You asked about University of Hawaii football, we tried to find some of the answers.
Blu808: Who is the new recruit?
Answer: Eneasi “Ernie” Kavapalu, an offensive lineman from Melbourne, Australia, has pledged to join the Rainbow Warriors. Kavapalu is 6 feet 7 and 310 pounds. He is skilled in rugby, Australian rules football and basketball. Kavapalu, who trains at Conquest Fitness, will graduate in December and enroll at UH in January 2017.
RB: Is Coach (Nick) Rolovich going to continue the Warrior Walk at home games?
A: No.
Cheepono: What is the status of Max Hendrie and Kennedy Tulimasealii’s appeal? What was the problem with Dany Mulanga’s paperwork that prevented him from going to Australia?
A: Hendrie, a defensive end who was raised in Sydney, is not eligible to play this season because the NCAA did not fully credit some of the courses he took in high school. But he is allowed to attend classes at UH and receive financial aid. “He’s probably good enough to contribute this year,” Rolovich said, “but this isn’t the worst thing in the world for him to feel more comfortable within the defense and have four years to play after that.”
Tulimasealii, who received a deferral on his no-contest plea to six criminal charges, still is awaiting a decision on his appeal to be reinstated to the football team. He has said he is paying for his tuition for the fall semester.
Mulanga, who was born in the Republic of the Congo and raised in Texas, misplaced his passport a few years ago. Because this is an election year in Congo, passports are not easily issued. A few days before the Warriors were to depart for Australia, Mulanga received a package seeking more documentation. “We did everything we could,” Rolovich said. “Dany did everything he could. It ended up costing money to go through different stages. It wasn’t something we didn’t know about. It was something that took time and couldn’t make any progress on. I feel bad for him. He deserved to be there, and he would have given us more depth at linebacker.”
Oneseason:Who at UH is responsible for mascot selection (or deciding not to have a mascot)? What is their plan?
A: There are no plans to use a mascot this season. “I’d love to have a mascot,” Rolovich said. “There are only so many hours in a day. I can’t be a mascot, too.”
Islandman: Who is in the booth besides offensive coordinator Brian Smith and receivers coach Kefense Hynson?
A: Secondary coach Abraham Elimimian, linebackers coach Sean Duggan, intern Mikah Franz and two graduate assistants also are in the booth.
Ipoman: So what unis will Hawaii wear (against Michigan)?
A: “Hawaii uniforms,” Rolovich said. “We’re not Oregon. We don’t have a lot of options.”
Luki: With the game out of reach, why no quarterback Aaron Zwahlen?
A: “We’re always prepared to play more,” Rolovich said. “We had a discussion at a point where it was kind of out of hand. Ikaika (Woolsey) could use all the game reps he can within this offense. I don’t think Ikaika lost us that game. He did enough to keep us in that game. … I thought he executed. What goes unnoticed is some of the run-game checks he made.”