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H A W A I I _ S P O R T S
Notebook
Saturday, August 26, 2000
UH FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
Kickers vie for
Volleyball | Pro baseball | Letters
one road spot
One battle not getting the same ink as the quarterbacks race, but may prove equally important, is the one involving the kickers.University of Hawaii head football coach June Jones conceded after yesterday's workout that he will likely take only one place-kicker on the road.
At this point, senior Jake Huggins has the inside track of handling the kickoffs, field goals and PATs, while junior college transfer Greg Kleidon will be the punter.
Senior Eric Hannum has been bothered by a bad back the past few days and will need to finish strong the last two weeks to get back into the race. Freshman Justin Ayat of Kamehameha Schools' fame is also in the mix.
"We haven't reached any decisions on the place-kicker yet," Jones said. "We're pleased with how Greg has come in and done a good job of adjusting to our style of punting.
"We want our punter to take one step and then kick, not two. It cuts down on the chances of the kick being blocked. He'll be a good one for us."
On Thursday night at Aloha Stadium, special teams coach Dennis McKnight worked with the kickoff and punt units on a variety of returns and coverages.
Huggins has a strong enough leg to hit underneath the football and create hang time with distance. The coverage team consistently touched the return men around the 20-yard-line.
There were no field goals or PATs, but McKnight also took long looks at the return men on kickoffs and punts. Right now, Jamal Garland is the top man on punt returns. Ricky Lumford, Robert Grant and Feiamma Armstrong are among the leaders on kickoff returns.
"Our special teams are coming along well," Jones said. "We've got some young guys who will contribute there, as well as our veterans. It's a good group."
Morning practice on campus
Jones had originally planned holding this morning's workout at Aloha Stadium, but opted to practice on campus, instead."It will be just a normal practice," Jones said. "We won't have a scrimmage because at this point, we want to keep everybody as healthy as we can."
The three-hour workout will have the defense and offense working against things Portland State likes to do. With the University of Texas off the schedule, it gives the Warriors an extra week to prepare for their Division I-AA opponent.
"That extra week is going to help us," UH defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "We should have all of our injured players back in there, which should help us gain some continuity."
Injury update
The only two injured players who might not be at full speed for Monday's practice are free safety Nate Jackson and defensive tackle Lui Fuga.Fuga will be back the following Monday as he continues to recover from a recurring shoulder problem. Jackson is still bothered by a sprained left foot, but the UH trainers are hopeful the weekend off will do him good.
Defensive end Joe Correia (ankle) and wideout Craig Stutzmann (ankle) ran on the sidelines during yesterday morning's and Thursday night's practices. Safety Tavis Campbell (shoulder) also ran with them. They should be fit for duty on Monday along with defensive end Laanui Correa, who has an infected arm.
"As we get closer to the game, we want everyone back in there so they can get their reps," Jones said. "Fortunately, most of the injuries we've had the first two weeks are minor."
Three's not a crowd
The quarterback rotation of Mike Harrison, Nick Rolovich and Timmy Chang probably won't change during the regular season, Jones confirmed yesterday."We'll probably use those same three guys in practice, even after we pick a starter," Jones said. "I like to have three guys ready to go in case something happens."
Jones doesn't plan to do any experimenting against Portland State. Once he picks a starter at quarterback, he plans to stick with him.
"I hope not," Jones said when asked if more than one quarterback would play in the opener. "That could change. You never say never, but hopefully, we'll make the right call.
"I just think that sometimes you've got to get into a groove and you can't get into a groove if you're worried about consequences.
"I can't believe it's not the same way in basketball. How are you ever going to be a good shooter if you get taken out every time you miss a shot."
By Paul Arnett
With the University of Hawaii women's volleyball season opening next Friday against Texas A&M in the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic, head coach Dave Shoji has kicked his practice sessions into high gear. UH VOLLEYBALL NOTEBOOK
Freshmen break
into lineup"We're trying to get the team on the floor, the way we're going to play Friday night," said Shoji yesterday during Media Day in Gym II. "We hadn't really had a first team against a second team out there."
Newcomers make impact
The first team now includes two freshmen, Slovenia's 6-foot-2 Maja Gustin and 6-foot Kim Willoughby from Louisiana.Shoji had it in mind to start the powerful looking Gustin from Day 1, and Willoughby convinced him with her versatility and athleticism in preseason.
"Maja's the most advanced of our incoming freshmen as far as playing the middle, and she's the most physical," he said. "She's earned that spot to play."
Willoughby is also a middle hitter but Shoji will play her out of position.
"She's had a great preseason," he said. "We're going to open with her on the right side, opposite the setter. Not her natural position but a good spot for her. She won't be relied on so heavily at the start of the season. We'll kind of give her a chance to be more comfortable out there."
Shoji said he expects more production from senior All-WAC player Jessica Sudduth and more height and power from junior Veronica Lima.
"I'm putting her (Lima) in a position where she's going to get more offensive sets," he said.
Shoji knows Lima and sophomore leftside hitter Lily Kahumoku have been bothered by back problems. But he thinks that with a more balanced attack this year, he'll be able to get the best out of everybody.
"She's more physical -- if that's possible -- than last year," said Shoji. "She's stronger and in better shape."
He said he believes last year's team relied too much on All-American middle Heather Bown, now on the U.S. Olympic team.
"I think this year will be different with Lily and Sudduth being stronger, Lima giving us more production, and the unknown factors of Willoughby and Maja," said Shoji.
Lima said she likes her coach's thinking.
"When you have a more balanced team, you have more options," she said. "So it's harder for opponents to stop your players."
Shoji also said he was very impressed with the effort that junior Tanja Nikolic made to win a starting role.
"We promised her a chance to win the position," he said. "She's had a great preseason but Kim's a little more physical."
Shoji hasn't yet discussed with his players Texas A&M's role in ending the Wahine's 1999 season. But he's not worried about motivation.
"When we get right down to the game and see those uniforms across the net, I think that the ones who played in the match last year will definitely be fired up," he said.
Busy summer vacations
Nikolic said she went home after last semester to her home on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia, and caught octopus."I caught lots of octopus," she said, noting that she has been a fisherman since she was very young. "They are dangerous. People don't know they can bite you.
"There are certain ways you can catch them, and if they are small you can catch them with your hands because they don't want to run away."
Nikolic said she also did some spearfishing while she was home.
Kahumoku stayed busy, going to summer school and surfing.
"I took two kinesiology classes," she said. "They're really easy. And I took music history and world civilization."
Not a bad summer school lineup for a student who had a 4.0 GPA in her last semester.
Kahumoku, who grew up in Texas but spent her final two high school years at Kamehameha Schools, said she also learned a lesson about surfing at Canoes about four months ago.
"I dove off the nose of my longboard and hit a rock.," she said. "Got a concussion. Gashed my brain. I was a little ignorant."
Kahumoku said she has been surfing for the past few years but never did become much of a swimmer.
"Ask anyone on the team,'' she said. "I'm the worst swimmer on this team. I can't freestyle, I can't backstroke, I can't butterfly. But I can swim to stay alive."
By Pat Bigold
The Hawaii
professional
baseball reportPlayers with Hawaii connections who,
through Thursday's games, qualify for inclusion
in the weekly statistics compiled by Howe
Sportsdata International:
Batter Team League Cl AB R H HR RBI AVG Benny Agbayani N.Y. Mets National ML 266 43 82 11 47 .308 Key Voshell Peoria Midwest A 40 5 12 1 5 .300 J.Thornton-Murray Cubs Arizona R 160 28 45 2 32 .281 Keoni DeRenne Macon So. Atlantic A 110 11 30 1 7 .273 Chris Truby Houston National ML 148 14 39 7 30 .264 Jason Ross Greenville Southern AA 239 31 61 11 24 .255 Scott Suraci Elizabethton Appalachian R 116 21 29 4 24 .250 Shane Victorino Yakima Northwest A 200 27 50 2 18 .250 Chad Santos Spokane Northwest A 227 34 55 13 41 .242 Buster Small Medicine Hat Pioneer R 109 11 26 0 6 .239 Darren Blakely Erie Eastern AA 402 67 94 14 49 .234 Miles Luuloa Oneonta NY-Penn A 131 19 29 0 10 .221 Brandon Chaves Williamsport NY-Penn A 130 9 19 0 10 .146
Pitcher Team League Cl IP H BB SO W-L ERA Scott Karl Lake Elsinore California A 7 5 1 5 1 - 0 0.00 Kyle Kawabata Evansville Frontier Ind 14 2/3 13 4 10 1- 0 1.84 Jay Spurgeon Baltimore American ML 4 3 0 1 0- 0 2.25 Rich Snider Athletics Arizona R 26 26 2 29 2- 1 2.42 Mike Fetters Los Angeles National ML 37 2/3 25 18 34 4- 2 2.87 Jerome Williams San Jose California A 113 2/3 77 45 99 7- 5 2.93 Ian Perio Lowell NY-Penn A 24 23 5 25 5- 1 3.00 Damon Yee Auburn NY-Penn A 62 54 15 45 5- 4 3.48 Corey Miller Visalia California A 49 2/3 54 21 52 6- 4 3.81 Onan Masaoka Albuquerque Pacific Coast AAA 37 1/3 31 36 22 3- 1 3.86 Dusty Bergman Cedar Rapids Midwest A 155 2/3 167 59 101 4-14 3.93 Thomas Ford Bluefield Appalachian R 31 1/3 23 11 32 1- 0 3.98 Mike McCutcheon El Paso Texas AA 33 1/3 34 13 28 4- 1 4.05 Paul Ah Yat Nashville Pacific Coast AAA 97 1/3 94 31 48 2- 8 4.16 Kahi Kaanoi Charlstn,.WV So. Atlantic A 21 23 11 9 0- 1 4.29 Kaipo Spenser Valley Western Ind 67 66 35 54 4- 5 4.43 Jeff Martin Lynchburg Carolina A 41 2/3 33 19 32 1- 2 4.54 Matt Wheeler Dubois County Frontier Ind 15 2/3 21 7 16 1- 0 5.74 Tyler Yates Midland Texas AA 21 2/3 21 12 22 1- 0 5.82 Mark Johnson Toledo Internat’nl AAA 89 2/3 122 22 42 1-10 5.92 Justin Wayne Jupiter Florida State AA 14 2/3 15 5 14 0- 1 6.14 Hawkeye Wayne Everett Northwest A 21 1/3 29 29 22 0- 2 12.66
Scott Karl, traded by the Colorado Rockies to the Anaheim Angels earlier this week, pitched seven shutout innings last night for Anaheim's Lake Elsinore team the Class A California League.
Mail Box
Congratulations, Aiea
As fans of the Santa Rosa, Calif., American Little League, we had the pleasure of seeing Aiea Junior Little League All-Stars win the Western Regionals here in Santa Rosa earlier this month.A nicer bunch of players -- or fans -- is hard to imagine, and we have been following their progress intently over the web. We even know most of their cheers such as "P-U-K-A. Put it in da PUKA."
Everyone here in Santa Rosa knew that these Aiea folks were a world-class group - and now Aiea has the trophy to prove it!
Roger, Sarah, James, and Taylor Swearingen
Santa Rosa, Calif
Via the Internet.
Thanks for coverage
I just wanted to commend you on your coverage of the UH football team and let you know that I very much look forward to all the stories and various articles you print for us each day. It will surely be a sad day if your paper ever has to leave us.Patrick Keawe
Alewa Heights
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