Rainbows begin
fall drills minus
a few vets

The status of five players
is in limbo; Grant, Yearby-Saunders
and three others are not in camp

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

The status of several veteran University of Hawaii football players is in limbo as the Rainbows held their first fall camp practice this morning at Barbers Point.

Rainbows head coach Fred vonAppen announced yesterday that running backs Franklin Yearby-Saunders and Russell Grant, and safety Daniel Ho-Ching were not with the team. Newcomers Clyde Lewis and Robert Parker also haven't joined the program because of academic uncertainties.

Saunders, who was trying to come back from academic purgatory, did not make the bus on Saturday evening. VonAppen said he wasn't sure if Saunders' academic problems had held him back, or if it were a personal matter.

"It may mean that it was just too much for him and he was overwhelmed, I hope not," vonAppen said. "We don't know. We didn't talk with him. He didn't report, which doesn't look good."

Saunders originally was recruited by former head coach Bob Wagner in 1994. He redshirted in order to recover from knee surgery, then left the team in 1995 over a squabble with Wagner.

He tried to come back last spring and was penciled in as one of the top running backs emerging from spring practice. Academics were a problem, but Guy Benjamin and his advisers felt he had a good chance at making the grade.

Grant and Ho-Ching are not with the squad due to medical problems. Ho-Ching has missed nearly two years due to his battle with cancer and has not been given clearance to play from his specialist.

VonAppen didn't say Ho-Ching wouldn't play again, but if it were his son, he would advise Ho-Ching against it because of the severity of his illness, he said.

During the summer, it was determined that Grant's longstanding back injury was due to a stress fracture. He will rehab it to see if he can play through the pain and possibly compete this season.

Last year, Grant carried the football 68 times for 307 yards and three touchdowns. His departure, coupled with Saunders' situation, means freshmen running backs Avion Weaver and Charles Tharp will see plenty of repetitions in fall camp.

VonAppen also announced that Lewis, a proposition 42 athlete out of Sonoma State, had yet to be cleared academically. That program recently dropped football, meaning Lewis can play right away if he is eligible.

"He had to right his ship in order to get in here," vonAppen said. "He's still negotiating the transfer, so that one is still in doubt."

Parker also is in limbo, but should be able to join the team next Sunday. The defensive end out of Los Angeles is a graduate of Hamilton High School. He's waiting to see if the NCAA clearing house will give him his OK to play.

Stanford transfer Jauron Pigg was due to land in Honolulu yesterday. He could play right away if the NCAA gives its approval. VonAppen's assistants have said they believe he will get the nod, but the head coach said he isn't nearly as sure.

VonAppen also said that he and his staff had encouraged former St. Louis School standout George Ornellas to attend junior college in order to regain his academic eligibility. The second-year head coach said Ornellas seemed agreeable to the idea.

The Rainbows will conduct three days of practices in shells before donning the pads for real on Thursday morning. Hawaii will have 15 days of practice at Barbers Point before returning to Cooke Field on Aug. 26.