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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, November 8, 2001

Don't mess with Warriors' Wright, Brown, Alapa

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

In this impossible dream of a football season, three University of Hawai'i players who happen to be roommates would like to accomplish the improbable.

"Our long-range goal," strong-side linebacker Matt Wright said, "is to get our (cleaning) deposit back."

"It's not going to be easy," weak-side linebacker Keani Alapa added.

"I'd say we're pretty far from getting our deposit back," middle linebacker Chris Brown said. "But every time we break something, we make sure we fix it. Put that down in case our landlord reads this."

One goal was fulfilled when they all contributed heavily in last week's 34-10 victory over San Jose State. They combined for 29 tackles, led by Alapa's career-high 13.

With starting weak-side linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (strained lower right leg) questionable for Saturday's game against Boise State, Alapa is expected to start.

"It's special to know that my two roommates — the guys I play PlayStation with all night and drink beers with at our picnic table — will be out there on the field with me," Brown said.

Not that they don't see enough of each other the rest of the time. After two roommates moved out last year, Brown asked Wright and Alapa to move into his three-bedroom apartment near the university. They are graduates of different private schools — Brown attended Damien Memorial High, Wright went to Iolani School and Alapa attended the Kamehameha Schools — but knew each other for several years.

"We're nice boys," Wright said, recalling the initial meeting with the landlord. "We know how to present ourselves. We promised to keep the place pretty neat and tidy. I think we've done that, for the most part."

But there have been exceptions, such as when Alapa and Wright broke a door while fighting. Or when Alapa, after months of procrastinating, finally cleaned his room.

"I went in there, grabbed his sheets and pillows, and threw them around the room," Brown said. "He got all mad. I thought that was funny."

Recently, Alapa messed up Wright's room, and Wright retaliated by hiding some of Alapa's personal items.

"We fight all of the time," Alapa said. "We're like brothers. We fight and then we get over it. It's nothing. We're all real close."

Still, they have established ground rules. Wright likes his mess in order. Alapa wants his privacy. Both are not allowed to turn off Brown's air conditioner at night or touch his collection of Jennifer Love Hewitt calendars, posters and pictures.

"I want to marry her," Brown said. "If we get married, she can change her name to Jennifer Loves Chris."

Said Wright: "It's nice for him to have his little dream."

Wright, with a nyuk-nyuk chuckle, said they are the self-styled "Three Stooges."

"Chris is Moe, because he's the bossiest," Wright said. "Chris is always getting mad because he's the obsessive-compulsive clean one. He needs everything to be perfect. We have a blackboard, and he'll draw these little cartoons with stick figures saying, 'I'm Mr. Dirty Dish. Nobody wants to clean me.' He can be real sarcastic. We like to erase the board and get him mad."

"Yeah, I'm Moe," Brown said. "I'm always slapping them around. Matt is Larry because he's dense. Keani is Curley because, well, he's just lost. We have fun — except when they erase my drawings."