Hawaii Warrior World

Star-Advertiser special projects reporter Dave Reardon discusses any and all athletics issues, with a special focus on Hawaii’s athletes and teams.

About the blog host

Dave Reardon is a sports projects reporter for the Star-Advertiser. The Honolulu native and alumnus of Pearl City High, Northwestern University and the University of Hawaii started as a copyboy and prep football stringer at the Star-Bulletin in 1981 and has covered the island sports scene uninterrupted since, except for college and two years at the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun. Dave has also launched a side career in teaching. Follow him on Twitter @dave_reardon

Latest news

Hawaii women’s basketball: Rainbow Wahine, like UH men 2 weeks ago, overcome late double-digit deficit against CSUN

By Dave Reardon on February 14, 2020

Ole! Now both University of Hawaii basketball teams have dodged what appeared to be certain defeat at the hands of the Matadors from Cal State Northridge. On Feb. 1, the men trailed CSUN by 17 in the second half, and came out on top 80-75. >> PHOTO GALLERY: HAWAII VS. CSUN Thursday, also at the Stan Sheriff Center, it was the women’s turn. They never led until the final minute, and then held on to beat the Matadors 70-66. The […]

Hawaii baseball: Mike Trapasso gladly accepts close wins and generous donations

By Dave Reardon on February 10, 2020

There will always be detractors willing to take the shine off of any victory. When the University of Hawaii baseball team (Manoa) beat UH Hilo in both games of the season-starting series over the weekend at Les Murakami Stadium, some focused on the closeness of the 5-4 and 6-4 scores. They would prefer blowouts instead of narrow margins against the Rainbows’ Division II cousins from Hawaii island. “I don’t care how anyone looks at it. We won two games, and […]

Hawaii women’s basketball: Fast tempo plus taking care of the ball equals high shooting percentage

By Dave Reardon on January 31, 2020

In a statistical onslaught such as the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team’s 94-70 crushing on UC Irvine on Thursday, the shiny objects are the shooting numbers — especially from 3-point range. The Wahine made 14-of-28 from beyond the arc, and it seemed like more. It is the fifth time this year UH has made 10 or more 3-pointers. And in those games, Hawaii is 4-1. Julissa Tago, who made five of 13, is moving up the all-time long-range shooting […]

Hawaii football: Todd Graham’s team put up a lot of points at Aloha Stadium, but that was a while ago

By Dave Reardon on January 21, 2020

Here’s the thing I most remember about Todd Graham, a “defense” coach: I remember his Tulsa team winning 62-35 against Hawaii at Aloha Stadium, in the 2010 Hawaii Bowl. The Golden Hurricane also beat Notre Dame that year AT SOUTH BEND, 28-27. It was one of seven consecutive wins to close out the season, as Tulsa went 10-3. The Rainbow Warriors won 10 games, too, and had been ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press poll before bowl season started. […]

Hawaii basketball: UH women and men both hang close, then efficiently finish off their foes

By Dave Reardon on January 19, 2020

Fear is a word that is never supposed to be uttered by a coach or athlete, an emotion never to be admitted to. You don’t “fear” your opponent, you “respect” him or her. Still, for our purposes here, both University of Hawaii basketball teams were “Fear Factor” contestants on Saturday. And both conquered those fears that they must describe in different words. The women beat Cal State Fullerton 79-72, and the men topped UC Santa Barbara 70-63. They both came […]

Hawaii football: Will a UH offensive guru, Brian Smith or Craig Stutzmann, succeed Nick Rolovich as head coach?

By Dave Reardon on January 14, 2020

The game of pick the new coach started even before the old one had left. Speculation began regarding Nick Rolovich’s replacement even before the Mountain West Coach of the Year’s departure from the University of Hawaii to Washington State was confirmed Monday. If you’re looking for a hint by who is now the interim coach, you are out of luck; there was none as of last night. Most of the assistants were still at a national convention where this was […]

Who were the most notable Hawaii sports figures of the decade?

By Dave Reardon on December 31, 2019

Ten years ago, I wrote that Michelle Wie was the most notable sports figure with Hawaii ties of the just-completed decade. The list for the years 2010-2019 is quite a bit different — and Wie, who was a PGA pro in her prime years, only makes this one as an honorable mention. 10. Gerald Oda spent the entire decade — and many years prior — teaching youngsters the right way to play baseball and handle themselves on and off the […]

Hawaii football: Cole McDonald’s Hawaii Bowl MVP showing adds to resume, but is just one factor in weighing pro future

By Dave Reardon on December 25, 2019

It was a question that had to be asked. After an MVP performance in the Hawaii Bowl that included a game-winning drive in the final two minutes, had UH quarterback Cole McDonald changed his mind about making himself available for the NFL Draft? On Oct. 29, McDonald had this to say: “I intend to stay in school and come back next year.” Back then, he was in the middle of a second-consecutive monster season, stats-wise, including third in FBS passing […]

Quick Reads