Stephen Tsai: Like it or not, here are few suggestions to consider

We were stunned when quarterback Timmy Chang of Saint Louis School turned down scholarship offers to sign with the University of Hawaii football team on Feb. 2, 2000.

We got chicken skin after Chang set the NCAA record for passing yards then ran over to present the milestone ball — and a hug — to his father.

And we felt a tad grayer when Hawaii’s Son returned to his alma mater as head coach in January.

Chang does not need our help. But if we only gave input when asked, we would never be able to give advice. Here are three unsolicited suggestions:

>> Do the right thing without regret.

In 2000, June Jones, who was UH’s head coach at the time, had to set a three-level depth chart from among nine quarterbacks. After reviewing video of practices and interpreting gut feelings, Jones went with this order: 1) junior college transfer Nick Rolovich; 2) Chang, a true freshman; and 3) Mike Harrison, the QB-in-waiting who was the primary understudy to Dan Robinson in 1999. Feelings were bruised as Harrison redshirted and then departed, Chad Kapanui and Matt Manuma were reassigned to other positions, JC transfer Jared Flint wondered how he slipped from being the top prospect, and Shawn Withy-Allen trusted his faith he made the right choice in turning down a chance to start for Harvard two years earlier.

As Chang opens his first training camp as head coach today, he is on the clock in choosing a starting quarterback. From seven in the spring, the finalists are pared to Brayden Schager, Cammon Cooper, Joey Yellen and Jake Farrell. It would be difficult for Chang and offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker to choose against any of the four. Schager opted to stay when last year’s starting quarterback did not. Cooper relinquished a scholarship from Washington State; Yellen left Pittsburgh. And Farrell has paid his dues — and his own tuition and school expenses— as the scout quarterback the past two years. Farrell has since been put on scholarship.

Chang has to do what Jones did 22 years ago: pick the best to start, regardless of sympathetic feelings, and live with the decision. There are not enough reps in practice to give more than two quarterbacks meaningful work ahead of the Aug. 27 opener against Vanderbilt. The team-first guys will understand. If you pout, you’re out.

Kapanui, who now coaches at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, was widely viewed as having the strongest arm among the 2000 candidates. He never harbored resentment and remains close friends with his former teammates. Last week, Kapanui and Chang had lunch together in Vegas. And Withy-Allen is now essentially the Warriors’ chaplain.

>> Everybody counts.

The best pastor you do not know is Robb Kojima. Years ago, he worked on Molokai, where he counseled youths, comforted the elderly, and delivered relevant sermons of hope and guidance. With the Friendly Isle’s unemployment exceeding 30% at the time, many of the cash-strapped congregation filled the offering bowls with fruits and vegetables. They did not have much, but they gave everything they had.

Likewise, the Warriors’ fan base is not wealthy. Many cannot afford the ticket for a game at the Ching Complex, even after working that second side job. Same with pay-per-view purchases, ditto for newspaper subscriptions.

But bank accounts do not measure heart. For many, wearing an H shirt, defending the play-calling at a family party or crossing fingers on third-and-1 while listening to a broadcast are the best they can offer.

Things will get hectic in the coming months. But for a team representing the state, it is important to still put on free clinics or pose for pictures at Longs.

Several years ago, a toddler who was weeks out of the womb began attending UH football games. All grown, Wynden Ho‘ohuli is now the Warriors’ rush end. It’s never too early to cultivate fans.

>> Keep an eye on the money.

Every birthday since the baby luau, the checks received are put into a college fund. Then one day, the kid’s father is driving a Tesla and chatting up the value of trade school.

Chang and other UH leaders need to keep track of the $400 million appropriated for the replacement of Aloha Stadium. Gov. David Ige, who signed the budget, won’t be able to do it after leaving office after November’s election. And with a fickle timeline for construction, it could be the next-next governor in charge of the final payments.

The leaders of the Mountain West, of which UH is a football-only member, made it clear a new stadium is important to the Warriors’ future.

Aloha Stadium officials already are mumble-mumbling on why the video scoreboard has yet to relocate to the Manoa campus. And can some of those 50,000 chairs be hammered onto the Ching Complex bleachers? I mean, are we waiting for blue-bin day to collect the seats?

Sometimes, the most effective tool is nagging.