Tinoisamoa believes he will be ready to play against BYU
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
University of Hawai'i linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa believes he is healthy enough to play in Saturday's game against Brigham Young.
But for now, UH coaches think otherwise.
"I'd love to have him, but I don't see him playing," defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said.
Also listed as doubtful, Lempa said, is defensive end Travis Laboy, who has a sprained left ankle and sprained right shoulder.
Tinoisamoa missed the last two games because of a stress fracture in his right fibula. He did not participate in contact drills yesterday.
"I want to let it heal as much as possible before I give it one final go," said Tinoisamoa, a junior from San Diego. "The last time I hurt it more because I tried to push it. I feel good. I can run and cut on it. I don't see why I shouldn't play."
UH probably will wait until Saturday to decide whether strong-side linebacker Matt Wright will be available. Wright suffered a sprained left knee against Air Force Nov. 24.
• No regrets: UH defensive backs Hyrum Peters and Leonard Peters are not related, but they are Kahuku High graduates who both had the opportunity to attend BYU.
Leonard Peters turned down a scholarship offer from the Cougars. "My family didn't want me to go away," he said. "Besides, I wanted to stay here and play for Coach (June) Jones."
Hyrum Peters and his family moved to Utah when he was a high school freshman. After his junior year, he decided to return to Hawai'i and live with his sister's family.
"I wanted to graduate with my good friends," he said.
His family wanted him to attend BYU. He also received a scholarship offer from a small college in Missouri. Instead, he decided to join UH as a walk-on.
Although he scored 980 on the SAT, more than enough to qualify, he needed to earn a math credit before enrolling at Manoa. During the 1999 fall semester, he attended Kapi'olani Community College and worked at Sunset Foodland. He earned enough credits and money to enroll at UH in January 2000.
"I have no regrets," said Peters, who now is receiving a football scholarship. "I love being in Hawai'i. You can't beat the music, the food, the people. Hawai'i is home."
