Longtime head baseball coach Glenn Nitta is the interim athletic director at Mililani High School, since the July 16 retirement of John Kauinana, who served as the school's only previous athletic director. He held the post from the school's opening in 1974. Nitta weighing
coach and AD jobsBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comIf Nitta becomes the permanent athletic director, Mililani will have to choose a new head baseball coach. Athletic directors are not allowed to coach in the Oahu Interscholastic Association.
"I hope he remains as athletic director," Kauinana said. "We would lose a great baseball coach but gain a great athletic director. He has a lot of guys helping him with baseball who could do a good job as head coach."
Veteran junior varsity head coach Cary Kihara is one of the replacement possibilities.
No St. Louis-De La Salle game
St. Louis head football coach Cal Lee said he wasn't overly disappointed that De La Salle declined to play St. Louis when both teams have an open weekend, Sept. 14-15.Lee didn't get his hopes up because he knew De La Salle, ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today last year and winner of 113 consecutive games, would probably not want to play.
"It was a shot in the dark but you gotta take it," said Lee, who retires as St. Louis coach after this season. "We just called them up to see it they wanted to play. I understand their reasons."
De La Salle athletic director Terry Eidson cited his team's tough schedule and the fact that St. Louis would be further into its season than De La Salle on the weekend in question.
"The number of games played before a game like that is a big concern for us," Eidson said.
Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive director Keith Amemiya is still working on a doubleheader at the end of the 2002 season that would feature De La Salle and another California power, Mater Dei, against two Oahu championship teams at Aloha Stadium.
Here and there
Kahuku and Skyline (Salt Lake City, Utah) highlight the prep football preseason with a game Aug. 17 at Kahuku. Skyline beat Kahuku 24-21 in Utah last year ... Nearly 50 student sports information directors attended a two-day training conference put on by the Hawaii Sports Network over the weekend. HSN is looking for more representatives to compile sports information from their high schools, especially on the neighbor islands. Call 528-0221 for more information. ... Richard Haru is the new athletic director at Castle High School. He was formerly an assistant athletic director at Roosevelt. ... San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker and members of his coaching staff are scheduled to be here for a clinic for baseball players age 13-14, said Hervy Kurisu of Hawaii Winter Baseball. ... The proposed St. Louis-Waimea football game for this fall has been canceled.
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