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Dave Reardon

Monday
Evening QB

By Dave Reardon

Monday, January 1, 2001


Starting the year
on some good notes

A suggested New Year's resolution for the state's Legislature and Department of Education: Please pull your collective heads out of the sand regarding the sports travel situation for Molokai High (and, in the bigger picture, the Maui Interscholastic League and all Hawaii high schools).

Businesses and individuals have stepped up repeatedly to help meet expenses for travel. The most recent is Clint Bidwell (my pick for Hawaii sportsperson of the year), who provided Molokai with $30,000.

But that won't sustain the Farmers forever.

The neighbor island schools (and the Oahu schools when they travel to state tournaments off-island) should not be made to feel like beggars time after time.

Legislation and official allocation of funding is needed. If not, an embarrassing situation where a team doesn't make it to a tournament is possible, if not probable.

Off-season Warrior:

The old guy with the beard wasn't the only one traipsing around with a bag slung over his back over the holidays.

Hawaii quarterback Tim Chang was spotted headed to Cooke Field with a sack full of footballs last week.

You'd think that a freshman who just got done throwing hundreds of passes during the season (just counting games) might take a break. Not Chang, and that's why the future bodes well for the Warriors' offense.

"Can't rest," Chang said. "Other teams are out there practicing for bowl games. If we want to get there, we've got to, too."

It's called leadership by example, and is one of the reasons UH figures to bounce back strongly next season.

Denied:

What a shame that James Fenderson likely won't get a shot at playing in the Hula Bowl. He's the type of player college sports is all about, a walk-on who earned a scholarship by doing everything he was asked and then some, working his way into the starting lineup and hearts of UH fans.

The Mililani High graduate made the most of his chance when he finally got to play, and deserves an opportunity to showcase his skills one more time in front of the (sorta, since the game's on Maui) home crowd.

Thinking way ahead:

In 2003-2004, the Hawaii basketball team could include seniors Jeep Hilton, Carl English, Bosko Radovic, Phil Martin, Haim Shimonovic -- and freshman Bobby Nash, a 6-foot-7 sophomore at Iolani who appears on all the national top prospect lists for his class.

The recruiting competition will be tough, but the Rainbows might have just a bit of an edge considering Bobby's dad, Bob, is UH's associate head coach and the best big man in the program's history.

To Shoji critics:

Weighing in a little late on this one, but a question to the Dave Shoji critics who raised their anonymous voices on the Internet after Wahine volleyball lost in the final four:

How many of you were among the four best in the nation at what you do this past year?

Spreading the wealth:

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu remains the most competitive high school loop in the state, winning the majority of state championships.

But what do we have here?

In the calendar year 2000, championships in the traditional major sports of baseball, basketball and football were spread among four leagues. Baseball went to Molokai (MIL), basketball to Hilo (boys, BIIF) and Kamehameha (girls, ILH) and football to Kahuku (OIA).


Dave Reardon, who covered sports in Hawaii from 1977 to 1998,
moved to the the Gainesville Sun, then returned to
the Star-Bulletin in Jan. 2000.
E-mail Dave: dreardon@starbulletin.com



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