THE circle continues to expand. As it should. Circle additions encompass best of UH athletics
Alec Waterhouse, Judy Mosley and members of the 1982-83 University of Hawaii women's volleyball teams were today named to the UH Circle of Honor.
They will be inducted at a ceremony during halftime of the UH-Southern Methodist men's basketball game Jan. 17 at the Special Events Arena.
Mosley, the best women's basketball player in UH history, led the team in scoring and rebounding all four of her years (1987-90), finishing with 2,479 points. Her game-high 46 points and season scoring average of 26.7 are among the number of school records she still holds.
Now married, Mosley-McAfee led the Wahine to their first two NCAA Tournaments and a national ranking in 1989, when they went 26-4. She played professionally in Europe and Japan and was one of the 32 players selected in the first WNBA draft.
"She's the most dominating player we've ever had in the women's program," UH coach Vince Goo said. "She scored more points and had more rebounds than any basketball player at UH."
Goo emphasized the word "any" as Mosley scored more points than any player in UH history - male or female. Chris Gaines is the all-time leader for the men with 1,734 points.
MEMBERS of the 1982-83 volleyball teams posted 33-1 and 34-2 records, respectively, en route to back-to-back NCAA championships.
On both teams were All-Americans Deitre Collins, Kori Pulaski and Joyce Kaapuni. They were joined by Kris Pulaski, Missy Yomes, Marcie Wurts, Sista Palakiko, Lee Ann Pestana and Lisa Strand. Collins, who was the Final Four MVP in 1983, was inducted into the Circle of Honor as an individual in 1989.
The '82 Wahine have the distinction - with an asterisk - of winning UH's first NCAA championship. The asterisk? The Wahine won the national title in 1979, but it was hosted by the AIAW, which was later replaced by the NCAA in a hostile takeover. The '79 team was elected to the Circle of Honor in 1990.
That brings us to Waterhouse. He was listed ahead of Mosley and the volleyball teams earlier in this column because if UH didn't have generous patrons like Waterhouse, Mosley and the volleyball teams probably wouldn't have gotten a chance to shine.
Never a rah-rah type, Waterhouse, one of the Koa Anuenue founding fathers, has quietly but effectively helped UH athletics. During a time when local big shots were donating more to athletics at their mainland alma maters, Waterhouse was there for Hawaii.
"He has always been a behind-the-scenes guy," UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said. "He's always there. When we need help, he's there."
HE was there for the coaches and their families, allowing them to use his vacation retreat in Kula, Maui, or his ranch on Kauai. Or any of his golf courses in California and Texas.
When UH needed state-of-the-art equipment for its new weight room at the Special Events Arena, Waterhouse donated $303,000. And Waterhouse, 85, who is from an old kamaaina family, has provided for the future of UH athletics through his foundation.
"He has meant so much to the UH program and sports in Hawaii," said former Rainbow football coach Dick Tomey, who still visits Waterhouse every chance he gets, even though he's in his 12th year of coaching at Arizona. "He has done so much for me and my family."
Tomey's Wildcats will play Hawaii in the Rainbows' opener next season at Aloha Stadium. You can bet Waterhouse will be there, wearing his green palaka shirt, and cheering the 'Bows on. Friendships only go so far.