By Jason Kaneshiro

It’ll be interesting to see how many times BYU is mentioned over the course of Centurions series.
Among the first 71, Craig Stutzmann, Alex Kaloi, Matt Harding, Darrick Branch, David Maeva, Nick Rolovich and Mark Odom were among those with roles in UH wins over the Cougars.
For Odom, the 1989 breakthrough was sweetened by the close losses he’d endured. The previous year, the Rainbows were a 2-point conversion away from victory only to fall 24-23.
“They were such hard losses,” Odom said. “That’s the thing about football it’s such a hard game to lose. Because it takes so much out of you.
“It’s a terrible feeling walking across the field and having someone tell you ‘good game.’ ”
He was on the other side of that conversation twice against the Cougars. While the 1989 game had bowl implications, he said the Rainbows drew motivation for the 59-28 win in 1990 by watching Ty Detmer accept the Heisman Trophy that afternoon.
“We were determined to not let him enjoy the Heisman Trophy,” Odom said.
—————
ESPN’s College Football Live 50 States Tour will feature Hawaii and Idaho on July 22. The poll questions on ESPN.com invite fans to vote on the best team, player and coach from either state.
—————
The second session of summer school at UH begins Monday as do season ticket sales. It’ll also mean there’s just one month to go before the first practice of fall camp.

By Jason Kaneshiro

June Jones and Greg McMackin were among a group that left for Pago Pago this afternoon and will hold the second American Samoa Football Academy and Medical Mission over the next two days.
Also going on the mission, sponsored by the June Jones Foundation, were former Hawaii linemen Jesse Sapolu, Maa Tanuvasa, Taase Faumui, Tony Tuioti and Samson Satele. UH graduate assistant Craig Stutzmann and Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson are also participating.
The free football clinic is expected to draw close to 1,000 high school players. The mission will also provide close to $400,000 in medical supplies. The medical mission is led by Ellie Taft, the wife of former UH and current SMU assistant Jeff Reinebold.

By Jason Kaneshiro

Summer vacation? Not so much for the Warriors these days.
Hawaii quarterback Greg Alexander said his days normally stretch from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with conditioning, classes and voluntary workouts filling his schedule.
He was at Ching Field for the Warriors’ 7-on-7 session this afternoon, then stuck around for more running.
“It’s still work time,” Alexander said.
With the offense putting together a strong spring, the Warriors are hoping to maintain that momentum through the summer by getting together for 7-on-7s four days a week.
“Guys are picking it up, we’re hitting our landmarks and everything’s a lot crisper and smoother than last year,” said Alexander, who was taking his first steps in the system a summer ago. “We know how it’s supposed to look as opposed to just trying to figure it out on the fly.”
Alexander will be in town through the end of the first session of summer school then returns home to California, where he plans to stay sharp by working out at his junior-college.
The first practice of fall camp is set for Aug. 6.

By Jason Kaneshiro

A couple of months after holding its first Junior Day, it looks like the benefits are already starting to roll in for UH.
Campbell receiver Samson Anguay and Moanalua offensive lineman Frank Loyd were among the high schoolers who participated in the event, which factored into their decisions to commit to the Warriors.
“After our Junior Day at Hawaii, I really found a love for the campus and for the people,” Anguay said. “I have a chance to play for my hometown and I wanted to play in front of my family.”
Moanalua coach Arnold Martinez said Loyd’s parents, “were really impressed with the Junior Day.”
“(The UH coaches are) really trying to kick in another level of recruiting for local kids. I think it’s paying off because it made a great impression on Frank and his family.”
Martinez expects other schools to make a run at the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Loyd, but said he appears solidly committed to UH.

——–

UH’s summer camp season continues Monday with the Big Man’s Camp. The camp is designed for linemen and runs through Wednesday. Registration starts at 8 a.m. with the clinic running from 9-11 a.m.  The fee is $75. More information is available at hawaiiathletics.com.

——–

Former UH receiver Dylan Linkner  isn’t part of the Warriors’ summer conditioning sessions any more, but got a good workout anyway while caddying for Ryan Perez in the Manoa Cup this week. Perez reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion and UH golfer T.J. Kua on Friday.

By Jason Kaneshiro

The Star-Bulletin’s summer series counting down the top 100 players in Hawaii football history — The Centurions — debuts today with Nos. 100-96.
Dave Reardon did a masterful job of coordinating the project and crafting the list, drawing opinions from coaches and media members spanning decades.
As Dave wrote in the introduction accompanying today’s feature on Larry Price (No. 96), coming up with a top 100 was rough. I know in filling out my ballot, figuring out how to order the top portion was hard. Arranging the middle section, harder still. Deciding who makes the cut in the final few spots, pull-out-your-hair hard.
Not everyone will agree with everything on the list — but that’s the fun of it.
Today’s first installment provides a taste of what’s to come between now and August. The first five touches both the program’s formative years (No. 97 Rusty Holt, a star in the 1920s) and the recent past (No. 99 Jake Ingram, who finished his career last fall). Also in today’s edition are:
>> No. 100 Craig Stutzmann: His punt into the stands against BYU in 2001 alone has to be worth a few points, right?
>> No. 98 Alex Kaloi: A key figure in the 1974 win over the Cougars and father to successful tennis-playing daughters.
>> No. 96 Larry Price: Who earned greater prominence after his playing days.
It’ll be fun to see the list unfold and hopefully it delivers a football fix until fall camp. Enjoy.

By Jason Kaneshiro

For those keeping track, UH posted a list of future nonconference games that have been finalized so far. Only the 2010 schedule has been completed. The full post can be found at http://www.hawaiiathletics.com/news/2009/6/15/FB_0615090112.aspx.

2010

Sept. 2                    USC

Sept. 11                  at Army

Sept. 18                  at Colorado

Sept. 25                  CHARLESTON SOUTHERN

Dec. 4                     UNLV

2011

Sept. 3                    COLORADO

Sept. 10                  at Washington

Sept. 17                  at UNLV

Nov. 26                  WASHINGTON STATE

2012

Sept. 1                    at USC

Sept. 8                    at Brigham Young

Sept. 22                  UNLV

2013

Aug. 31                  USC

Sept. 14                  BRIGHAM YOUNG

Nov. 30                  ARMY

2014

Sept. 13                  UNLV

Sept. 20                  at Colorado

2015

Sept. 5                    COLORADO

Oct. 3                      at UNLV

2017

Sept. 16                  at UNLV

2018

Sept. 8                    UNLV

Sept. 15                  at Army

2019

Nov. 30                  ARMY

By Jason Kaneshiro

Hawaii and USC officially announced a two-game home-and-home series and a date change for their 2010 game.
The 2010 game was moved to Thursday, Sept. 2 to accommodate ESPN, which will televise the contest. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
The Warriors and Trojans meet again on Sept. 1, 2012 in Los Angeles and Aug. 31, 2013 in Honolulu.
“I’m very pleased that we’re able to extend this series with the University of Southern California,” UH athletic director Jim Donovan said in a release. “This series is positive for us because USC has always been a perennial Top 10 team and the fact that playing in Southern California appeals to our West Coast fans and alumni and is an area we heavily recruit.”
Donovan said moving the 2010 game to Thursday gives UH extra travel days before a two-game road trip to Army and Colorado.
“In addition to being able to play on national television, which is important for our program, we’ll have extra days to prepare for the Army/Colorado road trip,” Donovan said. “We won’t run into problems about not having enough practice days due to the long flight to New York.”

Coaches’ quotes from today’s release:
Hawaii’s Greg McMackin: “We’re really excited about this series and for the opportunity to play a perennial national championship contender. It’ll be good for our fans to be able to see us play one of the top teams in the country which will be an indication of where our program is at. Also it’s an opportunity to play a West Coast team, where the travel won’t be too hard. Our fans on the mainland will get a chance to see us play in person and it’ll really help us recruiting-wise.”

USC’s Pete Carroll: “We’re excited to be able to add some more games against Hawaii to our schedule. It’s a great way for us to open our seasons in 2012 and 2013. This is a match up of two fine programs that have a history dating back nearly 80 years.
“I know our players and fans enjoy traveling to Honolulu for the game, and we get good crowd support from the many Trojan fans living in Hawaii who get to see us play. And it works out well for Hawaii coming to the Coliseum, because they have such a strong fan base in Southern California.”

By Jason Kaneshiro

Brashton Satele’s move from middle linebacker to defensive end adds to Greg McMackin’s history of shifting players to put more speed on the field.
In his first stint as defensive coordinator at Hawaii in 1999, he shifted linebacker Matt Paul to defensive end. Safety Yaphet Warren and receiver Robert Kemfort became speedy linebackers. Paul earned second-team All-WAC honors that year and Warren and Kemfort were also key figures in UH’s turnaround season.
Two years ago, Josh Leonard arrived as a heralded JUCO defensive end. He was moved inside and became an impact player at defensive tackle, landing a free-agent contract with the Houston Texans in April.
McMackin also had the foresight to turn a backup tight end into a defensive end while at Miami (Fla.). Warren Sapp went on to develop into an All-Pro defensive tackle.

By Jason Kaneshiro

Run-and-shoot pioneer and former UH assistant coach Mouse Davis announced his retirement today. Davis coached with the Warriors from 2004 to 2006 and was Jerry Glanville’s offensive coordinator at Portland State the last two seasons. His influence on the Hawaii program goes beyond the three years he spent in Manoa. He coached June Jones while at Portland State in the 1970s and current UH offensive coordinator Ron Lee sought Davis’ guidance when implementing a run-and-shoot system early in his coaching career.

UH head coach Greg McMackin’s connection with Davis goes back to his earliest coaching days in Oregon. He said he coached against Davis while at Aloha High School in the early 1970s. “He’s been a good friend for a long time,” said McMackin, who gave Davis a call when he heard the news.

Davis had stints in the NFL, CFL, USFL and arena football in more than 50 years in the business. He coached against Cal Lee’s Hawaiian Islanders in 2003 as head coach of the San Diego Riptide in arenafootball2.
The Portland State release can be found at  http://www.goviks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=19300&ATCLID=3745413

By Jason Kaneshiro

Warriors past and future were helping out at the PIAA combine at Saint Louis School today.
Fomer UH standouts Tim Chang, Eddie Klaneski and David Maeva were among those running the testing at the combine. Incoming freshmen Corey Nielsen and Chauncy Winchester-Makainai were also chipping in.
Nielsen started summer school on Tuesday and said he’ll join in the team’s offseason conditioning program this coming week. He’s finished his requirements at Gahr High in California and will return for graduation on June 16. A 4.0 student, he’ll be one of the class valedictorians.
“It’s good to get a head start on everything,” Nielsen said.
His younger brother, Casey, will be a senior quarterback at Gahr in the fall.
Winchester-Makainai graduates from Kailua in June and will enroll for the second session of summer school at UH.

>> Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and Patriots receiver Wes Welker and former UH standouts Colt Brennan and Davone Bess are among those scheduled to attend a fundraiser July 9 to benefit the program’s football camps.
Head coach Greg McMackin and graduate assistant Mike Smith both have connections with Lewis and Welker. McMackin coached Lewis at Miami (Fla.) and was at Texas Tech when Welker was in college. Smith was teammates with Welker at Texas Tech and Lewis with the Ravens.
This year’s set of UH camps begins June 13-4 with the Kids’ Camp (ages 5-12). The Skills Camp is June 16-19 and the Big Man Camp is June 22-24.

>> The Western Athletic Conference’s football preview is set for July 28-30 in Salt Lake City. UH will be represented by McMackin, center John Estes and linebacker Brashton Satele.