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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, January 6, 2005

UH hoping risks bring rewards

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

Usually this time of the year the University of Hawai'i football team, like a lot of others, takes calculated gambles on some of the recruits it offers scholarships.

Mostly, it is betting the prospects it signs will get bigger, faster or stronger, making good on coaches' projections.

In the case of slotback Davone Bess, who said he has accepted a UH scholarship, there is a whole other set of other, larger, risks involved. Ones that have nothing to do with a 40-yard dash time.

For Bess, UH is offering a cherished second chance. A year and a half ago, he was convicted as an accessory for possessing stolen goods, for which it was reported he served 15 months in a California juvenile facility.

The gamble here, one that you hope hasn't been entered into lightly, is that Bess will turn out to be the person his high school coaches purport him to be. That his run-in with the law was, indeed, a one-time-only confluence of being with the wrong people at the wrong place from which he has learned a tough lesson.

So far, the record of head coach June Jones in such second-chance cases — which is better than in that of fourth-down fake punts —suggests the Warriors have done their homework. You hope so. The last thing UH needs is the kind of episodes that draw comparisons to Fresno State basketball, which earned a reputation as "Felony State University."

When UH awards an athletic scholarship, it is providing more than a uniform and the considerable value of an all-expenses paid education. It is also putting its stamp of approval on the recipient. It is turning the recipient into a symbol and representative with all the privileges and responsibilities.

As a result, when a player gets in trouble, there is more attention paid than if it was a tropical horticulture major. And there needs to be more questions asked. That's why it behooves UH to be demanding of those it awards scholarships and darn sure of those to whom it would offer second-chance opportunities.

Pisa Tinoisamoa, who arrived with a juvenile record in 1999 and left for the NFL as a role model three years later, is an example of what a second chance placed in the right hands can do. UH coaches did their homework on Tinoisamoa and he made it pay off for all concerned.

So, too, has been former running back West Keli'ikipi, who was suspended but eventually reinstated after being indicted on theft. He pleaded no contest to a second-degree charge yesterday and has sought a deferred acceptance of the plea.

Some other UH athletes — former basketball player Ray Reed immediately comes to mind — are the disappointing flip side to these equations. They were poor risks going in who eventually backfired.

Now, UH has tied itself to Bess and both parties have a lot riding on something more than just another signing day projection.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.