Camp, WAC-ESPN Deal, PPV, Bess

The first of three UH football youth camps kicks off this weekend.

The first of three University of Hawai'i football camps will be held tomorrow and Sunday on the school's grass practice field (across from Les Murakami Stadium).

This camp is available to boys and girls ages 5 to 12. The camp description is: "Have fun while learning fundamentals."

The $40 fee includes a T-shirt and instruction from UH football coaches, including head coach Greg McMackin.

Ferd Lewis reports that the WAC may soon announce an upgraded TV deal with ESPN.

The new agreement, when announced, is expected to run from 5 to 7 years and, on top of a several-fold increase in rights fees, include heavily expanded exposure for conference teams.

The WAC had been receiving $900,000 per year on a six-year deal set to run through the 2009-10 academic year. That figure was down from $1 million after Texas-El Paso and three other schools left for Conference USA in 2005. The new agreement is expected to be worth, on average, approximately $4 million per year to the conference.

In football, the WAC has been guaranteed a minimum of eight games, though it has averaged about 10 the last couple years. The new deal could double those opportunities.

Ferd writes that the WAC played its hand well.

When the WAC Board of Directors two years ago turned down an ESPN extension offer, it bet that what its teams did on the field would back up the contention that its inventory was worth more than the niggling network was offering to commit — both in terms of rights fees and exposure. When the WAC again rejected ESPN's proposal last summer it daringly doubled down on that bet, staring down the 800-pound gorilla of collegiate athletics in the process.

So, Boise State's Cinderella 13-0 season of '06 and the Warriors' own "Believe" Tour of '07, gave the WAC not only its vindication, but plenty to sell.

The UH pay-per-view schedule for all sports has been finalized and can be viewed here.

And Davone Bess is mentioned in this Dolphins training camp preview from RealFootball365.

Although Bess is a bit undersized at only 5-11, 195, he makes up for it in quickness. Bess doesn’t have great timed speed, but he possesses terrific agility and a solid set of hands. Many will dismiss his college productivity because of the type of offense Bess played in, but to simply shrug him off would be a mistake. For a Dolphins team that is in desperate need of playmaking wide receivers, Bess could be a solution.