Another interesting June up on Kalaepohaku
June 20th, 2008 by WesEver get that feeling of deja vu? Of history repeating itself?
The names and details have changed, but what is unfolding at Saint Louis School right now seems hauntingly familiar to the bizarre turn of events exactly five years ago upon Kalaepohaku’s rugged slope.
Anyone remember? Here’s a refresher for those who don’t:
1. The football coaching job was open, since Delbert Tengan had stepped down in April.
2. A list of 12 coaching candidates was pared down, and former Crusaders quarterback John Hao was approached about the job but turned it down. Next, an offer was made to former Waiakea coach Tim Lino, a school principal in Kona.
3. Cal Lee accepted an assistant coach job at the University of Hawai‘i around June 20, stepping down as Saint Louis athletic director effective June 30.
4. Todd Los Banos, who had stepped down as wrestling coach in March, was named athletic director effective July 1.
5. Lino, after several rounds of negotiations with school president Father Allen DeLong, turned down the football coach offer after DeLong was unable to offer an adequate full-time faculty position.
6. Hours later, 25-year-old Darnell Arceneaux — whose name never really surfaced as a candidate since he was not one of the 12 original applicants — was hired as head football coach.
I don’t know exactly how this athletic director hiring will shake out or what the aftermath will be, but as usual it’s pretty darn interesting right now. As leading candidate Ulima Afoa stated in today’s article, “What makes Saint Louis unique is it’s such a high-profile school.”
He’s right.
I don’t know if there is another school out there in Hawai‘i where there is so much buzz any time a football coach or athletic director job is open, except for maybe Kahuku. That’s saying something, considering Saint Louis has the nation’s mythical No. 1 athletic program barely a mile away.
Rumors have swirled for the past two weeks, and probably will continue to until the hiring is officially announced, whomever it turns out to be.
The thing I would recommend right now from the public is just to wait and let the events unfold, before trying to figure out what is going to happen next.
The players involved have changed — instead of Lee, DeLong, Hao, Lino, Los Banos and Arceneaux, now we have principal Russell Valente, Afoa, Tengan. But it’s still anyone’s guess to see what will happen next.
Because if history has taught us anything, it’s that Saint Louis can be full of surprises.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Funny you mention the school “barely a mile away”. Could the ripples from Kalaepohaku “swamp” some plans at the university “less” than a mile away?
Like you said, Wes, lots of surprises.
Afoa said, “What happens with the football program has to be the decision of whoever gets the (athletic director) job. But I think you still want to keep some continuity in football.” Hmmm…lots of latitude in that statement.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:07 am
There goes Wes trying to stir things up again. I guess because his last few topics have been dead sort of speak, he always makes St. Louis the “sacrificial lamb” to drum things up. Although he “makes” the topic seem harmless, he knows people will throw unsustantiated rumors around just to make things interesting.
Get a life Wesley!
June 20th, 2008 at 11:10 am
For me, I really don’t care how all this stuff shakes out. The way the parents/alums have treated Coach Tengan is a joke. Coach Lee even rolls his eyes in disgust at the way things have gone down since his departure.
Good for Leilehua…shows what happens when a program has positive support.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Kanalui,
I guess I can’t win then.
If I write about “harmless” topics, you will call them “dead.” If I write about something I think is very intriguing, you will say I’m “trying to stir things up.”
Can’t win.
Oh, and back at the beginning of the baseball season, when I predicted great things for the Crusaders, was I “always” making Saint Louis the sacrificial lamb again?
June 20th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Eagle,
surely you jest right? unless you know what you’re talking about, or have first hand knowledge, you would be amazed at the activities or lack of activities that are there at st. louis.
let the dust settle before you jump off the edge of misinformation and venture into the fracas; a quiet hint, it’ll be over on monday morning, patience grasshopper, patience.
June 20th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
st louis will see better days ahead!
June 21st, 2008 at 5:05 pm
This is not a personal dig against Afoa, but one has to wonder if he is the right choice. His actions this week demonstrate otherwise. For example, leaders should be decisive. While many will say he is taking his time, analyzing everything before making an important decision, to me it seems like he is just indecisive.
Leaders should have vision. Everyone should know what he or she wants and where he or she is going in life. There is no reason why a man with vision, purpose and conviction would takes days deciding what to do.
Perhaps Afoa is simply playing Kamehameha against St Louis in the news media to manipulate more money for himself. Everyone knows Kamehameha can afford to pay a lot more.
Did he apply to the job, or did they just offer it? This demonstrates selfishness and a lack of integrity. Cleary, he is not the right man for the job
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:54 am
Saint Louis administration needs to make a decision now. The team is falling behind and it is affecting the players. Whoever they choose, do it now. The same coaches will be in place for this year at least…Well, I hope!
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 am
Crusader forever,
Nothing in my post was in jest or contained misinformation. Parents, many of whom know next to nothing about football let alone how to run a program, telling a successful coach how it should be done. Alumni, many of whom are still stuck in the 90s, expecting the same type of success when it will never happen again. And Coach Lee, who is now happily employed at UH and has been for a long time, rolling his eyes at these two groups. You are obviously a Crusader fan, which is great…but none of this is misinformation.
You said that everything will be over this morning, so I’m anxiously waiting to see what that means.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Well, it looks like it’s a done deal.
The only question is how much will get done in the next “two or three weeks”; it’s a pretty crucial time now esp. for football.
Eagle,
Not real sure about which way the “eye rolling” is really going up there.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:23 am
The first order of business for St. Louis AD Wilson Afoa should probably be to ask Delbert Tengan to step down from both the head football and head basketball coaching positions. While it is unlikely that anyone will ever fill the shoes of Coach Cal Lee at St. Louis, Tengan, with teams of superior talent, has lost two state championships in a row on pure coaching blunders. As for basketball, his record, or lack thereof, speaks for itself. According to reports, he also applied for the AD position and was not offered the position by the St. Louis administration. Best wishes, Wilson, and it’s time to build an athletic program with your own coaches and your own team.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Pardon me…it’s Ulima.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Fire Reggie,
it appears we are all not as blessed as you are to have such a laser vision. you must be either a succesful coach or a true leader amongst us.
your generalization of kamehameha having the ability to pay more indicates a very shallow understanding of what is taking place at st louis, and also what type of person Afoa is.
surely someone of your talent and vision should have been considered for the position. were you able to apply so that you could make a difference? not only do we continue to have SL haters, but also UA haters now…oh well, such is life.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Amen to that.
Can anyone say, “4th and one?”
How about just a coach who can count to 11?
June 24th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
“it appears we are all not as blessed as you are to have such a laser vision. you must be either a succesful coach or a true leader amongst us.”
Yes. You are correct in that assessment.
“your generalization of kamehameha having the ability to pay more indicates a very shallow understanding of what is taking place at st louis, and also what type of person Afoa is.”
I can state with confidence that I am probably the only person on this page who has actually audited and reviewed Kamehameha’s investments and books. Non disclosure aside, I can state unequivocally that they can absolutely afford to pay Afoa a lot more. Shall we move on to paragraphs three???
“surely someone of your talent and vision should have been considered for the position. were you able to apply so that you could make a difference?”
Yes. I should have, and perhaps would have been considered had I wanted to apply. However, I choose to make a difference in my own life making more money doing something else. The sad reality is, the only issues at St Louis are that they blew it in football consecutively the past two years.
“oh well, such is life.” Yes. That is true and allow me to let you in on another shocking secret: The world really doesn’t revolve around another 4th quarter choke.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
lotta love in here
IMO
Tengan>> ILH champs in football and state runner up
pretty good is you ask me. you seem to think stl is suppose to win states every year. he took stl to the state tourney a couple years. is that not good enough? you cant please everyone, especially the fans that are coaching from the stands. let the kids play and the COACH, coach.
Afoa hmmmmm………….
should have made some decisions a little quicker, but now lets deal with it. oh, and yes a goal or vision would be nice.
congrats to jon hao for the head football coach position.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:14 am
like i”ve said in another blog…. BRING OUT THE “HATER-ADE” BECAUSE WES HAS BEEN DRINKING ALOT OF IT…..
I guess everyone seems to forget some sort of HISTORY of the St. Louis Crusaders… No school can say the own the number of overall and consecutive ILH titles and prep bowls..And dont forget who drew the number 1 ranked high school team to hawaii.. I think that can speak for what Kalaepohaku is really about when it comes to football… The minute St. Louis loses, WOW seems like its …
Coach or NO coach… ST. LOUIS IS GOING TO WIN THE ILH AND ADVANCE TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT AS ALWAYS…
July 17th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Hate? Where?
I call it like I see it, good or bad. There’s no hate, whether you think so or not.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
call it like you see it?? looks like you’re only looking in the crusader direction… whats up w/ that?
July 18th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
That’s because YOU are only looking in the Crusader direction. You ask about Kahuku, but if you were paying any attention at all last fall, there was a lot more discussion about what was going on there than up at Kalaepohaku.
I have a lot of schools to follow and keep up with. It just so happened that Saint Louis was the one in the spotlight recently.