Warriors will change housing arrangement

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i football team's week-long fraternity party is facing the last dance.

Jones

"We'll probably leave the University Hilton open to anybody who wants to stay on a mattress," Jones said. "I think the (assistant) coaches will miss it. They went downstairs (to the locker room) to shower, and they were ready to go. They didn't have to fight traffic."

"There's not much traffic," offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said. "Not too much sleep, either. Now I know what the barracks are like."

The seniors and freshmen shared a dance studio; the sophomores and juniors were in the other. The players slept on rollaway beds.

"It's so loud in there, it's hard to get rest," kicker Nolan Miranda said.

"The coaches came around to make sure it wasn't too messy," linebacker Tanuvasa Moe said. "Hey, we're football players. It's not going to be too clean. ... It's been fun, but I'm ready to go home. There's no place like home."

LaCount practices with first team

Kahai LaCount, a converted offensive lineman, was the first-team defensive left tackle yesterday, replacing Lui Fuga, who is recovering from a sprained right knee.

"It's sad that's the way I got it, but I've got to step up and do my job," said LaCount, a third-year sophomore who had three plays of experience on defense — all at Kailua High — before moving from the offensive line this past April.

LaCount has lost weight (from 308 in April to 295) and maintained his strength (bench presses 225 pounds 23 times).

"I didn't want Lui to hurt his knee — and fortunately he didn't hurt it really bad — but this gives you an opportunity to look at some young guys, like Kahai," Jones said. "The more reps he gets, the better chance he has to learn. Right now, I wouldn't hesitate to put him in a game."

Despite the inexperience at defensive tackle — two completed their eligibility in December and another transferred — Jones said he will stick with the four-man defensive front.

"Football is cyclical," he said. "Twenty years ago, people went to the 3-4. Then it phased out. Now it's back. Nothing's new. It keeps going in those cycles. We put in the four-man front when we got here (in the spring of 1999). It's been good for us."

Jones noted that going from a 4-3 to a 3-4 requires substituting a linebacker for a defensive end, and both schemes still require two defensive tackles. "We have depth (at defensive tackle) in the fact that we have people," he said. "They just haven't played a lot of (Division I) football."

Senior Lutu-Carroll sprains right knee

Paul Lutu-Carroll, a fifth-year senior projected to start at weakside linebacker, suffered an apparent sprained right knee yesterday.

"It doesn't hurt, it just feels weird," he said. "I think (the athletic trainers are) going to check it out and see how loose it is, see if anything's wrong with it. I feel like I can go. Just tape it up."

Placekicker Justin Ayat did not practice because of a groin injury.

Freshman wideout Andrew Pearman also did not compete because of a pulled right hamstring. "I hurt it on a fade route" during Thursday's practice, Pearman said. "Right when I was trying to accelerate and get to my last stage of the sprint, I couldn't do it. It's not a high pull, so it's not a bad one."

Rivers hopes to catch good karma in 2004

Jason Rivers, a sophomore projected to start at left wideout, was allowed to compete in all drills yesterday. He recently received confirmation of his academic eligibility for this season.

"It's nice to be back," he said. "I think I could be in a little bit better shape, but I'll get there for the first game."

Rivers also is wearing No. 84, his jersey number at Saint Louis School. "It's better karma for me," he said. "I feel better. It's the whole oneness." Rivers wore No. 85 last season.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.