UH wants more games with Pac-10 teams

By Stephen Tsai and Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writers

The University of Hawai'i football team is seeking to boost its future schedules by playing more nonconference games against Pac-10 teams.

UH athletic director Herman Frazier said he would like to schedule a game against his alma mater, Arizona State, as well as extend the series against Southern California.

UH is scheduled to play at USC next season and then serve as host to the Trojans in 2005. There have been discussions about the teams meeting in either 2007 or 2009.

Frazier expressed confidence he can secure a deal with Arizona State.

Washington State canceled this year's game against UH, citing a scheduling conflict, but Frazier said he would like to book the Cougars in the future.

"We just need to be playing those type of schools," Frazier said. "I think the Pac-10 is an exciting brand of football, and I think (UH coach) June (Jones) has taken us to an obviously good level where we have some good players in strong numbers. I think we ought to be playing those type of schools in nonconference games."

Jones said playing Pac-10 schools "makes sense. That's (the conference) where we'd like to be one day." Jones said he would agree to play those games on the road.

Frazier said he has been approached by Navy, whose head coach, Paul Johnson, is a former UH offensive coordinator.

"I think it is good for us to be playing armed forces teams," Frazier said. "There is a strong following over here."

Said Jones: "We should be playing the armed forces every year, all three (academies). It helps us financially, and they like to come to support the troops here."

Last year, UH played Air Force.

• Switching channels: K5, which owns the local television rights to UH sports, will not use its crew for the road football game against Boise State because of a clause in the contract between the Western Athletic Conference and ESPN.

According to the contract, ESPN Regional Television, a subsidiary of ESPN, can seize the rights to any game between two WAC teams. That forces stations, such as K5, to buy back the rights to telecasts they already own. The WAC, of which UH is a member, is in the second year of a three-year contract with ESPN.

KIVI in Idaho will produce the UH-Boise State telecast. K5 general manager John Fink said it will cost less to buy the KIVI feed, which will use Boise announcers, than for his station to buy back the rights from ESPN Regional Television and produce the telecast.

"We're happy to bring in the game to Hawai'i, but it won't be a K5 broadcast," Fink said. "We know it will be a quality broadcast, it just won't be a K5 broadcast."

Fink said the arrangement is "the reality of the WAC contract."

K5 play-by-play announcer Jim Leahey said he opposes the contract that empowers ESPN Regional Television to profit from telecasts that won't air on any ESPN station.

"K5 is a pipsqueak station, and this is what happens when pipsqueaks go up against the big boys," Leahey said.

Last month, K5 agreed to pay $700,000 annually for the rights to televise UH sports for the next three years.

• Chang making progress: UH quarterback Tim Chang, who suffered a fractured right pinkie Thursday, said he was able to grip a football with his throwing hand yesterday.

Chang was fitted for a splint, but he did not wear while watching yesterday's three-hour practice. "I take it off and try to massage (the pinkie) because there's a lot of blood that's building up there," Chang said. "I'm trying to get out the blood."

Chang was told his injured finger would be examined, at the earliest, next Sunday. If he is permitted to begin throwing at that time, he should be ready to play in the Aug. 31 season opener against Eastern Illinois.

"We'll see how it goes," Chang said. "I want to be there, and whenever the doctor gives me that clearance, I'm there."

• Booster power: Vili Fehoko, who portrays the UH mascot, "The Warrior," will present daily reports for KHNL-8 in the week leading to the road game against Brigham Young Sept. 6. Fehoko's first report is from Phoenix. He also will do a UH cheer in the Grand Canyon.