Center Satele gets East-West invitation

By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com

Hawaii center Samson Satele has been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game, Jan. 20, 2007.

Satele said he will hold off on accepting the offer because he will only play in one postseason all-star game.

"If I get in the Senior Bowl, of course I'm not going to go in the other ones," Satele said. "It's an honor to be invited to any all-star game, but it's something I would have to do. And I don't want to risk getting hurt playing in too many all-star games.

"A lot of scouts are at the Senior Bowl. It's like being at the combine," he added.

The Senior Bowl is Jan. 27, 2007, at Mobile, Ala. The week leading up to the game is like a job fair because NFL coaches and general managers from every team attend practices to evaluate talent.

"If it comes, it comes. If it doesn't, it doesn't," Satele said. "But I do hope I get a letter from the Senior Bowl."

The last two UH players in the Senior Bowl were Travis LaBoy and Isaac Sopoaga in 2004.

Fergerstrom makes trip:

Senior special-teams player and outside linebacker Victor "Bully" Fergerstrom was a late addition to the Warriors' travel roster for tomorrow's game at Fresno State. He replaces sophomore Tyson Kafentzis, a starter at outside linebacker whose injured ankle has kept him out of the past two games and nearly all of a third.

"He's not playing, he didn't practice," UH coach June Jones said of Kafentzis after yesterday morning's workout.

Grice-Mullins still out:

Starting sophomore slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins also did not go to the mainland with the team yesterday because of an ankle injury.

Grice-Mullins was injured three weeks ago during the game at Boise State.

Veikune returns:

UH sophomore defensive end David Veikune is in the city where he played his home games last year; he was at Fresno City College. Veikune went there instead of transferring to Hawaii directly from Colorado and having to sit out a year.

"Fresno was fine, the people were nice," Veikune said. "But nothing compares to Hawaii."