UH's 2008 schedule nearly done
Athletic director Herman Frazier is nearly finished
Don't anticipate the same problems with the University of Hawaii football schedule next season. Athletic director Herman Frazier needs only one more opponent to fill the 13-game schedule for 2008 and said yesterday he's close to finalizing a deal with a team from a Bowl Championship Series conference.
In his weekly question-and-answer session with the Star-Bulletin, Frazier said he doesn't believe the school will lose any revenue from pay-per-view in the upcoming football season because had he landed a 13th game, it would have been on ESPN.
He also said the home-and-home series with Colorado is almost a done deal. There are four games scheduled in this series with the Big 12 school, including two at Aloha Stadium. The first meeting is scheduled for 2009.
In other news, UH is looking to host a Western Athletic Conference tournament in women's soccer and has inquired about hosting the men's and women's basketball postseason event as well, but conceded the guarantee of $40,000 that New Mexico State paid to each team this year is a bit high.
The football season is finally set at 12 games.
A three-year contract is on Bob Nash's desk, waiting for the newly named Hawaii men's basketball coach to sign it.
The 2006-07 athletic season was successful.
Life is not bad -- for the time being -- for UH athletic director Herman Frazier.
The biggest headache was finalizing the 2007 football schedule. It appears to be less of a problem for next season, where Frazier said there is just one opening to be filled in the 13-game schedule.
"I can't tell you who it is, but it is from a BCS conference," Frazier said.
In his weekly question-and-answer session with the Star-Bulletin, Frazier also said he doesn't anticipate a revenue loss from a 12-game season when it came to pay-for-view.
"Our pay-per-view wouldn't have been affected because the (13th) game would have been taken by ESPN," Frazier said. "It doesn't affect us at all."
Frazier also said that there have been no requests for refunds of the $50 deposit required for season tickets due to a 12-game season instead of a 13-game seasons. He also said he had not heard the rumor that some fans had planned to boycott one of the Division I-AA games at Aloha Stadium. (The Warriors open with Northern Colorado Sept. 1 and host Charleston Southern Sept. 22.
On other matters, Frazier said:
» The department is still working on a parking plan that would ease traffic concerns at Aloha Stadium. Some of the parking lots -- including lower Halawa -- will open earlier at 3:30 p.m. There is still discussion about suspending the swap meet on game days.
» The home-and-away series with Colorado in football is nearly finalized. There are four games scheduled, two in Honolulu and two in Boulder, likely for 2009-10 and 2012-13.
» Hawaii will continue to bid on Western Athletic Conference tournaments, although the WAC plans to rotate hosting duties for most sports. UH will host the women's volleyball tournament in 2008 and baseball in 2009.
"We expect to be in the mix for (women's) soccer," Frazier said. "The problem with basketball is not of facilities but of guarantees, which is pretty hefty. Last year, New Mexico State had to guarantee $40,000 to each school."
Two other potential postseason tournaments are Mountain Pacific Sports Federation women's water polo and the WAC swimming and diving men's and women's championships. The Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex is undergoing a $1.8 million renovation.
» Overall, Frazier was happy with how the Warriors and Wahine did over the school year.
"Of course, we could always do better," he said. "But from top to bottom, it was a very good year."
» In the recent Women's Sport Foundation report card, Hawaii received an A-minus on its gender-equity status. Grades were assigned to each school based on proportionality -- a comparison between a school's female enrollment and its female athletes.
The overall grade for Division I-A, where the major football schools are, is B.
"For us (to receive an A), we just need to added a few athletes to women's track and field, and to swimming," he said. "Our numbers are good."
» Nash said he has received his contract and will sign it "in the next two or three days."