McBride believes
local boys are no ka oi
As far as the Utah football coach
By Paul Arnett
is concerned, the pipeline from
Hawaii can go on forever
Star-BulletinDALLAS -- People can feel the affection Utah head coach Ron McBride has for Polynesian football players through the stories he tells. Last year, Taulia Lave of Waianae High fame came to practice asking McBride where his car was, something the eighth-year head coach couldn't answer.
What Lave and McBride didn't know was former St. Louis School standout running back Chris Fuamatu-Maafala had borrowed it without telling anyone, leaving Lave in the lurch.
''Out of all those guys, Lave is the only one with a car,'' McBride said yesterday, breaking into a smile as the story rolled along. ''He thought it was stolen.
''The thing is, once he finds out who has it and tells me, I say, 'Hey, Chris doesn't know how to drive.' He took buses to get around in Honolulu. So what happens, he gets stopped by the police and they ask him for his driver's license.
''He gives them his Hawaii state I.D. The policeman notices it and tells him, but all Chris says is, 'That's a Hawaii driver's license.' I love him to death. He's a great kid.''
Obviously, McBride didn't recruit the burly running back for his driving skills. Despite a season-ending knee injury, the largest running back in the country (6-foot, 280 pounds) and a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate rushed for 982 yards and nine touchdowns.
His teammates voted him the most valuable player last year, something McBride won't argue. Fuamatu-Maafala looks to expand on those numbers this season.
''He's back from knee surgery and ready to go,'' McBride said at yesterday's Western Athletic Conference meetings. ''His brother Roy opened the door for us in Hawaii a number of years ago.
''It's no secret that I like Polynesian players. Six of the nine guys we recruited over there will contribute to this team right away. The biggest surprise is Lave, who will start at middle linebacker for us this season.''
The redshirt sophomore finished with 45 tackles last year for the Utes. The 6-2, 251-pounder is explosive off the ball, something McBride believes will keep the Utah defense among the best in the league.
Joining Lave and Fuamatu-Maafala as projected starters are defensive end Toni Fatafehi and wide receiver Donny Utu. Utu, a Punahou grad, finally figures into McBride's plans. Last year, he had only two catches for 37 yards, but one was for a touchdown.
Farrington's Fatafehi came by way of Foothill Junior College. He will be challenged by fellow islander Ryan Akina of Campbell High. The senior had nine tackles last year.
''We think Ryan will challenge for a starting job,'' McBride said. ''He's a big kid (6-5, 268) with a lot of quickness. Those two guys will make each other better.''
McBride said former St. Louis quarterback Darnell Arceneaux also is competing for a starting position. Like Fuamatu-Maafala, he underwent surgery in the off-season to correct leg problems.
The electrifying quarterback rushed for a touchdown in the spring game and also completed 5 of 10 passes for 71 yards. Although McBride says the position remains competitive, junior Jonathan Crosswhite already has been named the starter.
''St. Louis is well-represented when Darnell is in there,'' McBride said. ''Cal Lee sure knows how to coach them. He should be elected governor over there.''
University of Hawaii head coach Fred vonAppen told McBride that someday the pipeline from Utah to Hawaii had to be shut down, but the veteran head coach would have none of it.
''I've loved having Polynesian players on my team for years,'' McBride said. ''Roy is the one who got things started for us. Having Tommy Lee on our staff doesn't hurt, either, let me tell you. As long as they want to come here, we'll keep recruiting them.''
In all, Utah has nine players from Hawaii on the team. The remaining three are Bull Heffernan, Clifford Russell and Wesley Tufaga.
