THERE'S A word that describes Tevita Finau's chances of playing for West Virginia University's football team this fall.

Bleak.

The junior college defensive end, a four-star recruit, was being counted on to make an immediate impact along the Mountaineers' front. But reading the words of Phoenix College offensive coordinator Mark Mejia won't please WVU fans.

"He hasn't [qualified] yet," Mejia said Thursday. "He has a test - language - through BYU he was supposed to take at Arizona State. But Arizona State won't let him take the test there because he's not enrolled as a student.

"So that's an issue, plus he needs an English class. And time is real short. I talked to Tevita and told him he needs to start doubling up. Camp is in two weeks.''

Mejia said Finau learned he could earn credits by taking the language class via a proctor or on the Brigham Young campus, a 15-hour drive. He was originally going the proctor route at Mesa College, then ASU.

"He signed up two weeks ago," Mejia said. "It's been frustrating for him. The people at ASU said BYU should have told him he had to be enrolled.''

Mejia knows Finau, and knows what kind of a hit WVU takes if the end isn't eligible.

"It would be huge," said the coach. "But right now Tevita is getting overwhelmed and frustrated.''

Mejia said if Finau doesn't make the grade, he'd probably return to Phoenix College and finish his degree. (Whether he plays another season there, said the coach, is up to Finau.) He could be in Morgantown for the second semester, but his eligibility at WVU would be cut from three years to two.

* * *

West Virginians who didn't have a favorite WNBA team before this season might root for the Detroit Shock now.

The reason is not, well, shocking. Both Alexis Hornbuckle, who attended Capital and South Charleston before Tennessee, and Olayinka Sanni, who stood out at WVU, play for the team.

THERE'S A word that describes Tevita Finau's chances of playing for West Virginia University's football team this fall.

Bleak.

The junior college defensive end, a four-star recruit, was being counted on to make an immediate impact along the Mountaineers' front. But reading the words of Phoenix College offensive coordinator Mark Mejia won't please WVU fans.

"He hasn't [qualified] yet," Mejia said Thursday. "He has a test - language - through BYU he was supposed to take at Arizona State. But Arizona State won't let him take the test there because he's not enrolled as a student.

"So that's an issue, plus he needs an English class. And time is real short. I talked to Tevita and told him he needs to start doubling up. Camp is in two weeks.''

Mejia said Finau learned he could earn credits by taking the language class via a proctor or on the Brigham Young campus, a 15-hour drive. He was originally going the proctor route at Mesa College, then ASU.

"He signed up two weeks ago," Mejia said. "It's been frustrating for him. The people at ASU said BYU should have told him he had to be enrolled.''

Mejia knows Finau, and knows what kind of a hit WVU takes if the end isn't eligible.

"It would be huge," said the coach. "But right now Tevita is getting overwhelmed and frustrated.''

Mejia said if Finau doesn't make the grade, he'd probably return to Phoenix College and finish his degree. (Whether he plays another season there, said the coach, is up to Finau.) He could be in Morgantown for the second semester, but his eligibility at WVU would be cut from three years to two.

* * *

West Virginians who didn't have a favorite WNBA team before this season might root for the Detroit Shock now.

The reason is not, well, shocking. Both Alexis Hornbuckle, who attended Capital and South Charleston before Tennessee, and Olayinka Sanni, who stood out at WVU, play for the team.

Hornbuckle, the No. 4 overall pick in the last WNBA draft, is averaging 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21 minutes per game. Sanni is averaging 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per.

The Shock, a two-time WNBA champion, is leading the Eastern Conference.

* * *

And finally, a few midsummer observations and notes.

Swarbrick said remaining independent is "a critical part of who we are as a school.'' He did say, however, the Bowl Championship Series setup may dictate the school's status.

"If the BCS gets reformed in some way, if there's a reshaping of the conferences, we have to navigate those waters,'' Swarbrick said. "But yes, my strong interest is maintaining independence.''

The story is odd because Jeffers flat-out dropped about 15 passes last season. Mr. T could have had 60 catches had he simply kept his eye on the ball.

He lists three Big East teams - in the top five. You read correctly. He has Louisville at No. 2 behind North Carolina, and the Cards are followed by No. 3 Connecticut, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Notre Dame.

If that's not enough, he lists Pitt at No. 8, Marquette at No. 14, Georgetown at No. 15 and Villanova at No. 16. He has WVU and Syracuse just missing the cut.

In case you're wondering, the preseason poll will be released on Aug. 16 and in papers the next day.

I wrote about him in this space because he was heading straight from the Pete Dye event to the Royal Birkdale course and the British Open. Last season, he participated at Carnoustie but finished last, one shot worse than 64-year-old Tony Jacklin.

Well, this year he's faring better. Porter, who missed the cut at the Players Cup, shot a plus-6 round of 76 Thursday. That puts him above another former Pete Dye tournament participant, 2006 runner-up Boo Weekley, who, along with Vijah Singh, John Daly and Ernie Els, shot a plus-10 80.