Leroy Lutu Jr.'s announced intention this week to play basketball at the University of Hawai'i was like the opening of a long-lost time capsule, recalling the school's dogged pursuit of his much-recruited father nearly 30 years ago.

Lutu Sr., when he came out of University High a football and basketball star in 1980, was the object of what remains one of the most intense recruiting efforts in UH history.

But, despite a campaign that included breakfast at Washington Place, a personal appeal from the governor, a full court press from Dick Tomey, an offer to play two sports at UH and the waving of a scholarship at one of his friends, Lutu Sr. went to the University of Washington, where he was a three-year letterman at tight end.

Now, three decades later, it poses the question: Do the Warriors have a better shot today of keeping the most heavily recruited football player in state history?

This time it is linebacker-running back Manti Te'o and the line of suitors forms at the airport, seemingly stretching to the Punahou School campus.

Like the pre-Lutu years when Mosi Tatupu (USC), Wayne Apuna (Arizona State) etc. went away, subsequent seasons have been tough for UH, which has largely been unable to keep the most sought after prospects at home. Patrick Kesi (Washington), Olin Kreutz (Washington), Jason Ching (Notre Dame), JT Mapu (Tennessee), to name but a few, all wound up elsewhere.

To be sure UH has done well here and seen the emergence, sometimes to the NFL, of many who weren't projected to be stars. But fencing in their own backyard to the point of being able to keep home highly sought marquee recruits has been a sore spot at UH as it has been for many schools not of the Bowl Championship Series upper crust. Here, for the longest time, some have simply been pointed to the Mainland from the beginning with little or nothing UH could do about it.

But now the Warriors definitely have more to sell. Coming off the biggest season in school history, the 12-1 Sugar Bowl journey, the Warriors would seem to have rendered hollow many of the arguments used against them in the past.

In Lutu's day, for example, UH was competing against a stacked deck in UW, Oregon State and Brigham Young. Most could point to a shot at a major bowl occasionally, usually some bowl and regular television visibility plus a boost for the NFL draft and postseason honors.

UH, back then, had never been to an NCAA bowl of any kind, had but two TV appearances in its Division I-A history and was often overlooked in the draft and for postseason awards.

But the Warriors have now been to five bowls in six years, including the rousing BCS breakthrough. They regularly appear on TV four or more times a season, annually have players taken in the draft and had a third-place finisher for the Heisman Trophy.

Since June Jones' arrival and, now, continuing with Greg McMackin, they have coaches with NFL backgrounds and contacts.

Of course, the Warriors find themselves competing in a vastly more crowded marketplace, too. No longer is UH's competition confined to the West Coast and Rockies. Such has been the reputation of local talent that teams with pedigrees and limitless budgets will come from across the country for the right players.

One thing that hasn't changed since the days of Leroy Lutu is what keeping one of these marquee players here would mean for the home team. Not only on the field where somebody like Te'o, a sideline-to-sideline player, could be a force, but, as Tomey took note in the pursuit of Lutu, in matters of perception.

Getting one of these blue chippers to spurn the BCS crowd could fire up local interest not unlike what Colt Brennan's return for a senior season provided. More important, it would help blaze a trail for others to follow.

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