Maui Sports

Typically, these types of events are conducted on a university’s campus.  But in order to attract the maximum number of pro scouts, former UH players will be showing their stuff today at the Home Depot Center in the Los Angeles area. Leading the way are defensive end David Veikune and safety Ryan Mouton, with defensive […]

Call me naïve, if you will, but I really think that it wasn’t just about the money for John Calipari in his decision to leave a highly successful program in Memphis to take over the basketball coaching job. Oh, he’ll get a huge chunk of green for accepting the job in the basketball-crazy Bluegrass State.  […]

It’s hard to believe, but the state Ethics Commission is still in the process of investigating whether laws were violated during the University of Hawaii football team’s appearance in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008. That’s more than a year ago, and the commission’s probe has been in progress for more than 10 months […]

The University of Hawaii football team kicks off spring football drills today, and second-year head coach Greg McMackin is promising a more wide-open approach in all three phases of the game. Of course, what you hope for now and what you actually do when the season actually rolls around in the fall are two very […]

Who is the best college basketball team in the country?  That will be decided over the next couple of weekends, and the cast of contenders has now been reduced to an even dozen following Thursday’s first four games in the Sweet Sixteen. What is the best college basketball conference in the nation?  We don’t have […]

You hear the phrase “franchise quarterback” thrown around a lot at this time of the year, as if those types of guys grow on draft trees. Too many teams, too many analysts and too many fans think that a quarterback is the cure for what ails them only to eventually come to the realization that […]

Just because England invented the sport and is the home of the world’s greatest soccer league doesn’t mean England has the best players, are proven repeatedly in recent international competitions. And just because the US invented the sport and is the home of world’s league doesn’t mean that US has the best players, as underscored […]

As Zach Scott described during a recent chat on our mid-day talk show Maui’s ESPN 550, he took the long route to Major League Soccer. After seven seasons with Sounders F.C., the former Maui High standout has become the first Valley Isle player to make the roster of a team in the top tier of […]

By virtue of playing in Division-II, the BYU-Hawaii basketball team is one of the better-kept secrets in local sports. In sharp contrast with D-I University of Hawaii, which struggled to a 13-17 mark, BYU-H has quietly gone about a truly remarkable season. Did you know the Seasiders are 27-1? That they’ve won 24 straight games […]

You may have heard this joke before.  The one about the Golden Rule?  As in, he who has the gold makes the rules. It was precisely that kind of mindset that resulted in only four schools from smaller conferences receiving bids to the NCAA tournament.  Or, to put it another way, 30 of the 34 […]

When we discuss promising teen golfers from Hawaii, our attention instantly rivets on Michelle Wie whose accomplishments and failures have been in the news for seven years. After some ups and downs, Wie’s career again appears to be on an upward trend, with the 19-year-old sophomore at Stanford having earned an LPGA tour card and […]

It’s the time of the year when the word “bubble” returns to the basketball lexicon – as in teams on the proverbial bubble to make the 65-team field of the Big Dance. With four days to go before Selection Sunday, there are lots of unanswered questions regarding who’s in and who’s out of the NCAA […]

After several years of collectively struggling in the state prep basketball tournaments, MIL teams gave solid account of themselves and their league last week, compiling an overall record of 5-6. Leading the way was Molokai, which advanced to the semifinals before finishing fourth in Division-II following losses to Castle, 57-44, and Kohala, 70-55. Farmers’ center […]

By nature, I don’t surprise easily.  But I was stunned to learn last night that the Dallas Cowboys had released wide receiver Terrell Owens, although there had been persistent rumors that he might be cut in order to improve morale in a sharply-divided locker room. Shocked, because TO, for all the controversy that he invariably […]

In an effort to show us how knowledgeable they are about the inner workings of the NBA, some cynical media pundits will fill your heads about how this is the start of the tanking season. That’s when the weaker pro teams allegedly begin losing in an effort to enhance their lottery positions. Call me naïve, […]

Reports of the Pro Bowl’s permanent departure from Hawaii were premature. The Hawaii Tourism Authority – under pressure from fans and politicians – apparently will reconsider and approve an offer to host the game in 2011 and 2012. The proposed deal would bring back the game for those two years, although it would be played […]

As the state girls’ basketball tournaments tipped off last week, we noted that the MIL, whose champions were relegated to No. 4 seeds, had to earn respect the old-fashioned way – on the court — after years of coming up short in their annual visits to Oahu. And the two teams did just that. Molokai […]

It’s a sad truth in the NFL that, in this salary cap era, it’s next to impossible for an athlete to play his entire career with the same team.  We’ve seen it in the past, and we’re seeing it again this year. The latest victims of this reality are a pair of players who will […]

As details continue to leak out regarding why the University of Hawaii placed Jim Bolla on administrative leave in the middle of the season, it’s evident that he will not be returning as head coach of the struggling women’s basketball program. Regardless of the outcome of a probe on the latest allegations against Bolla, the […]

You can’t make those who write or commentate about baseball happy.  I speak from experience, because I’ve done both. My colleagues are the self-appointed moral compasses of the game in a fashion you don’t see in those who cover other sports.  Predictably, they have taken on the roles of judge and jury in the never-ending […]