Warriors land
2 tall transfers

Chad Miller brings his game
back home to Hawaii

The Hawaii volleyball team is enjoying quite a growth spurt during its summer offseason. Two 6-foot-6 transfers are expected to be with the Warriors when fall camp opens this coming semester.

Returning home after two years at UC Irvine is 2003 Iolani School graduate Chad Miller, a versatile opposite/middle who was also on two state championship basketball teams for the Raiders. Also coming to Manoa is outside hitter James O. Wilkes. The son of former NBA player James R. Wilkes played at Lewis last season as a freshman.

Both players will have three years of eligibility remaining.

"I'm doing it for family reasons and the chance to play in front of the home crowd," said Miller said, who redshirted in 2004 and played in just one match for the Anteaters this past season. "Hawaii volleyball is awesome. People don't realize how big of a difference it is between sitting in the stands and being on the bench.

"I'm hoping to make the team. I'm working out really hard to get into the shape I'll need to do it."

Miller will be reunited with former Iolani teammate Sean Carney, the Raiders' setter who transferred to UH from Lewis during Christmas break. Carney, who redshirted this past season, is one of the reasons that Wilkes is coming to UH.

"He was my best friend up there (at Lewis)," Carney said of Wilkes. "He's a really good player, touches 11-6. It will be great to have him here."

Wilkes was a setter/hitter at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, setting state and school records for assists as a freshman and a school record for kills as a senior. He played in 17 matches, with six starts, for the Flyers last year on the right side, hitting .331 with 11 aces; he also set sparingly.

"He's a real exciting athlete," said former Lewis coach Dave Deuser, who resigned after the 2004 season. "I started the recruiting process with him (before resigning). He absolutely has a lot of potential."

Wilkes' older sister Blair was recruited to play for the Rainbow Wahine. She ended up at Long Beach State for two seasons before transferring to UNLV to play for former UH All-American Deitre Collins.

There is also the potential of a third Lewis transfer at UH. Mikey China, an all-state honorable mention hitter out of Punahou, apparently will enroll at UH but hasn't decided whether he will play volleyball. The 5-10 China played in 26 matches for the Flyers, mostly as a defensive specialist, recording four kills and 19 digs.

No trip for Nakamura: Radford Nakamura, the video coordinator for the Hawaii men's volleyball team, has had his summer plans changed. He was supposed to be the technical coordinator for the U.S. men's team at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey, in August.

Nakamura was told Friday that USA Volleyball was unable to obtain a credential for him in time to become part of the official traveling party. Part of his duties was to help with scouting.

"I thought it was a go and then, all of a sudden, I'm not going," Nakamura said. "It would have been a great opportunity, but at least my name is out there to help from the technical standpoint."

Nakamura had earlier discussions with USA Volleyball to become a full-time assistant with the national team, but did not get the job.

Among those in contention for a spot on the U.S. WUG team is UH libero Alfred Reft.