Elimimian, Bass won't make trip
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
BOISE, Idaho — Injured University of Hawai'i football players Mike Bass and Abraham Elimimian will not play in tomorrow's game against Boise State at Bronco Stadium.
Bass, a sophomore who leads the Warriors in rushing, suffered a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last week, and Elimimian, a starting cornerback, still is recovering from a pulled right hamstring sustained two weeks ago.
Both players were not included in the 60-player travel roster. The Warriors were scheduled to arrive here late last night by charter flight.
Senior Thero Mitchell will start at running back for the Warriors, and John West and Michael Brewster will be the backups. Freshman Kenny Patton, who scored on a 74-yard return of a blocked field goal last week, will start his second consecutive game at left cornerback.
The injuries enabled quarterback Jeff Rhode to make the travel squad. This is the first time in four years UH coach June Jones brought four quarterbacks on a road trip.
But this situation is unique. Rhode's brother is B.J. Rhode, Boise State's starting quarterback. Most of their relatives will be making the eight-hour drive from Eugene, Ore.
"It'll be fun to play against him," B.J. Rhode said before the Broncos' practice yesterday.
This summer, the Rhode brothers staged daily Whiffleball games in the family backyard. Jeff Rhode said he dominated.
"Don't let him fool you," the right-handed B.J. Rhode said. "He hits left-handed, and the field is set up for him. It's a home-field advantage for a lefty."
Then B.J. Rhode added: "Ask him who wins at golf. I bet he still owes me money."
Stay tuned: Although the game will be televised in Boise, against the wishes of BSU officials, a homecoming crowd of 26,000 is expected.
The game will be shown on ESPN Regional Television (ERT) and through the ESPN Plus package.
Boise State drew about 30,000 for a game against Utah State.
A luau is planned for tomorrow afternoon at Bronco Stadium.
Contract talks: Boise State coach Dan Hawkins, who has a year remaining on his original three-year contract, turned down an offer to extend his contract for another four years.
"It's a variety of things," he said of his decision to postpone talks until the end of the season. "I'm not dissatisfied, and all of that."
He also said he does not expect his decision to hurt recruiting.
"In Division I football, I don't care if a guy has a 10-year contract or a one-year contract, the bottom line is you need to win," he said. "If you win, there's always a danger of somebody going someplace else. If you lose, there's always the danger of getting fired. So, I think people will try to make that a big issue, but when you look around the landscape of Division I, a contract doesn't mean a guy has to stay one way or another."
Looking for replacements: UH expects to begin advertising soon to fill the first of several senior staff posts in athletic director Herman Frazier's administration.
Frazier said the position of associate AD for finance could be posted this month.
The job was formerly held by Jim Donovan who left last month after seven years in administration at the school to become executive director of the inaugural ConAgra Hawai'i Bowl.
Frazier said the job will probably pay in the $85,000-$100,000 range although it won't necessarily be the No. 2 position on the staff.
Frazier said he expects to upgrade assistant AD Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano to an associate AD and hire at least one more associate AD as soon as UH officials approve his staff reorganization plan.
Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano is the only senior women's administrator in the 10-school WAC who is not an associate AD. Frazier said the pay for the upgraded position has yet to be established.
Staff columnist Ferd Lewis contributed to this report.
