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Further Review
Dave Reardon
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UH’s Herring gives Shoji another phenom to have fun developing
Players are often measured by "volleyball IQ," as if it takes a Ph.D. to play the game well or understand it. It's creeping into other sports, and it's just a matter of time before someone makes a reference to "bowling IQ" or "competitive eating IQ."
The two volleyball coaches I've dealt with the most over the years, Dave Shoji and Mary Wise, have always been good about waving that stuff off and boiling it down. Once, Wise took a box score I was looking at, circled blocks, and said I could almost always discount everything else. I liked that. Even my volleyball IQ hovering around room temperature could understand it - the bigger the better; strength and size in the middle win.
But then you see a player like Kanani Herring. She's a freshman generously listed at 5-10, who does so many things well it's hard to keep track of them. Two of her fortes are defending the back row and attacking from the outside.
Shoji is dealing with the balancing act of acknowledging what he describes as his prodigy's "spectacular" play without disrupting team chemistry. At one moment he'll say she's making plays like Kim Willoughby and another talk about how it's not a one-person team.
Herring seems unlikely to develop an attitude problem. The Kamehameha grad is known almost as much for her humility as her talent that drew scholarship offers from all the top volleyball schools. She makes those around her better, not bitter.
Even after taking the most-outstanding-player hardware at last weekend's tournament, Herring conceded she has plenty to work on, especially on offense - this from a player who led her team in kills in two of three matches last week.
"Offense is one of the hardest things," she said. "I have to keep learning."
Blessed with great leaping ability and, Shoji said, adaptability, she'll improve on the attack and the block. Quickness makes her a force in the back.
"She still doesn't have a complete grasp of all situations, but she's so instinctive and she makes up for it with foot speed," Shoji said.
She was a huge difference-maker against Minnesota, Hawaii's biggest win of the young season, with 16 digs to go with her 21 kills. That helped the Wahine beat a team that outblocked them.
Yesterday she thoroughly outplayed another freshman phenom, Cincinnati's Missy Harpenau.
"It's gonna be fun to have her for four years," Shoji said.
» Greg McMackin wasn't kidding when he said Cameron Higgins has NFL potential. Strong arm, good size, mobility and toughness.
The question is, how did this Saint Louis School grad get away - and to Weber State, rather than a more prominent school?
Higgins was hardly recruited because he was considered too slim. Well, he's filled out, and as far as natural gifts go, he was the best quarterback on the field Saturday night. Of course, when it comes to gritty heroics, Tyler Graunke was the man of the hour.
» As bad as Weber's special teams were (three botched punt snaps), Hawaii's weren't any better - lowlights including two missed field goals, a ridiculous illegal hit on punt coverage and a nice kick return called back for a block in the back.
The Warriors will have to win all three phases to beat Oregon State on the road Saturday - remember the Beavers beat the Warriors here two years ago because of a kick return. Also, many key calls went Hawaii's way at Aloha Stadium the other night. That cannot be expected in Corvallis.