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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, February 18, 2010

Afoa apparently done as AD at Saint Louis


By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Ulima Afoa

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Ulima Afoa's tenure as Saint Louis School athletic director apparently has come to an end, The Advertiser has learned.

Afoa and another school administrator did not respond to repeated phone messages since last week, but Afoa was seen by several people on campus packing up things to vacate his office late last week and when a school phone operator was asked yesterday morning, "Who is the athletic director?" her response was, "Sorry, that I don't know ..."

As of yesterday, the Interscholastic League of Ho-nolulu office still had not been notified of any change in command, according to ILH spokesman Georges Gilbert. Afoa is the league's co-coordinator for golf, which began its regular season on Monday. Co-coordinator Rob Araki could not be reached for comment.

Chaminade athletic director Bill Villa, who rents Saint Louis' McCabe Gym for his program's practices and games, said late Tuesday night that he had yet to be notified that Afoa no longer was in charge.

Saint Louis football coach John Hao said yesterday he met with school president Walter Kirimitsu on Saturday morning to discuss his own status, and was told "it would be up to the athletic director."

When asked if Kirimitsu had told him that Afoa was leaving, Hao told The Advertiser, "No, not at all."

Hao said he had tried to reach Afoa yesterday but had not heard back from him as of yesterday afternoon.

"There's no guarantees yet, otherwise they would have told me," Hao said of Afoa's departure. "There's no definite answer. I think something must be up, because people around (campus) are talking about it. But I want to hear it from the horse's mouth. Everybody's been saying there would be changes for how long, but I'll believe it when I see it."

Afoa, a 1977 graduate of Saint Louis and former standout offensive lineman for the Crusaders and San Diego State University, was hired in June 2008 after five years as head football coach and assistant athletic director at Kamehameha-Hawai'i.

He had been a longtime college football assistant coach, including a stint at the University of Hawai'i.

Read his blog on high school sports at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com