University of Hawai'i football coach Greg McMackin said he went for a swim, jumped in a whirlpool and then came to last night's "Warrior Bowl" in shorts and slippers.

"Too bad it isn't like this all the time," the relaxed, lei-bedecked McMackin beamed as his coordinators, Ron and Cal Lee, got to do the heavy lifting for the spring finale at Aloha Stadium.

The tough decisions will come soon enough for the Warriors' first-year head coach and he can thank Inoke Funaki for the biggest one, selecting a No. 1 quarterback.

Funaki's two-touchdown passing performance in the Black Team's 24-20 victory assures there will be a big call coming in deciding the starting QB spot for the Aug. 30 season opener at Florida.

Funaki completed 12 of 18 passes for 145 yards, galloped 45 yards on two runs and took the Black Team to scores in all three series he worked in the first half to slap an exclamation point on an eye-opening spring.

Over the course of the month-long spring session the junior-to-be from Kahuku closed what had been a significant gap with fifth-year senior Tyler Graunke, the heir apparent to Colt Brennan.

So much so that they will likely open fall practice even, awaiting the arrival of two junior college transfers.

"He definitely did (close the gap)," said offensive coordinator Ron Lee. "He moved around, showed some athleticism and made some plays."

"They are tight ... pretty tight," quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich said.

That it will be close is testament to the way Funaki took advantage of the opportunities presented this spring. Odd man out last year when Brennan and Graunke got most of the work in the fall, Funaki grew with the expanded workload.

The strides were evident last night. "He got over 300 (repetitions) in the spring and I think that really helped," Rolovich said.

Graunke was 10 of 14 for 108 yards and one touchdown but had the the game's lone turnover, an interception.

"I thought they both did well," Lee said.

"Tyler came back (from the interception) to drive us down the field." McMackin said. "I'm really happy both of the quarters have come around and Jake (Santos) also showed some things."

Graunke knows he is being pressed for the starting job. "I feel like, over the spring, I haven't shown my best. I got to pick up my game and keep improving," Graunke said.

"I've got to get in the weight room and then get out on the field and have a better chemistry with the guys," he added. "A lot of guys are stepping up."

Last night's final exercise of the spring made it evident that Funaki is one of them.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.