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

Can’t blame them for leaving

By Dave Reardon on February 4, 2015

Another University of Hawaii football assistant coach, Chris Demarest, is leaving. A source at UH told me it’s official as of today and our football writer Stephen Tsai confirmed it. Now, Demarest wasn’t the most low-maintenance employee. But he was a very good special teams coordinator. It has been consistently the best phase of the three for the Rainbow Warriors over the past three years under head coach Norm Chow. That might not seem like much for a team that […]

Super Bowl: Two days later it’s still a horrible play call

By Dave Reardon on February 3, 2015

What a great Super Bowl. Too bad the play everyone is still talking about two days later isn’t even a play, it’s a play-call. I don’t have a problem with the decision to pass the ball from the 1-yard line in that situation … just not into the middle of the defense on a compressed field. My beef isn’t with not giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch. Contrary to popular belief, one-yard at the goal line is not a gimme […]

All-time Wahine hoops team. Agree, disagree?

By Dave Reardon on January 29, 2015

If you take any program’s top five career-leading scorers, chances are they would make a pretty good starting five. But the University of Hawaii women are over-the-top in that respect because the top five scorers just so happen to have all the positions covered perfectly, from point guard to center. So, it’s easy to pick an all-time starting five. Lynette Liu was UH’s career-leading scorer when she completed her career in 1985. She’s fifth now, but I think she’s still […]

Who’s next to enter the Poly Football Hall?

By Dave Reardon on January 25, 2015

This is a fun game to play each year now: Who will be in next year’s class of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame? There are plenty of great candidates. Some of the prime ones remaining, off the top of my head: Junior Ah You, Charlie Ane, Bob Apisa, Herman Clark, Riki Ellison, Joe Francis, Aaron Francisco, Rockne Freitas, Chris Kemoeatu, Ma’ake Kemoeatu, Al Lolotai, Karl Lorch, Vince Manuwai, Itula Mili, Chris Naeole, Jim Nicholson, Al Noga, Niko Noga, Vai […]

Polynesian Football Hall of Fame events on live stream

By Dave Reardon on January 23, 2015

First of all, as of noon Friday a few tickets are still available for the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame banquet tonight at the Sheraton Waikiki. Go to the PFHOF web site to purchase and for other information. Saturday’s induction ceremony at the PFHOF at the Polynesian Cultural Center is sold out, though. Also, Phil Hetu of the PFHOF says this weekend’s events will be live-streamed. Here’s where to find them: CELEBRATION DINNER: http://hine.ws/pfhof on Friday, January 23, 7:00pm (HST) […]

Hawaii-Colorado football opener moved to Thursday, Sept. 3

By Dave Reardon on January 22, 2015

When the University of Hawaii football team opened its season on Thursdays in the recent past, it was against USC. And it was to accommodate national TV — ESPN. So it made some sense. The gate took a bit of a hit, but at least there was good national exposure. Now, though, UH is moving its opener against Colorado from Saturday, Sept. 5 to Thursday, Sept. 3. And no national TV is involved at this point, nor is there an […]

RIP, Ray Nagel

By Dave Reardon on January 21, 2015

I was a high school kid when Ray Nagel became athletic director at UH, and I was a young part-timer at the Star-Bulletin when I first met him. Nagel died last Thursday in San Antonio of natural causes at age 87. I remember him as very friendly and articulate. A lot of great things happened at UH while he was the AD. It was definitely a program on the rise, in several different sports. In many ways it was a […]

Short-staffed

By Dave Reardon on January 18, 2015

Lots of people talk about how things “hurt recruiting.” Well, it can’t help recruiting defensive players when you lose your defensive coordinator and your secondary coach (who was also associate head coach) in the space of about a week. Hawaii football is down to Kurt Gouveia (linebackers) and Lewis Powell (linemen) right now as full-time defensive coaches. UH’s defense was much improved in 2014 under DC Kevin Clune, despite injuries exposing a lack of depth and the general failure of […]

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