U. H. _F O O T B A L L

Notebook
Wednesday, October 30, 1996

Wong: Transfer to BYU
was right choice

The former UH tackle says he called the
Cougars and scoffs at tampering charges

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

---

PROVO, Utah-It was a little strange seeing Hauoli Wong wearing the blue and white of Brigham Young University, but he said before yesterday's practice that he was getting used to it.

The former University of Hawaii offensive lineman has been a part of the Cougars' program since deciding in late August that the new Rainbow regime wasn't for him.

Regarded as Hawaii's best offensive tackle coming into the 1996 season, Wong left the Rainbows' program minutes before the team checked into Barbers Points to begin fall camp.

''I had been thinking about leaving the team as far back as spring football,'' Wong said. ''I didn't like how things were going in Hawaii. I didn't know where I would end up.

''I just called BYU to see if they were interested. Nobody called me. It blew my mind when they said BYU contacted me."

UH coach Fred vonAppen asked the Western Athletic Conference to check into possible tampering.

''All I know is one day he's with us and a couple of weeks later he shows up at BYU,'' vonAppen said at the time. ''The WAC said it was up to us to make a case.''

The Rainbows didn't pursue the matter, but they didn't give Wong his release, either. That means Wong can't be put on scholarship until next year, something that bothers him and BYU offensive coordinator Norm Chow.

''The parents told me they asked for a meeting with (UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida),'' Chow said. ''They said he only gave them 30 minutes and refused to give him his release.

''So his mom had to put up her house for a loan to pay his way to school this year. That isn't helping UH and it isn't hurting us. It hurts the kid. Let them look all they want. There was no tampering here.''

''They got all those transfers (former Stanford players Quincy Jacobs and Tim Carey), and those schools gave them their releases,'' Wong said. ''That's what I don't understand. It's just because I came over here."

Wong will two years of eligibility left.

''It was definitely the right move for me,'' Wong said. ''I've been picking up the offense a little at a time. In some ways it's the same as what I was learning last spring, but it's also different in other ways.

"Having other players from Hawaii has helped me adjust. There are a lot of Polynesians in this area. It's like one big family. It's like a little piece of Hawaii up here.''