Spring Day 11 Wrap-Ups

Jason Kaneshiro writes an article about new players wearing familiar numbers.

"You have to make that number," said sophomore defensive lineman Paul Harmon, who was given the No. 91 jersey worn by Ikaika Alama-Francis the last three years. "You have to make people remember it and talk about you. It's a lot of legacy; I have big shoes to fill."

Speaking of which, Kalani Simpson talks to Jason Ferguson, who was bestowed Chad Owens' #2, about the rehabilitation of his knee.

This was a good day, for the knee.

"Another day of my life," Ferguson says after practice. "Another day. Still working. Still being optimistic."

Still there. Still refusing to quit.

Here he is, after missing two full football seasons, still recovering from his second surgery since that single play. That's how badly his knee was messed up, he had to have another surgery about a year after the first one, just for scar tissue. He's still coming back.

Good luck to Jason. I hope he finally plays again this year.

Stephen Tsai writes that safety Le'Marcus Gibson of Mississippi will become a Warrior in 2008. Tsai writes a profile of Gibson and his struggles to overcome the damage to his home caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Jason Kaneshiro writes about yesterday's scrimmage where the quarterbacks were live.

Linebacker Joshua Rice delivered the hit of the day, knocking quarterback Kiran Kepo'o off his pins and jarring the ball loose as the freshman scrambled out of the pocket.

"I was expecting him to try to put a move on me, but I just went right through him," Rice said. "When you have hits like that, it feels sweet. Feels like you go right through him and you stand up and everyone's just going crazy."

Kepo'o and Inoke Funaki were live for the period, and Kepo'o had a chipped tooth to show for his morning.

"It woke me up a little bit, like it's not high school any more," said the Iolani graduate. "It was a little different. It was good to get that first hit, kind of brought back those memories from back in high school."

June will have to make some cuts at the end of spring practice, which is never an easy thing.

And finally, ohhhh how depressing. Ferd Lewis will not let up on Herman Frazier, and rightfully so:

While UH fans, players and coaches continue to wait on a completed 13-game schedule for a season due to open in less than five months, Charleston Southern has made out like, well, Buccaneers.

The tiny school (enrollment 2,800) will receive the largest payday of any I-AA UH opponent the Warriors have played. Contract details paint a picture of UH's desperation to fill the schedule with a package exceeding that of what Division I opponents Oregon State or Purdue earned for appearances at Aloha Stadium just months ago.

With UH's 11th-hour struggle to fill the final three pukas on its 2007 schedule, the Buccaneers apparently leveraged the situation well to their advantage to look at the terms of the contract. Charleston Southern will receive roundtrip airfare for 75 people, 45 hotel rooms for three nights, bus transportation, $15,000 for incidentals and a $125,000 post-game check.

Moreover, the Buccaneers will also get a second game here in 2011 to recruit to and be guaranteed the same terms or better, according to the contract.

The article goes on to say that UH paid less to Purdue, Oregon State and USC. I can understand shelling out that kind of money to a Division I-A team, especially being desperate and all, but a I-AA team? It's just mind-boggling.

Well, it's looking more and more like UH will have a 12-game schedule this year. Can we at least get the ball rolling on the 2008 schedule? For &%@#'s sake.