Maka Commits

Stephen Tsai writes that JC linebacker Francis Maka has committed to becoming a Warrior.

He will be reunited with defensive lineman Ray Hisatake, a San Mateo teammate who also enrolls next week.

"He's my best friend," Maka said. "It kind of worked out."

Defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold recruited Maka and Hisatake. "Coach Reinebold is one of the biggest reasons I'm going there," Maka said.

Maka was a standout at Bellarmine High in San Jose before joining Arizona. He redshirted in 2004, then transferred to San Mateo.

At San Mateo, Maka thrived as a ball-hawking linebacker and an aggressive special teams player.

"He was one of our leading tacklers," San Mateo coach Larry Owens said. "He was always around the ball. He was great on special teams. He'll be a nice fit for Hawai'i. He'll be around the football somewhere. He'll hit you."

Maka said: "I love playing special teams, especially on kickoffs. That's my favorite. I was the wedge-breaker."

Maka turned down a scholarship offer from San Jose State to commit to UH.

You would think Dick Tomey would be mad with all with the recruits UH has stolen away from his team, and maybe he is, but he has some good things to say about the Warriors and the WAC in this article by Ferd Lewis.

"I think Hawai'i can be right there where they (the 13-0 Broncos) are next year," said Dick Tomey, San Jose State coach. "Hawai'i has a lot of guys coming back. It is probably more (true) for Hawai'i than everybody else. They can be right there a year from now."

Benson said it was just a matter of time until the WAC got its breakthrough game, becoming only the second conference without an automatic berth to place a team and win a BCS bowl game. "Boise State was on the cusp a couple of years ago (13-1 in 2003 and 11-1 in '04)," Benson said. "Fresno State, even last year, had they beaten Southern Cal and went on to take care of Nevada and Louisiana Tech, would have been there as a one-loss team."

For the WAC, which is one of five conferences that do not have a team automatically placed in the BCS, the Fiesta Bowl, "was an opportunity to make a credibility statement — and they (the Broncos) certainly did," Benson said.

"They (the Broncos) did a fantastic job. I don't think I've ever seen such an exciting football game," said UH coach June Jones, who attended the game. "And, they made a statement not just for Boise but for the whole conference. That is what everybody in the conference knows and that is that we're better than we've been given credit for being."

And like the article said yesterday, consistency will go a long way to retaining that credibility and make a longer lasting statement.