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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, June 4, 2003

Dobelle says Hawai'i an easy sell to any conference

 •  MWC open to expansion

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

Now that the Mountain West Conference has lifted its four-year-old moratorium on expansion, University of Hawai'i President Evan Dobelle said, "I think people are going to want to look at us."

Dobelle, who last month said the MWC membership made more sense for UH than the Western Athletic Conference in terms of established rivalries, yesterday touted the school's attractiveness as a member for any conference.

"I think we bring a lot to (any conference)," Dobelle said. "We just have to be prepared. People know what Hawai'i brings. We bring fans, we bring tradition, we bring a great history of athletics, we bring high graduation (rates), we have good academic standards, we have resources that can be raised. We have good fan support, especially for high-end teams or teams that are rivals. We have sophisticated fans who understand and appreciate the sport in every way."

To get its message across, Dobelle said, "I think we have to promote ourselves, if necessary."

He added, "I don't look at things in a negative way. I'm not a Pollyanna, but the reality is that we're a big deal and we ought to position ourselves as a big deal and therefore (not) allow ourselves to be taken for granted, so folks know we're interested in having conversations.

"That often puts a degree of tensity into the WAC. You know, where (is) your television contract? What teams are you gonna have? We're not trying to walk away from anybody. I'm just trying to get the best deal for our athletes and our (school)."

Where UH ends up — WAC, MWC or elsewhere — when conference realignment comes, "it has to be the right deal," Dobelle said. "For all I know, the WAC expands. The point is, there is going to be realignment and, it seems to me, anyway, we were caught unawares last time ... the people of Hawai'i deserve better. That's not a knock on the WAC other than the fact that it is not the WAC that we joined. This is the WAC that we were left with. That's a significant difference."

Manoa chancellor Peter Englert, who represented UH at WAC meetings that concluded at Half Moon Bay, Calif., yesterday, said: "We need to keep an open mind on those (conference alignment decisions). What I'll take home will be the data from the WAC (that) will show we're not faring that poorly in the WAC."

In other news, the WAC retained the six-credit rule that requires members to certify the eligibility of their players for postseason events, including bowls. UH received a public censure and a $5,000 fine for failing to certify its players for the ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl.

Englert said in the event UH could not post its grades in time, he would be allowed to certify players based upon a good-faith examination of available data.