A great win for the University of Hawaii mens basketball team Friday night in the Diamond Head Classic. The 84-82 overtime decision against Xavier on Joston Thomas’ last-second overtime basket gave UH its first win over a ranked opponent in six years.

The development of Thomas is a beautiful thing to watch, as is the growth of the Rainbow Warriors as a team to which everyone contributes. I’ll have more about this game later, after some last-minute shopping and heading out to the stadium for the Hawaii Bowl.

Some UH football fans are upset that new coach Norm Chow will remain as Utah’s offensive coordinator for the Utes’ final game, the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve against Georgia Tech, before officially becoming the Warriors’ head coach.

This is silly; Chow’s remaining with the Utes is what anyone with any sense of commitment would want to do. Even if Utah were not his alma mater, Chow, like other people with even just a normal amount of class, would just consider this the right thing to do, probably without even thinking much about it. And UH is right in not pressuring him to do otherwise.

It’s a dead period for recruiting anyway. And anyone who thinks Chow is not formulating some plans and building his UH staff in his “free time” between game-planning for the Yellow Jackets and coaching up the Utes hasn’t quite thought this out.

Wouldn’t you rather be welcoming a new head coach like Chow than Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly? Remember how he left Cincinnati high and dry before its bowl game? To me, it’s a sign of character.

I have to apologize to our headline writers for stealing the obvious choice.
My first reaction to the selection of Norm Chow as the University of Hawaii’s new head football coach?
Two words.
Big Time.
If you don’t believe it, check his record.
If you think he’s too old, maybe you’d rather have the winner of a frat house Madden tournament as head coach.
This is a job that requires maturity. And I believe Chow is a young 65.
I think Chow is a big-enough name with credibility to bring excitement back to UH football.

Norm Chow, 65, Utah offensive coordinator
Perceived positives: Credentials with Xs and Os, experience with winning programs and top-level players, including national championships and Heisman Trophy winners, local ties.
Perceived negatives: Age, lack of head coaching experience.

Dirk Koetter, 52, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator
Perceived positives: Age, experience as Boise State and Arizona State head coach.
Perceived negatives: Crimes by players he recruited to ASU, lack of local ties (stepping stone job?)

Brian Norwood, 46, Baylor assistant head coach
Perceived positives: Age, varied experiences at several major programs including Baylor, Penn State, Navy, Arizona; local ties including playing at Radford and UH, communication skills and character.
Perceived negatives: Lack of head-coaching experience, candidate to replace Joe Paterno as Penn State head coach.

The feel-good story of Jerome Williams hit another sweet note today. Jerome sent me a message this morning saying that he and the Angels have come to a new deal.

“Just signed back with the Angels today. By the grace of God, I’m heading back,” the 30-year-old Waipahu grad said in his text.

In the late 1990s, Williams was the biggest Hawaii high school baseball phenom since Sid Fernandez. He quickly made it to the majors with the Giants, but injuries sent him to the minors. He was nearly out of baseball, but battled back last year and found a spot in the Angels rotation.

With the pick-up of C.J. Wilson we don’t know what Williams’ rotation status is yet. But we don know now that he’s in the team’s plans as it has loaded up to make a big run at some World Series with the addition of Albert Pujols.

More details on Williams’ new agreement with the Angels to come.