By Cindy Luis

Finally got into Louisville. Hotel is very nice. Saw the team before they headed out to dinner. Everyone happy and excited about tomorrow. They went to the Muhammad Ali Museum today.I have been to Louisville before. Chaperoned a U16 boys team for JOs here a few years back. Looking forward to seeing a little more of the city. Didn’t have time to take in the full Louisville Slugger Museum the last time. Hoping to do that as well as see more of the Churchill Downs museum. Supposed to get down to 28 tonight. High of 51. The nice thing is the hotel has a walkway to the arena. Tonight’s scores compliments of RichKern.com#10 Florida (H) def. College of Charleston 3-0#23 Oklahoma def. Florida A&M 3-1

By Dave Reardon

UH junior slotback Davone Bess was named to the Rivals.com All-American third team. He is the only Warrior to make any of the three teams.

Waimea graduate Jordon Dizon (Colorado) was named a first-team linebacker, and Hawaii Prep graduate Max Unger (Oregon) was named a second-team center.

FYI, the QBs were Tebow, Daniel and Dixon in that order.

***

These are the seniors who will be honored Saturday night. Chopp, Jones and Maka are trying to get extra seasons via medical hardship. Hawkins may be attempting to do so, too, but I’m not sure.

UPDATE: I’m removing Chopp from the list, because UH just sent a revision saying he’s a junior. There may be another change or two to this list in the next day or so.

Colt Brennan, Jakeem Hawkins, C.J. Hawthorne, Keenan Jones, Brad Kalilimoku,Ryan Keomaka,Michael Lafaele, Micah Lau,Jason Laumoli, Gerard Lewis, Francis Maka, A.J. Martinez, Myron Newberry, Karl Noa, Timo Paepule, Jacob Patek, Lorgan Pau, Amani Purcell, Jason Rivers, Nathaniel Russell, Rustin Saole, Hercules Satele, Larry Sauafea,Siave Seti.

***
Mike Huguenin’s perspective is much more than one man’s opinion. The yahoo.com college sports analyst knows the BCS system as well as anyone, and has eyes and ears everywhere. He doesn’t call Hawaii a mortal lock for the Sugar Bowl if it beats Washington on Saturday, but sees it as very likely. He also says to not count out Colt Brennan from making it as a Heisman finalist. Here’s Mike’s take on who plays where given the most likely scenarios:

KU looks good for Fiesta, assuming Mizzou wins. If Oklahoma wins, big-time shakeup.

On other side, if Arizona state loses, things get interesting. Illinois then comes into play, we have heard. And the illini will be in the Rose if Ohio State goes to the title game.

And everything we’re hearing is that if Hawaii gets in, it’s going to the Sugar to play the SEC champ. Still, I think Hawaii has a shot at the Fiesta if Mizzou loses.

Right now, assuming Mizzou and West Virginia win – as well as Arizona State and USC:

Title: Mizzou vs. WVU
Rose: Ohio state vs. USC
Orange: Georgia vs. VaTech (or BC)
Sugar: LSU (or Tennessee) vs. Hawaii
Fiesta: Arizona State vs. Kansas

If Mizzou loses, I think it will be this:
Title: WVU vs. Ohio State
Rose: Illinois vs. USC
Orange: Va Tech (or BC) vs. Mizzou
Sugar: LSU (or Tenn.) vs. Hawaii
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. Georgia

Thanks, Mike

***

Jason Rivers, Timo Paepule, Fale Laeli and Aaron Bain looked very comfortable this morning at practice. Maybe because they’d returned to the site of their high school workouts, the FieldTurf surface at Saint Louis School. UH assistant coaches Cal and Ron Lee, who led Saint Louis to 43 zillion Prep Bowl titles, were in their element, too.

Saint Louis let UH use its field a day before the Crusaders’ state championship game against Leilehua. Saint Louis practices in the afternoon.

Former UH players Craig Stutzmann, Leo and Larry Goeas and Doug Nomura were among those taking in practice.

Safety Jake Patek took some reps, but rested his tweaked ankle the second half of practice. DC Greg McMackin said Patek will play Saturday against Washington.

June Jones has a sore throat.

***

By Dave Reardon

The University of Hawaii is home to the Heisman Trophy … if just for a few more hours. The stiff-arm statue arrived in the islands last night, and one of its winners is here, too, Desmond Howard.

Howard is here to interview Colt Brennan for an ESPN feature (I’m told Brennan still has an outside shot to be one of four invited finalists for the Heisman presentation Dec. 8 in New York). The statue will be used as a backdrop in the interview, UH media relations director Derek Inouchi said. It will be gone tonight, so if you’re one of those clowns who stole a helmet Friday, don’t even think about it.

For clarity’s sake, it should be noted this is one of at least two Heisman Trophies … there is another one in Arkansas right now with Darren McFadden for his interview.

Inouchi said the one here is not a cheap knock-off or replica. “It weighs 72 pounds, and it’s all nicked up. It’s the real thing.”

***

HOWZIT!!

Former KGMB sports director Neil Everett and current ESPN anchor Neil Everett has been tabbed to introduce the Warriors’ lineups during Saturday’s telecast, Rob DeMello informs me. Neil’s an honorary UH alum (or should be) and an Oregon Duck, so he has plenty of rooting interest. It would be sweet if Washington grad Les Keiter introduced the Huskies.

***

The UH football practice this morning was called off midway through the two-hour session due to continual heavy rain making the grass field unusable.

“It was a nice downpour,” UH quarterback Colt Brennan said. “We were going to run over into our indoor facilities, but there was some problem I think. It hasn’t been built yet. Then we thought we’d go to Cooke Field, but there’s no field.”

That quote, passed on to me by Billy Hull, is an example of one of the many reasons we’ll miss Brennan. He’s willing to speak his mind about problems like facilities, and he does it in an entertaining way. And I’m pretty sure a good chunk of his first NFL signing bonus will go toward improving said facilities.

UPDATE: The plan now is to complete practice at 4 p.m. at Aloha Stadium. This session will be closed to the public.

***

The following is an advisory from Aloha Stadium deputy manager Lois Manin:

Aloha Stadium management is asking that guests remain in their seats and refrain from entering the field area at Saturday night’s football game between the University of Hawai‘i and Washington, Aloha Stadium Manager Scott Chan announced today.

Guests entered the playing field last Friday in celebration of Hawai‘i’s 39-27 victory over Boise State for the Western Athletic Conference crown.

“We are asking our guests to stay in their seats to allow the traditional ‘Senior Walk’ ceremony to begin immediately after the game ends,” Chan said. “This has been a longstanding tradition for the UH seniors and we would like to continue it on Saturday without disruption. We will not be able to begin this ceremony until the field is cleared, so we are asking everyone for their kokua. We are hoping that this will not be an issue and the guests will show respect for the graduating seniors.”

***

OH MY GOD!
It was (bleepin’) dumping this morning! I had to see Uncle Ben so I decided to check out practice until he got to campus. Then the ominous rumbling started, followed by the blinding flashes of lightning. Then, God turned on the faucets. They tried to practice for a few minutes, but the coaches told them to head to the showers (in the locker room, not the one drenching all of Oahu). Most of the players jogged toward the complex while 1/4 of the team started doing belly slides across the muddy, rain-soaked field. It was pretty funny. At lower campus, there was so much rain that a river up to my calf was rushing by near the Duke swimming pool.

Don’t work too hard!
Robert Paulson

By Cindy Luis

I’m not sure how much internet access i’ll have Wednesday through Thursday afternoon. Will be travelng to Kentucky.
But please feel free to continue all the great discussions. Aloha for now.

By Cindy Luis

As far as I know, and as of the last UH release, the answer is no.
Scott Robbs will have it on 1420-AM and I’m hoping do to my usuall live updates at the timeouts.

By Cindy Luis

Thank you all for your input. I totally understand what everyone is saying.
But it’s nothing new by UH. Dani Mafua went to the WAC and postseason last year as a redshirt freshman. And other redshirts have gone as well, for years.
You can’t win in this situation. Glad i’m not the coach.

By Dave Reardon

Molly Yanity covers the Washington Huskies for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. She is also an AP voter. Molly will be in Hawaii to cover the UH-UW game Saturday. Here’s her take on how and why she voted the Warriors where she did this season:

In my preseason poll, I had the Warriors ranked No. 18. They sunk as low as 24th after the near-miss in Louisiana, but quickly moved back to the top 15 where I have ranked them consistently since. After the Boise State win, Hawaii moved to No. 11 in my poll. Why not higher despite the perfect record and gaudy offensive numbers? It’s pretty simple: Because I don’t think the Warriors could beat the teams I have ranked above them.

I applaud the effort to get Michigan on the schedule, but the WAC hasn’t impressed this season. Even Boise State has actually put up more points against conference opponents than the Warriors who, along with Washington, dispatched the Broncos with ease.

The travel, the injuries and the surviving has been terrific and a perfect season will be brilliant. It all deserves a BCS bowl berth and I would vote appropriately if the AP poll was still part of the formula.

***
No. 2 DE Francis Maka returned to practice today with some running. He suffered a fracture in a lower leg bone last month and has rehabbed ahead of schedule.

“He has a chance,” DC Greg McMackin said when asked if Maka could play Saturday against Washington. “He’s been cleared medically. We need him to get used to being out here again. We don’t want to re-activate his injury.”

Maka said he hopes to “get a couple of reps” at tomorrow’s practice.

“I ran today and it was a little uncomfortable,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes.”

***

The following is nearly word-for-word from a WAC press release. I forgot to note that earlier. My apologies to the WAC office, whoever wrote it, and anyone who was misled into thinking I wrote it. By the way, I wrote the last paragraph.

Davone Bess has been reprimanded by the Western Athletic Conference for his actions following the game between Hawaii and Nevada, played in Reno on Nov. 16.

At the conclusion of the game – won by Hawaii 28-26 – Bess ran onto the field and into the endzone at which time he taunted Nevada fans that were seated in the stands.

Said WAC commissioner Karl Benson, “His actions clearly violate the WAC sportsmanship code and won’t be tolerated. Any further actions of this type may result in a one game suspension.”

Said Bess, “I apologize to the Nevada fans for my behavior at the end of the game that night. It was an emotional win and my actions were inappropriate. I can assure you that it will not happen again.”

Bess also said Monday that he apologized to his UH teammates for somersaulting into the end zone concluding a touchdown play in Hawaii’s 39-27 victory over Boise State last Friday. UH incurred a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and kicked off from its own 15-yard line.

By Cindy Luis

14 are making the trip, the same travel roster as the WAC tournament with one exception.
Stephanie Ferrell will be going in place of Caroline Blood. For the “experience.” She’s moved well in practice but not sure if she’s cleared to play.

By Cindy Luis

Hawaii senior middle Juliana Sanders was named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week today, the third time in her career and the first this season.
This is the final WAC Player of the Year this season.

The Castle High product came up big against Loyola Marymount last week, hitting .579 with 12 kills on Nov. 20, while posting 13 kills, five blocks and hitting .647 on Senior Night (Nov. 21). In the Nov. 21 match, Sanders started the match a perfect 10-for-10 through just over two games. Sanders closed out the regular season with a .348 hitting percentage, averaging 2.52 kills and 1.25 blocks per game.

By Cindy Luis

Hawaii moved up two spots to No. 9 in today’s CSTV/AVCA Coaches Top 25. The Rainbow Wahine (25-6), seeded 11th in the NCAA tournament, leave tomorrow for the sub-regional at Louisville. Hawaii takes on Tennessee State, which is making its first NCAA tournament appearance.

The top seven teams remained the same, with three teams splitting the 60 first-place votes. Staying at No. 1 is Penn State (40 votes), followed by Nebraska (16) and Texas (4). Stanford, which received the top seed in the NCAA tournament is fourth, USC fifth, Washington sixth and Cal seventh.

Complete poll at http://www.avca.org/collegiate/dipoll/dipoll11-26-07.asp

The Wahine will take 14 on the trip. Dave asked me not to release the roster until after practice today, around 6 p.m.