[ WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ]
Frazier, bosses
to meet on WAC
RUSTON, La. >> Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier said he will discuss UH's future in the Western Athletic Conference with UH-Manoa chancellor Peter Englart and UH president Evan Dobelle this week.
Also, the three will meet via teleconference with their counterparts from other WAC schools after all indicators point to three of the 10 member schools leaving the conference Nov. 4.
It has been widely reported that Rice, Southern Methodist and Tulsa will join Conference USA on that date.
It is not clear what the future of the WAC is, but commissioner Karl Benson has said he plans to invite other schools to join the league.
Also, Frazier said UH will continue to look at other options. He did not mention the Mountain West Conference (the latest speculation has that league inviting Texas Christian to join) by name, but the league of eight former WAC schools could ask Hawaii to join -- although it could cost UH heavy financially for entry fees and travel subsidies.
"I have not sat down in a room with the chancellor and the president and pinpointed exactly what we would do," Frazier said at halftime of Hawaii's 44-41 football victory at Louisiana Tech yesterday. "We will probably have that conversation this week.
"There's a conference call on Monday of the presidents and chancellors in the league and there's a conference call of the athletic directors on Tuesday."
Frazier said he has been in continual communication with Benson the past few days.
"I've been on the phone with the commissioner twice (Friday) and twice (yesterday) already and probably again after this game's over," he said.
He said there's no doubt the three schools will join C-USA.
"In my estimation they're gone. It behooves the rest of us to look at the new look the WAC will have, and for UH we need to weigh all our options and see if anyone else has anything to say about the future," Frazier said.
Louisiana Tech athletic director Jimmy Oakes said he is taking a wait-and-see approach.
"There's still a lot to happen with realignment. Until Nov. 4 all the pieces of the puzzle will not be in place. We all need to wait until then to see what will happen," he said. "We've enjoyed the affiliation with the WAC. Now the challenge for all of us in the league will be to work together and look forward."
