Repeat: Jones staying
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Another week, another rumor.
This time, the San Diego Union-Tribune listed University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones as a potential candidate for the vacancy at San Diego State.
Yesterday, Jones reiterated his commitment to remaining with the Warriors, saying: "I would like to get things done here and stay here. That's what I would like to do."
Jones has five years remaining on a contract that was extended at the end of the 1999 season, his first as UH's head coach.
He said he believed his name surfaced as a potential candidate because he was the San Diego Chargers' interim head coach before accepting the UH job.
He turned down a four-year contract offer from the Chargers.
"When your program is having success, these things happen," Jones said.
Last week, rumors circulating on the Internet and the football program's booster club mentioned Jones as a candidate for the vacant head coaching job at California or with the Oakland Raiders, should head coach Jon Gruden leave.
• Tinoisamoa is hopeful: Outside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa has set a goal of returning for the Dec. 8 game against Brigham Young.
Tinoisamoa suffered a stress fracture in his right fibula during a non-contact drill Oct. 30. X-rays did not show a fracture, but a subsequent magnetic resonance imaging did. While Jones said Tinoisamoa might not play again this season, Tinoisamoa said, "I'm going to try and push it for BYU."
UH has two games and a Dec. 1 bye before playing host to BYU in the regular-season finale.
"I have to wait and let it heal," said Tinoisamoa, a junior from San Diego. "I don't want to do anything to mess it up even more. I'm trying to relax and hang loose."
Tinoisamoa was leading the Warriors in tackles when he suffered the injury. He played one down against San Jose State Nov. 3, but not at all against Boise State last Saturday.
"It's very frustrating," he said, but "I think the defense is doing an excellent job and working well without me."
• Getting over it: For some, it took nearly two days, but the Warriors appear to have put behind the 28-21 loss to Boise State. The outcome cost the Warriors a potential share of the Western Athletic Conference title and severely damaged their chances for a postseason bowl.
"I was walking around town on Sunday and everybody said to me, 'Oh, it's too bad,' " middle linebacker Chris Brown recalled. "When Monday came around, I was feeling better. Now, I'm ready to play."
Said quarterback Nick Rolovich: "It pops in people's minds, I'm sure, but if it does, we have to get it out of there. Now is not the time to be looking behind us."
"It's out now," slotback Channon Harris said. "We lost. We're 6-3. We regret it. But it happened. You can't get them all."
