Tough times for UH athletics

By Fred Guzman
MauiNow.com

This is not the scenario envisioned by University of Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin going into the football team’s biggest game of the year against nationally sixth-ranked Boise State.

Sadly, UH finds itself in the midst of a four-game skid, which includes last week’s 35-23 road loss to resurgent Idaho. At 2-4, McMackin is publicly pleading for fan support going into Saturday’s game against the Broncos at Aloha Stadium.

With the exception of women’s volleyball, in fact, this has been a long fall for UH teams and, if the prognosticators are correct, it could be long winter, as well.

The Rainbow Wahine retained their No. 3 spot in the volleyball rankings by sweeping LaTech this week for their 13th straight victory and the 1,000th coaching win of coach Dave Shoji’s career.

UH is 17-2 overall and 8-0 in the WAC.

But the soccer team is 5-9-1 overall and 1-3 in the WAC going into its final two home matches of the season against Nevada on Friday and Utah State on Sunday.

In basketball, the projections are equally dismal.

The men were picked to finish last in the WAC by the coaches an media as Bob Nash enters his third season as head coach. The Rainbow Wahine were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team WAC in Dana Takahara-Dias’ first season head coach.