    Others? Hmmm…

    GO WARRIORS!!!


  35. Da Punchbowl Kid July 3, 2014 11:06 am

    Congratz 310braddah!


  36. Inyoface July 3, 2014 11:08 am

    Let’s run Washington over!!


  37. SteveM July 3, 2014 11:21 am

    310braddah — do you reside in Hawaii? If not, please tell us what city/state. Also, we had 5 new posters yesterday–anyone else reside outside Hawaii?

    A listing of known mainland Tsai-kos is at:
    http://home.roadrunner.com/~smurashi/tsai-kos/mainintpost.html

    There might be other UH football fans in your area. Often, they meet at some road games. Road game attendees that wish to meet other Tsai-kos are listed at:
    http://home.roadrunner.com/~smurashi/tsai-kos/away14.html

    Post here or email me if anyone (Hawaii too) plan to attend a game(s)–even tentatively.


  38. Former UH Athlete July 3, 2014 11:36 am

    #4 More like fighting off people for Costco parking spaces


  39. Former UH Athlete July 3, 2014 11:39 am

    The 4th of July is coming… Anybody know of any stores doing the J. Winston crab&crawdad special? Or is exclusive for Heisman winning QBs?


  40. Former UH Athlete July 3, 2014 11:43 am

    #30 not a matter of how much… As long as you’re in the same stocks, then the gain/loss % is the same. As you mentioned, it’s all proportionate to how much you invest.

    If your not in the game, you can’t win.


  41. A-House July 3, 2014 12:00 pm

    #40:

    true – if your not in the game, you cant’ win

    while the DJ may be above 17,000 points – it doesn’t help the 99% as much is does the 1% who get richer as the stock market soars

    speaking of investing, which I don’t have the extra cash, wish I could have had millions to buy gold when it was below $200 per ounce or when Amazon was at $15 per share

    points out the fact that the “poor” will continue to be poor


  42. Boolakanaka July 3, 2014 12:12 pm

    32- you are so right Turf. Kailua, back in the day, was da big bullie on da block. Always great talent coming out of KHS, from Eddie Chung (one of Boises first entree to local boys) to Russ, to Joe Wong, to Samson Satele.


  43. oldtimer808 July 3, 2014 12:44 pm

    Boolakana I have to correct you on Midler. She went to Radford a 63 grad. First grad class at Aiea was 1964. The locals and the military did not get along back in those days.


  44. oldtimer808 July 3, 2014 12:47 pm

    Aiea was 8 wins and 1 loss in 1964 and 1965 with their only loss to Kailua.


  45. innocent observer July 3, 2014 1:04 pm

    admitting these one year players is not a good idea. what kind of message it sends to the players who signed as a freshman or JC transfer, who have been working hard for playing time, and then someone from outside comes in and displace them? All the hard work they put in in prior years were all for naught. you don’t build a solid program on one year players, except if you are desperate, which is the case with chow – if he does not deliver this coming season, he will be out.


  46. Andrew July 3, 2014 1:11 pm

    45.

    If the player is better then why should it matter how long they have been there? Just because a player has been in the program longer should not warrant playing time. If a incoming JC player can outperform an existing player, then the JC guy should play.


  47. Boolakanaka July 3, 2014 1:30 pm

    44- thanks for the correction. As my friends mom lived closer to Aliamanu, so Radford would be more appropriate.


  48. oldtimer808 July 3, 2014 1:36 pm

    The door should never be closed to a player who wants to transfer to UH. If UH held that sort of policy as suggested by #45, then future student/athletes who want to return home would have no where to go. Negative attitudes towards a transfer whether he or she has a year or two left should never be part of the program. I give credit to any student/athlete who graduates from his college and wants to return home to play for the home team and continue his education towards a master.


  49. oldtimer808 July 3, 2014 1:37 pm

    But you’re right Boolakanaka, us Aiea boys think we still handsome but always under interpretation.


  50. oldtimer808 July 3, 2014 1:42 pm

    But as for all the old fellas, we’re like fine wine just better with age. I dunno but during my time the Aiea wahines had a few nice ones but we tended to look to the outer areas.


  51. oldtimer808 July 3, 2014 1:51 pm

    I give credit to Coach Chow for allowing these transfers the opportunity to come home. I don’t think his acceptance of these transfers has anything to do with being desperate to win at all cost. He recognizes the effort these individuals have made to achieving their goal of graduating from college. Most of these transfers are coming out of their own pocket which says a lot about the integrity of our coaches.


  52. 808WarriorFan July 3, 2014 2:20 pm

    What’s w/ Taz Stevenson; I heard he hasn’t gotten admitted yet ?????


  53. st. anthony trojan July 3, 2014 2:30 pm

    Not to worry to much… the admission dept. is hard at work…see the coaches put in a lot of time n effort n money into these athletes…but have to remember…that the other ‘#39 stake holders’ have to get in their .02 cents worth…just to be able to hold things up…so this blog can have many always wonder…who is at the helm of the ship up there…ME NOT UNDERSTAND..WHY IT TAKES….DAYS….WEEKS…MONTHS…2 get athletes enrolled…wonder how the rest of the
    student body ever get enrolled… maybe Mr. BJ cut the budget for fax paper….???


  54. nutmegger July 3, 2014 3:00 pm

    Once an application is received, it has to be copied in triplicate. It takes a long time for admissions to chisel out three copies on stone tablets. Then they have to schedule a forklift to file one copy, transfer one copy to AD and one copy to the admissions board.

    If the application is approved then they have to schedule a truck to carry all the applications to the mountain top. Once the truck is unloaded, then we have to wait for Moses to part the Red Sea before the approved applications can be returned to the student via camel/sailing ship or other means of transport. Unfortunately, the legislature has not approved this years budget for postage. Try wait.


  55. dream city mike July 3, 2014 3:10 pm

    You can never have enough experience especially from a 4 year player w/ a degree in hand. The kicker in this case is playing against his former teammates, will only help us get over the top in the first win of the season. Go Warriors surprise da huskies!


  56. 310Braddah July 3, 2014 3:10 pm

    Winna winna, Shoji T-shirt cheehoo!! Steve M I live in southern cali (Torrance). I just sent an email to steven tsai with my info. Thanks for the info on the Tsaikos up here, I will check it out. Mahalo to the person that donated the t-shirt and to Avis for picking me 😀 Go Warriors!!!


  57. MAGNUM XL PI July 3, 2014 4:25 pm

    # 53. st. anthony trojan:
    July 3rd, 2014 at 2:30 pm

    eh, howzit. whats up with you. Mr. BJ got nothing to do with admissions.
    why you always hating on Mr. BJ. seems like everyday you post something like this. nuff already. go hate on something else.

    …ME NOT UNDERSTAND..WHY IT TAKES….DAYS….WEEKS…MONTHS…2 get athletes enrolled…wonder how the rest of the
    student body ever get enrolled… maybe Mr. BJ cut the budget for fax paper….???


  58. NorthShoreFan July 3, 2014 4:25 pm

    #30 A-House…yup it’s only selected sampling and not truly an indication of things but I have a good resource for a true reading of the economy.
    One of my friends tells me the reason H-Power don’t have enough stuff to burn to generate power is because they aren’t getting as much stuff to burn. He tells me you can tell when the economy is doing well by how much people throw away. The better the economy the more trash and right now not too many things are being discarded. Sign of the times…


  59. st. anthony trojan July 3, 2014 5:12 pm

    # 57…sorry me is ruffle ur feathers…me see PI BACK UR NAME ..YOU FIGHT MANOK?

    ne way.. me do as fun…mostly..n not hate…maybe you should be more accurate though…i did post i thought the H zone was cool…even if i thought had some short comings to me…about Mr. Joe Onosai..N UP BAND… n stood corrected..if i did not see..

    For me… the AD should be involved with every student athlete…n if there is a delay…in admissions he should get involved..or someone from the AD office should get involved…and help…but because i not know all the particulars…the only thing is for me to make light of it…sorry it rubs you the wrong way…

    In this case…i am defending the student…be it Stevenson..or Lagafuaina…In the later case…he went through 4 years already…n wants to pay his own way so he can play a 5th or possibly 6th year…he should be commended for what he is trying to do…n his parents should be commended for having a son that wants to pursue his studies n play…is it asking to much…to have the AD..OR COACH..OR A REP FROM THEIR OFFICE TO TRY N SMOOTH THINGS OVER IF THERE ARE PROBLEMS ? Problem is here…blog is to yap…good n bad.. for those that don’t have all the “FACTS”… n is good that you give ur opinion also…

    But is good you defend him…it is his choice to make comment on here or not…as far as i know…all are welcome…but if mistakes are made under his watch…i guess i should curtail my posts on him…me did post a while back..i thought he is doing ok.. but did say…because we all know he has a higher authority he must answer to…hence how he flip flopped on the name change…n those under him…many i guess are union… n he does not have the freedom…to do as he sees fit…he is a numbers man…n for me cutting seats at the stadium is not the way to go…n he changed his mind on that also…seems he is doing excellent with corp. sponsors… hope it works…

    And please don’t go after FJ…he brings balance to this blog…or it maybe known as
    as the Tsaiko ‘yes’ blog …he he

    But thanks ur post…n speak ur mind…is what this is for…good ..bad…or..ugly…


  60. Inyoface July 3, 2014 5:21 pm

    Depth!


  61. AllG July 3, 2014 5:32 pm

    Hopefully Lawrence gets in we need the DT depth badly! This would be a huge score for us!


  62. Shoko July 3, 2014 5:35 pm

    Got pretty decent depth at the NT position. Moses Samia, Marcus Malepeai, Calen Friel, Penetito Faalologo (although I think he needs more weight), and now Lawrence Lagafuaina.

    I was reading in the Seattle paper that Lagafuaina was number two on the depth chart going into Spring training. Not sure what happened but he wasn’t on the three-deep post Spring. Although he played all but one game last season, there wasn’t any recorded statistics. Think he may have been used sparingly and perhaps was still hindered by the season-ending injury the year prior. He’s a big boy, though. It would be entertaining seeing carry the ball on short yardage and see him plow through the line.


  63. ALLAN July 3, 2014 5:38 pm

    54. MY WILD OPINION IS THAT YOU ARE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH THAN MANY THINK.


  64. Papakolei-n July 3, 2014 5:39 pm

    .46 Andrew Amen!


  65. Papakolei-n July 3, 2014 5:39 pm

    Sorry 46.


  66. Ipu Man July 3, 2014 6:15 pm

    #54 nutmegger, you are funny. Thanks.


  67. nutmegger July 3, 2014 8:23 pm

    66 Ipu Man – thanks, thought a little comic relief was needed.
    63 Allan – if close to truth, then there’s trouble right here in River City


  68. d1shima July 3, 2014 8:55 pm

    Great Evening All!

    More ingreeda-ments…hope da chef can blend ’em up into some good Chow Time!


  69. ai-eee-soos July 4, 2014 1:07 am

    whaaaat … the Mountain West giving boise state $$ 3.0 million to help
    pay for their Big East exit fee.

    “Boise State has settled a lawsuit with the American Athletic Conference that was first filed a year ago claiming the university owed $5 million in exit fees.

    The university announced Thursday that all claims have been dismissed and it has agreed to pay a negotiated exit fee of $2.3 million.

    The lawsuit was first filed after Boise State backed out of joining the Big East Conference in 2012. School officials said at the time that the Big East wasn’t successful in securing western members or a strong television package.

    Boise State officials say that the conference has already been paid $1.6 million and will get $140,000 a year over the next five years. The money will come from $1.1 million in national television bonuses and $3 million from the Mountain West.”

    … I no can figure out the numbers …


  70. maddog50 July 4, 2014 3:08 am

    Any additions to this roster that can contribute is tremendous. The talent scale is slowly shifting to where it needs to get to. This is a great addition!!!! Hope there are a few more—Go Warriors!!!!


  71. Shoko July 4, 2014 5:32 am

    69. I think that 3 million is the amount that would have been committed to Boise State if they had not intended to leave the MW after the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Since they said they were leaving for the AAC, they had to forfeit the end-of-year payout that year per conference bylaws.

    Anyway, happy 4th of July! Stay safe and don’t drink and drive. Better yet, stay of the roads if you don’t have to drive as there will be folks out there that will ignore the law. Don’t be a victim of drunk driving!

    That is all.


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