Ching plays in volleyball benefit
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
The stitches, which tracked his head like seams on a baseball, now are covered. His body, battered from the near-fatal moped accident in May, drew wooh-wooh yells from his female fans when he changed jerseys last night.
But the sure sign that former University of Hawai'i volleyball player Tony Ching had returned to good health came during the fourth game of the exhibition match when, after a controversial call, he turned to the referee and began to argue.
"That's Tony," UH coach Mike Wilton mused.
"Hey," Ching said, smiling, "when I'm out there, I play to win."
It was somewhat of a medical miracle that the guest of honor even was able to participate in "The Tony Ching Fundraiser" in the Stan Sheriff Center.
Ching spent nearly a month in The Queen's Medical Center after suffering brain and leg injuries from the accident. After two weeks at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, Ching returned to Queen's when blood clots formed in his legs.
"He's so blessed," Lynn Ching said of her son's recovery.
"I had angels watching over me," Ching said.
He also had the help of UH officials, the school's Letter Winners Club and sportscaster Robert Kekaula. They organized last night's benefit UH intrasquad match/concert to help offset Ching's outstanding medical bills. About 4,000 tickets were sold.
"I didn't expect so many people to show up," Ching said. "Some of these faces I recognize from volleyball time. It was nice to see them. And there were some people I've never seen before, and that was real nice. I'm very grateful."
The evening began with Kekaula's daughter, 16-year-old Tiera, singing the national anthem. She was asked to sing 15 minutes before the event. After a stirring rendition, the 2003-'04 Warriors were introduced. Only one starter from the 2002 final four team — middle blocker Delano Thomas — played. Setter Kimo Tuyay was not available because of a sprained left ankle.
As expected, the biggest hits were delivered by Thomas, a 6-foot-7 All-American, and Pedro Azenha, a former member of the Brazilian Junior National team. Azenha hammered a match-high 17 kills.
The surprises came from Arri Jeschke, a seldom-used outside hitter last year, and middle blocker Maulia LaBarre, who went on a 14-month church mission after his freshman season in 2001.
Jeschke, who is listed at 6 feet 2 but appears to be a fingernail taller than 6 feet, repeatedly hit above double blocks.
LaBarre had a match-high five blocks in three games, an impressive figure considering block assists were not counted. The 6-8 LaBarre weighs 195 pounds, 20 more than his freshman weight.
When the match ended — Black defeated White, 22-30, 30-24, 30-27 — Wilton announced to the crowd that one more game would be added. Then Ching emerged from the tunnel to a standing ovation.
He received another ovation when he changed jerseys on the court, and a third one when he blasted a kill off a double block. But Ching struggled the rest of the way, not that anyone cared.
"It took a while for my body to stop shaking," Ching said. "But it was fun. It's good to be back."
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
