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SEATTLE >>
In their suburban Seattle home Thursday night, University of Washington assistant coach Ikaika Malloe and his wife, Tara, hosted a full-on spread of Hawaii food favorites for the seven Husky football players from the 50th State and their Polynesian teammates.
That’s a whole lot more pipikaula and chicken katsu than they would have needed even a couple of years ago.
For the first four years of head coach Chris Petersen’s tenure along Lake Washington the Huskies signed zero high school recruits from Hawaii.
The seven from Hawaii represent the largest roster presence of local players at a Football Bowl Subdivision team after the University of Hawaii.
How many of them will see action Saturday when the Rainbow Warriors come to Husky Stadium remains to be seen because most are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
But the Huskies jumping back into the already-crowded Hawaii recruiting pool with both feet after an absence presents even more competition in UH’s backyard.
And it comes as a double-edged issue for head coach Nick Rolovich and the Warriors, who have welcomed Petersen to their on-campus, offseason camps that are attended by potential recruiting prospects.
On a couple of levels, including self-improvement and networking, the association has been beneficial, Rolovich maintains.
“I mean, I know it is probably outside our quote (coaches) guide unquote to have guys at our camps who are on our schedule,” Rolovich acknowledges. “But, Chris Petersen has been, whether he knows it or not, an inspiration to a lot of coaches, including me. Just being around him, I think, is a benefit to me and lots of others.”
Rolovich said, “I know he has high morals and runs a good program. I think having them (the Huskies) at our camps helps build good relationships. And, they help us. We used to go to their quarterback camps. The conversations and seeing how they (run) things has been beneficial to us.”
And, then, there is the flip side: recruiting. Both for rare days like Saturday when the two schools meet on the field and in the overall talent picture.
UW has sporadically recruited Hawaii for decades, of course.
Quarterback Duane Akina was a back-up to Warren Moon in the 1970s and Leroy Lutu was a tight end in the 1980s. More recently, Olin Kreutz, Bern Brostek, Patrick Kesi, Hau‘oli Kikaha and Psalm Wooching have been among those who have made names for themselves with the Huskies.
Petersen began recruiting Hawaii while at Boise State (2006-13) getting Kamalei Correa and Jeremy Ioane among others. But he was slow to re tap into-Hawaii upon arriving at Washington in 2013-14.
Petersen began reopening the Hawaii pipeline, relying on Keith Bhonapha, a former UH player and graduate assistant as recruiting coordinator and Malloe, a Kamehameha Schools graduate from Waimanalo who was a linebacker for the Huskies (1993-96), as a point man.
Rolovich said he’s come to understand that players who want to play in the Pac-12 may want to play for Petersen. Now, Rolovich said, when the Huskies, like USC, “Come over (to Hawaii) and want to get somebody (in recruiting), they usually do.”
Proof of that will be on the UW sideline.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
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