Former boxing champ
Olson close to death

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Former middleweight world boxing champion "Carl" Bobo Olson, 73, one of the greatest athletes ever from Hawaii, is near death at The Queen's Medical Center.

Olson's wife, Judy, said he has been moved to the hospital's hospice ward.

"His death is imminent. It will likely be within the next five to 10 days," she said yesterday. "We hope that Bobo's many friends will come see him before he passes. They are welcome to come by."

Olson fell into a coma last week, Judy said. Olson had a heart attack in 2000 when he was in New York to be inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has also suffered from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases in recent years.

Olson's pro record of 99-16-2 with 49 knockouts includes three wins for the middleweight world title and a successful defense of the same crown.

Knockouts of Sugar Ray Robinson and Archie Moore are among his victories in a pro career that spanned from Aug. 19, 1944 to Nov. 22, 1966.

He was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1958.

Olson was born in Honolulu on July 11, 1928.

UH volleyball No. 2 in preseason poll

The Volleyball Magazine preseason poll legitimizes what the Hawaii volleyball team has been saying about their chances for success this season. The Warriors are ranked No. 2 behind top-ranked Penn State, which hosts this year's final four. UCLA, Stanford and BYU round out the top five.

Penn State and UCLA are participants in next week's Outrigger Hotels Invitational, along with Hawaii and Lewis (Ill.), the preseason favorite to win the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

The tournament could be a preview of what's to come in May.

Game times for next Saturday's matches have been pushed back 30 minutes. The Nittany Lions and Flyers will play at 5 p.m. with the Warriors and Bruins squaring off at 7:30 p.m.

Schremser makes all-district team

Hawaii defender Erin Schremser has been named to the Verizon Academic All-District 8 Women's Soccer Team.

The senior co-captain is majoring in elementary education and has a 3.89 grade point average.

The native of Kingston, Wash., was one of 11 players on the district team that includes schools from California, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Hawaii.

Schremser started 73 matches for the Wahine, second most in school history. She previously earned two Academic All-Western Athletic Conference honors, two National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar-Athlete Awards and two WAC Scholar-Athlete Awards. She is the first Wahine soccer player honored by Verizon.

Kamana'o is Gatorade Player of the Year

Iolani's Kanoe Kamana'o has been named the Gatorade State High School Volleyball Player of the Year.

"Kanoe is an outstanding player who truly does it all on the court," Iolani coach Ann Kang said. "She's a good team player, who is very supportive of her teammates and has a great work ethic."

Kamana'o was the MVP of the state tournament and the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Player of the Year.

She was one of 51 players from each state and the District of Columbia to win the Gatorade award. They are all finalists for the national player of the year award.

Top performers

Kyle Bartholomew, Hilo basketball: Led the Vulcans to three wins in the first week of conference play, with team-bests of 46 points and 30 rebounds as he was named Pacific West Conference Player of the Week.

Igor Beljanski, Chaminade basketball: Averaged 18.3 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in his team's three conference games.

Mike Donegan, Chaminade basketball: Complemented Beljanski by averaging 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He did it by shooting 73 percent (22 of 30) from the field.