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Chalkboard Xs and Os, and team philosophy will become more complicated for the Hawaiian Islanders as time passes. Islanders are starting simple
By Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.com"Training camp is a short two weeks with a new team and a group of guys who have never played together before," said Guy Benjamin, coach of the new arenafootball2 league team. "These guys have family and jobs or are finishing school. We've got a lot to accomplish in a very short time. We'll start small, working on offense, defense and special teams.
"We have a plan, but it's not something that will end after training camp, it's something that we'll build on -- improving and expanding on -- throughout the season."
Still, Benjamin is thrilled to have top-quality facilities for the camp, which started Monday and ends March 24.
"We'll be working out at Aloha Stadium, and that just shows you the commitment we have from the owners, for them to be able to have us going there," he said.
The Islanders start their season March 30 at Blaisdell Arena against the Fresno Frenzy.
Benjamin is more of a laid-back guy than an in-your-face coach, and if he strikes fans as a professorial-type this season, it won't be too much of a stretch.
"I consider myself a teacher in the discipline of football," he said. "The greatest thing is when a student comes back and says 'thanks' and shows that he appreciates that I've pointed him in the right direction. You know you've made an impact when you've helped someone accomplish what he's accomplished."
Charisma, personality, leadership: There is no void in team leadership, even at this early stage of the season. Quarterback Darnell Arceneaux is quick to give his help and support when needed. He also knows how to lighten up practices.
While playing defensive back during an easy-going, no-pads scrimmage at the Blaisdell, Arceneaux was calling the formations and assignments and thoroughly enjoying the fact that his boys were shutting down fellow quarterback Ed Moore and his offense.
"We got 'em!" the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Arceneaux shouted. "We got 'em on the pump and go, we got 'em on the trick plays. We're locking 'em up."
While on the offensive side of the ball earlier in the scrimmage, after his pass was broken up from behind at the last second, Arceneaux didn't hesitate to instruct his receiver.
"When he jumps, you can take it flat (more horizontally across the field)," he suggested.
Later on, the former St. Louis and Utah standout pulled the top part of his long shorts high above his waist so the bottom part was well above his knees, like the old-style basketball kind.
"These are my high-water dogs," he clowned around with his teammates.
New turf in place: Moore, a Punahou alumnus who played for Columbia in the Ivy League, raved about the newly installed turf at the Blaisdell.
"This is the nicest (artificial) field I've been on," Moore said. "I hope we can fill this place. In a lot of ways, arena ball is more exciting than the NFL, and I can see this as a staple Saturday night entertainment for fans."
One of the players said the turf cost $250,000, but the Islanders wouldn't confirm that figure.
It's not easy to keep the 25-year-old Moore away from football.
"I quit my job (as a film producer's assistant) at Sony in L.A. to come and play here," he said. "I know I can always go back to that field when I'm 29 or 30, which is when you're almost over the hill in arena football."
He would like to become a film director some day.
"I was doing a lot of reading scripts and recommending the good ones to the producer," Moore said. "There were scripts that had no chance of being made and there were others which were well-written and worth recommending, and then there were some that I gave to the producer, saying 'this has possibilities, with a little work.' "
The 6-4, 240-pound Moore's career highlight was playing for the National Amateur Football League champion Austin Rattlers in 2000.
"We didn't lose a game, and we beat some really good teams," he said. "The Amateur Football Association named us the No. 1 semi-pro team.
"The hardest game was in the semifinals against Dallas on a muddy field, like in the movie 'The Program.' You couldn't even see the field it was so muddy. It was a case where whoever held on to the ball best was going to win."
He "directed" a scene in that game without even trying.
"The funniest thing happened. A linebacker who was 6-2, 265 pounds came in after the whistle and was about to give me a cheap shot, but I saw what he was trying to do at the last second, so I lowered my head and he kept coming but completely missed (flew over), and his momentum flipped him all the way around," Moore said. "The fans got a kick out of that, and I've got it on (what else?) film."
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It is rare for the top two programs in the nation to face each other in any sport, but in Hawaii it happens at least twice a season. Nation’s best prepare
for tennis showdownBy Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.comThe No. 1 Brigham Young-Hawaii men's tennis team plays its second national championship-caliber match against No. 2 Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday at Laie. But it is for far more than the top spot in the country, it is for local bragging rights.
"It is going to be another heated battle," Hawaii Pacific coach Henry Somerville said. "I am looking forward to it, and so are they. Whenever we play each other, we line up our strongest fields and see what happens."
The Seasiders got their No. 1 ranking by beating the then-No. 1 Sea Warriors 5-4 at the Kailua Racquet Club on Feb. 19. BYUH swept the doubles events and held on to win the match despite losing four of six in singles. Before that, the Seasiders had come close but had not beaten the Sea Warriors in 2 1/2 years.
"I think it served us well," Somerville said. "It is the best measure we can possibly ever have. It gave us confidence, winning four of six singles, but it also told us that a lot of work needed to be done."
Most of the work that needed to be done was in doubles, and Somerville's practice schedule reflected it.
"We have been working on that big time, quite a bit," Somerville said. "It wasn't just the BYU loss that had me concentrating on doubles; within the Division II system, doubles counts for so much. It is all that much more important against them because I don't see any team out there that is as strong as them in doubles."
The Sea Warriors went to work on doubles, but Somerville says he did not do a complete overhaul of his teams. Another sweep at the hands of the national title contender to the north might change that, though.
"I'm not leaving anything out," Somerville said. "There is always the option for changing the doubles pairings, it is not out of the question. Doubles is a strange animal and so important in Division II."
Doubles play is so important because in Division II each of the three doubles matches count as a team point. In Division I, the majority winner of the three doubles matches earns a single point. The six singles matches each earn a team point as well.
But for all of the potential maneuvering by the coaches, lineups are a closely guarded secret that won't be known until each coach sees the other's lineup card just before the match.
"We are just trying to make sure we are healthy, I'm sure there will be minor adjustments for both teams," BYUH coach David Porter said. "We have worked on each individual player's game, we learned what players are doing well and what they are doing not so well and went to work in correcting it."
Both teams are likely to do the same on Wednesday regardless of the outcome, because for all the hype of a No. 1 and No. 2 showdown, it has become a routine luxury for both squads.
"Win or lose, it doesn't mean that much," Porter said. "It is still early enough to say that it doesn't matter where you are in the middle, it matters where you are at the end."
Parity in the classroom: The PacWest Conference's all-academic basketball team was released Tuesday, and it reflected the same parity the teams showed on the court.
Each of the six teams in the conference placed at least one player on the eight-man squad, with Montana State-Billings getting three. Each of the Hawaii schools placed one player on the team, led by repeat selections Scott Prather of Hilo and BYUH's Brian Skinner.
Hawaii Pacific put Larz Stewart on the list, and Chaminade was represented by John Kirk.
The Yellowjackets had Jerett Skrifvars, David Carse and William Davidson on the team.
To be eligible, each athlete must have a minimum GPA of 3.30, be in their second year of competition and have played in at least 50 percent of their team's games unless they were not able to because of injury.
Famous face in Hilo: Hilo pitcher Kristine Kahoalii appeared in the March 11 Sports Illustrated in its regular "Faces In the Crowd" section.
Kahoalii was recognized for her performance in the Koolau Klassic in February. During the four-day event, she was a perfect 3-0 and posted two shutouts while leading her team to the championship.
The junior from Fremont, Calif., leads the PacWest with a 0.94 earned run average and has held batters to a .216 batting average.