Sports Notebook

Tuesday, August 7, 2001

---

UH may add buyout
clause to stop teams
from pulling out

---

By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com

The University of Hawaii did not receive buyout money from five of the six football teams that dropped from the Warriors' schedule after agreeing to play UH in the past three years, athletic director Hugh Yoshida said.

Texas was originally scheduled to open its season at Hawaii last year but pulled out in early 2000. UH then received $100,000 per a clause in the game contract.

There was no such provision, though, in contracts with Purdue, Notre Dame, Virginia, Arizona or Iowa State, Yoshida said. Those schools have also pulled out of games scheduled at Hawaii.

"My understanding is the buyout clause is standard procedure for Texas, but not the other schools," Yoshida said.

"We're looking at including such a clause in our future scheduling."

Yoshida said another key to preventing future drop-offs is to schedule more home-and-home series with prominent programs.

Hawaii did that recently in setting up a series with Southern Cal in which UH hosts games in 2003 and 2007 and visits the Trojans in 2005.

"That will be part of our approach, play more on the mainland. Eight home games has its plusses and minuses," Yoshida said.

"But as we move toward trying to play more name schools, playing them on the road is something we need to do.

"It gets harder each year to get them to come here, especially now that the won-loss record impacts them so much in the BCS," he added.

O-line still deep:

UH's offensive line has appeared to take a hit to its depth heading into fall camp, which begins Monday. Back-ups Will Jackson, Derek Johnson and Keola Loo all won't be on the Warriors' roster this year. But offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said it shouldn't cause a problem.

"I think we're going to be fine," Cavanaugh said. "The first guy to go in would be Shayne Kajioka (6-foot-3, 325 pounds, junior) or (Sione) Tafuna (6-0, 295, junior), depending on who went down."

With four returning starters, the line appears fairly set. It is anchored by junior right guard Vince Manuwai (6-2, 296).

Uriah Moenoa, a 6-3, 335-pound redshirt freshman, took the lead after spring drills at the right tackle spot vacated by Kynan Forney.

Forney is now trying to make the Atlanta Falcons.

Ryan Santos (6-4, 296), another redshirt freshman, could push Moenoa, depending on how he has recovered from offseason left shoulder surgery, Cavanaugh said.

Price's take:

Former UH head coach Larry Price said he is encouraged by UH president Evan Dobelle's willingness to voice his ideas about big changes, including the possibility of a new 60,000-seat football stadium on the West Oahu campus.

"A lot of time people here 'blame-storm' instead of brainstorm," Price said. "He's not like that. He doesn't want to hear the history of whose fault it was in the past about why things couldn't be done. He wants to look ahead."

Price, chairman of the Aloha Stadium Authority, said building a new stadium would cost less than trying to renovate Aloha Stadium.

"I remember when we were at the old Honolulu Stadium and they started building Aloha Stadium," Price said. "We didn't want to leave the sanctuary of the old Termite Palace, but we realized if we wanted to play in the WAC we couldn't do it in that stadium."

Here and there:

Stadium officials hope one simple idea will help alleviate traffic problems of the past. Cars entering each of the five gates will now park in designated areas near the gates, rather than be free to park wherever the driver wants throughout the stadium parking lot. ... Yoshida said there is still no word from the NCAA on the fate of running back Afatia Thompson's appeal for an additional year of eligibility. A decision is expected next week, Yoshida said. ... UH basketball center Haim Shimonovich is in town to participate in Pete Newell's Big Man's Camp next week at Kamehameha.

Live from Maui:

KFVE will show the UH season-opener against Montana Sept. 8 live throughout the state, KFVE president and general manager John Fink said.

KFVE usually shows UH home games on a delay basis, but changed its policy because the UH-Montana game will be at Maui's War Memorial Stadium.

More than 10,000 tickets have been issued for the game at the 20,000-seat stadium. Last week, UH head coach June Jones said the game is a guaranteed sellout as corporations have agreed to absorb any unsold tickets.