Wednesday, January 16, 2002

[ UH WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]

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UH lands
speedy receiver

The 6-foot-2 Cockheran helped
his JC team to a 10-0 record

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By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com

No one is expecting Jeremiah Cockheran to become the next Ashley Lelie, at least right away.

But Hawaii's latest recruit has some similarities to the third-team All-American wide receiver who entered the NFL Draft a year early last week.

Cockheran, who has made a verbal commitment to play for the Warriors, is around the same height (6 feet 2) and weight (180 pounds) as Lelie.

Judging from his best time in the 40, he's as fast, too. Cockheran was timed at 4.28 at a combine last year, according to Carl Beach, his coach at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Chaffey went 10-0 in the regular season last year before losing a bowl game to Palomar. Beach said Cockheran led his team with 53 receptions, with six going for touchdowns.

"He was a big factor in our success," Beach said of Cockheran. "He was our best receiver."

This is the second time Cockheran has committed to UH. Coming out of high school in 1999, Cockheran ended up not qualifying academically.

Beach said Cockheran will likely graduate with an associate's degree this spring and qualify for UH.

"He's learned that the degree is important, and he knows he needs it to meet his goal of playing in Hawaii," Beach said. "He's always had an affinity for Hawaii, and he has a buddy there (Warrior wide receiver Justin Colbert)."

Bowl game in '02?

The Western Athletic Conference filed papers yesterday with the NCAA for a possible bowl game in Hawaii at the end of the upcoming season. Although there is a moratorium on new bowl games until next year, WAC commissioner Karl Benson is hopeful there can be a game to replace the departed Aloha and Oahu bowls.

"It's also a big challenge if we can get it for 2002 because the normal wait period is an 18-month cycle," Benson said. "If our appeal (to bypass the moratorium) does go through, we hope to expedite things. San Jose got its game (the Silicon Valley Bowl) going in one year, so it can happen."

Such a bowl game in Hawaii would prevent UH missing out on the postseason despite a bowl-eligible record, as happened last year when the Warriors went 9-3.

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UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii