Notebook
Thursday, October 9, 1997
Several times over the past 12 months, the Long Beach, Calif., resident thought he would be pronounced fit for duty by his doctors, but that didn't officially happen until Monday.
"I've never really seen him play except in a drill context," UH head coach Fred vonAppen said after yesterday's practice. "I think he'll help us down the road, but how soon is the question.
"We don't want to rush him back because he's been through a horrible ordeal. He's a very quiet guy and won't tell you a lot where he's coming from.
"But he's dreadfully far behind in terms of the mental aspects of what we've been doing the last year and a half. He's a tough guy to come through what he's come through, so we welcome him back with us."
Ho-Ching wasn't back in full pads during yesterday's practice. He expects to be in full gear as early as next week. But just being back on the field after his two-year battle with cancer is a moving experience for him.
"It was a real long trip and I finally crossed the finish line," Ho-Ching said. "Now that I'm here, I don't know how I feel.
"I feel great to be back. I'm still overwhelmed. I couldn't sleep. There was no last night. I just thought about practice and what I was brought here to do.
"Having the Big C slowed me down, but it didn't bring me down, you know. It made me strong and a better person. It made me learn more about myself. My main motivation to get back was God and my family."
Ho-Ching was originally recruited by former head coach Bob Wagner to be a quarterback in 1995. He shifted to defensive back and played in four games. He had one interception at Nevada-Las Vegas.
Coming out of that game, Ho-Ching had a growth in his nose examined by doctors. It was not only determined to be a tumor, but a malignant one. He underwent several chemotherapy and radiation treatments before finally beating the disease.
"Football is just going to come and go, so I might as well enjoy it while I'm here," Ho-Ching said. "I'm not going to let this thing stop me."
Ho-Ching still owes a local hospital $20,000 for his treatments. He said he was trying to pay it off as quickly as he could.
MACON MISSES PRACTICE: Fresno State has always held a special place in Johnny Macon's heart because his daughter was born the night before his first collegiate start against the Bulldogs three years ago.
He even commented about it after one of last week's practices. Unfortunately for the Macon family, the California school won't hold only fond memories. Macon missed yesterday's practice after his wife suffered her second miscarriage this year.
VonAppen said that the Macon family was in the thoughts of the players and the coaches.
"We feel for him and his wife, who are wonderful people," vonAppen said. "He's had to deal with a lot of grief the past couple of years, but I believe he'll make his way through it.
"There's not a lot you can say. When he's ready to come back, we'll welcome him. Right now, he has more important things to deal with than a football game."
He's still listed as the No. 2 quarterback behind Josh Skinner. Redshirt freshman Jerimi Bourland took some snaps under center during yesterday's workout at Cooke Field. The Texan played quarterback in high school.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: The Rainbows remained near the top of the league in turnover margin, averaging plus .80 a game.
Hawaii is third in the league and ranked No. 23 in the nation in this key category. The only problem is, four of the Rainbows' turnovers have been returned for touchdowns and two others were converted into touchdowns from the 1- and 11-yard lines.
The Rainbows' defense was once ranked ninth in the nation against the run, but that number has dipped considerably in recent weeks. Hawaii is ranked No. 60 in rushing defense, yielding 142.2 yards a game.
Hawaii is still ranked in the top 50 nationally in passing defense with a 116.09 rating. The Rainbows also are fifth in the league in this category.
The Rainbows are rated 60th in total defense, yielding 359.2 yards a game, and 83rd in scoring defense. They are giving up 28.2 points a game.
The match at Ala Wai Field is the first of two on a homestand that also has defending division champion Brigham Young here for a Saturday showdown.
"I think we've found a solution, but only tomorrow will tell," UH head coach Pinsoom Tenzing said. "I'm going to put Tui (Moe) at sweeper. She's confident, reads the game well and is deadly sure of herself."
Tsukada suffered a strained medial collateral ligament (right knee) in the Cal State Dominguez Hills match last Sunday and is expected to be out two to three weeks.
On a positive note, striker Tricia Nishikawa and midfielder Jennifer Hamm are expected to play after missing several matches with injuries.
Hamm is the team leader in scoring with three goals and seven points, while Nishikawa has two goals.
The Wahine (6-5-1) are coming off two road victories and have already topped last year's goal production (15) with 17 this season.
Utah (6-6-0) returns 10 of 11 starters and has scored almost two goals per match, led by sophomore Staci Burt, who is 10th in the WAC in scoring with 18 points. Freshman Sarah Moss is the assist leader with 0.43 per match.
On defense, goalkeeper Tawni Martineau has five shutouts, all at home.
The Utes evened their record with a 4-3 win over Oregon Saturday.
BYU (11-0-0) is ranked 15th in the NSCAA/Umbro Poll and is the only undefeated and untied team in the nation. The Cougars play at San Diego State tonight.
BYU has a balanced attack led by Shauna Rohbock, Kim Lowe and Sara Reading, all with six goals, and Maren Hendershot and Karen Robbins with five goal apiece.
The Cougars are averaging 3.64 goals per game, best in the West Region, and average almost 14 shots on goal per match. They own a 19-match winning streak that started last year.
"Both teams will pressure us from start to finish," Tenzing said.
ALL TIME: The Wahine lost their only match to the Cougars, 7-0, last year in Provo, Utah. On the same road trip, Utah prevailed, 3-0. UH also played a 3-3 tie at Utah in 1995.
"Both matches were played in freezing cold," Tenzing said. "We hadn't prepared the team for that and I'm not sure you can prepare for that."
NOMINATED: Sophomore midfielder Wendy Miyashiro was the coaching staff's selection to be nominated for WAC Pacific Division Player of the Week last week.
Today: Utahvs. Hawaii at 7 p.m.