Feature on the Hawaii Speed and Quickness Camps

SC = scout.com

SC Note: “This is the last day of the Hawaii Speed and Quickness’ Big Man’s Camp, so the island’s top linemen take center stage. The Big Man’s Camp is the last in a series of camps HSQ put together this summer to include over 1000 football players – something unprecedented in the history of Hawaii prep athletics. The plan for this vision began after June Jones’ inaugural season on the islands.”

About how their Speed and Quickness Camps started last year, Rich Miano said:
“Nobody really knew how to deal with it or wanted to deal with doing it. Since we took over last year and it was successful, it gets easier the more you do it.” (SC)

SC Note: “Hawai’i Speed and Quickness (http://www.hawaiispeedandquickness.com/ was founded by Miano and UH Strength and Conditioning Coach Mel deLaura. Their mission? They are committed to improving athleticism and integrity of Hawaii’s youth through all sports.”

About their camps, Miano said:
“We’re trying to make things affordable for everyone in Hawai’i and we’re trying to be as inclusive as we can.” (SC)

About how the Just Win! camp on Maui and the Education First camp laid the groundwork for their camps, Miano said:
“We encourage kids to go to all of them. But at the same time, the University of Hawai’i needed to have a camp.” (SC)

SC Note: “Just based on the turnout, it appears these camps were a bombshell waiting to go off. It doesn’t hurt that the Warriors went to a BCS bowl game for the first time in history and put UH footballl back on the national radar.”

About how last season attracted a lot of new fans to UH, Miano said:
“Even people who don’t like footballl were following it,.” (SC)

SC Note: “And with it has come record highs in season ticket sales, as well as donations to Na Koa, the booster club that supports the UH football program.”

About how their success on the field made it possible for them to get what they needed for their program, Miano said:
“With the success of the program, we’ve been able to get the things we need. Most programs have recruiting coordinators and secretaries in the front of the office. The locker room is embarrassing. The field turf has been condemned. But now, we’ve had people step up for the new surface and the coaches’ offices. It’s not just going to be artist renderings anymore.” (SC)

About how Mack has reached out to the community, Miano said:
“Since he (McMackin) took the job, he’s reached out to the community to make sure they know that they are very important to the support of the team. This is Hawai’i's team. He brought back green in the uniform, signed a big Under Armour deal and put Hawai’i on the front of the jerseys.” (SC)

About how UH has the attention of the entire state, Tony Tuioti said:
“USC and UCLA still have to battle the Lakers. There’s nothing like that here. It gives the young kids growing up here a unique opportunity, unlike any other program.” (SC)

About how the success of last year’s camp will help them expand their camp offerings in the future, Miano said:
“The success of last year’s camp, knowing we had a camp, means that we’ll be doing things a lot earlier next year. We’ll probably do a team camp, maybe some pads for the big guys…just expanding what we have.” (SC)

Happy with how their camps are growing, Tuioti said:
“I’m just ecstatic about the number we’ve had and to see how much it’s grown. I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg for what we can do in the Coach Mack era.” (SC)

SC Note: “By having these camps, the UH football program is moving in a direction unparalleled in the history of the program. In the past, they took their legacy and their distance from major college football for granted. No more. Former UH greats like Jesse Sapolu, Dane Uperesa, Ma’a Tanuvasa and others have been waiting for the time when they could come back and give back to the program that gave them so much.”

About his love for UH, Tanuvasa said:
“I will always be a Warrior at heart. I’ve always wanted to come back to my roots and help any way I could. With Coach McMackin, a lot of the NFL scouts call. With those type of connections, it’s a great deal to stay here, as opposed to having to go away to play.” (SC)

SC Note: “And while the primary mission of serving the island youth is taken very seriously, the ability to evaluate and recruit talent at these camps is something the UH staff uses to their advantage. And while every college football program in America strives to keep their top talent within their boundaries, that hasn’t always been the case in Hawai’i.”

About how UH will try to keep the top local talent in Hawaii, Tuioti said:
“There’s some great talent that’s gotten away, like Olin Kreutz to Washington and Chris Ma’afala to Utah. Coach McMackin has a vision to keep the top players home.” (SC)

SC Note: “And while there was only one player to be offered after last year’s camps – Damien’s Christian Vasconcellos – the breadth and depth of McMackin’s local recruiting efforts to date are already paying off big dividends. Corey Nielsen (Gahr, Calif.) and Billy Ray Stutzmann (St. Louis) were offered after the HSQ Skills camp, and all accepted. Cayman Shutter (Punahou) and Conrad Scheidt (Kamehameha-Kapalama) were also offered after the skills camp. Kimo Makaula (Punahou) committed when he found out he had been offered after the first day of the Big Man’s camp. Benson Ma’afala (Damien) and Chauncey Makainai (Kailua) are two other 2009 island prospects that were offered scholarships after the camps. The coaches are already delving into the 2010 talent pool, offering Taz Stevenson (Mililani), Micah Hatchie (Waialua) and V.J. Fehoko from Farrington after the camps.”

About how Mack is as a recruiter, Tuioti said:
“Coach McMackin has an eye for talent.” (SC)

About the talent in Hawaii high schools, Dane Uperesa said:
“We have a lot of great talent here, and they’ve picked up on that. It’s late in coming, but it’s great for the college and the community. A lot of the things they are doing are things I learned in college. For the University of Hawai’i to bring back these camps, it’s a great opportunity for them to learn from D1 coaches.” (SC)

Q&A with Mack

Asked if he’s sticking with the run-and-shoot, Mack said:
“I believe in the run-and-shoot. The players there know the run-and-shoot. I think it’s the best offense in the game. The pros are using it. They pretend they don’t. It’s a read offense, so it’s a coaching man’s offense. Repetitions, teaching it over and over again, that’s what I believe football is all about. Defensive football, fundamentals, techniques — its a coaching man’s offense.” (ESPN)

Asked if he felt like staying with their offense would be easier considering the success they have had the last couple years, Mack said:
“People don’t realize this, but 85 percent of the people we have back are wearing these rings. We lost some guys on offense that really made it happen. We have our defense back and our offensive line is pretty intact. And because of the teaching it takes some time, but in the spring game we were moving the ball up and down the field. We’re moving along. They’re throwing by themselves every day.” (ESPN)

Asked if he felt they were a little predictable last year, Mack said:
“I don’t think we’re predictable because we never do the same thing. It’s all about reads. It’s just like the option. It’s the passing man’s option.” (ESPN)

About how they will be under the center a little more, Mack said:
“The run-and-shoot was all under center with [former Hawaii coach] Mouse Davis and June started out that way in ’99 when I was there. Then he went more to the gun, and I think that was good with Colt and the veterans that we had. We’re going to do a little bit of both. Not that it’s a big deal. It’s not a big change; it’s part of the run-and-shoot. You can throw your screens. You can throw your quick stuff. I just, as a defensive guy, feel that if you’re in the gun all the time, you can widen your ends and just get after it. You saw us play Georgia and that’s exactly what they did.” (ESPN)

Asked if they will move under center more also because their RBs are a little more seasoned than the bulk of their offense, Mack said:
“You need to run the football. Like Florida, I don’t want that to be a long game. I don’t want to throw on every snap. Some games you might want to shorten especially early in the season when we’re getting acquainted and stuff. And if you throw a ball that’s incomplete, the clock stops. We’re not going to be a running team. Our run is set up by us throwing the ball.” (ESPN)

Asked how much a learning curve their WRs and QBs have, Mack said:
“They’ve been doing the same things, they just haven’t had their reps in the games. [Tyler] Graunke’s had 24 games and he’s got enough experience, but Inoke [Funaki] really hasn’t. He’s finished up some games. And then the JC guys, which I like because, you know, Greg Alexander he’s played 42 college games. Maybe not in front of 90,000 people, but he’s played a lot of games and I’ve always liked that about JC guys. And he’s pretty good. He set the national record for touchdowns with, like, 71, and he can run. He’s a big guy that can run. I thought at 240 he’d be this big, fat guy, but he came on his visit during the Pro Bowl week and I thought he was one of the Pro Bowl guys.” (ESPN)

Asked about playing Mouton on offense, Mack said:
“He’s so quick. He’s got God-given quickness. He’s a big playmaker. I just really like him. He’s a big-play guy. He ran a kickoff back, he ran a touchdown back on defense, and we can just throw out a screen and let him do his thing.” (ESPN)

Asked if Mouton is in the Devin Hester-type mold, Mack said:
“Who?” (ESPN)

Asked if Mouton is like Deion Sanders, Mack said:
“Oh, yeah, like Deion Sanders. He’s a guy who’s a football player. He’s got great hands. He’s a playmaker. And why not? He’s going to be a defensive guy in the future, at the next level, but we’ll send him on simple stuff. He doesn’t have to know the offense. We’ll just get a little package for him.” (ESPN)

Asked if a “Go” route would be an example of how they would use Mouton, Mack said:
“Exactly.” (ESPN)

Feature on Mouton and Adam Leonard

About how Mouton will be featured in each of their defensive formations, return kicks, and even play WR, Mack said:
“He’s a playmaker. We want our playmakers on the field.” (HA)

About Mouton, Mack said:
“Mouton is the quickest guy we have on our team. We have a little package for him (on offense). His main thing is to be a corner(back). But if we can give him some things to allow him to use his quickness, why not?” (HA)

About his expanded role, Mouton said:
“I played offense in high school and junior college. I’m willing to do whatever. I guess it shows he has confidence in me to let me do this.” (HA)

HA Note: “Last season, his first at UH, Mouton was a cornerback and kick returner before suffering a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. To ease the wear on his knee, he was given an honorary discharge from kick-return duties.”

About how Mouton is even put at LB in some formations, Mack said:
“He’s a natural blitzer because he’s so quick.” (HA)

HA Note: “In front of scouts at a workout at Blinn College in Texas, Mouton ran 40 yards in under 4.3 seconds.”

McMackin likened Mouton to Shawn Springs, a former All-Pro with the Seattle Seahawks.
Comparing Mouton to Shawn Springs (former All-Pro with the Seahawks), Mack said:
“He’s a shorter Shawn Springs. I think he’s a great athlete and a great person. And he really works hard. He has a passion for football. He’s a student of the game. He’s really smart.” (HA)

About Mack’s comparison of him and Shawn Springs, Mouton said:
“He said he drafted Shawn Springs when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. (Springs) had a great career in the NFL. To be compared to someone like Shawn Springs is high praise.” (HA)

About how they have to be ready to play the rest of their season no matter what happens at Florida, Adam Leonard said:
“We understand that no matter what happens in Florida, we have to play the next week. We definitely feel it can be a confidence builder if we go out there and play well. No matter what the outcome is of the game, we have to go out and play the rest of the season.” (HA)

HA Note: “As a UH freshman in 2005, he still was not fully healed from knee surgery that abbreviated his senior season of high school football. He played most of the 2006 season with a torn meniscus. Last season, he played virtually one-handed. He had a fracture in his right hand, which required him to wear a cast when he was not playing football.”

About playing last season with a fracture in his right hand, Adam said:
“It was difficult breaking the right hand. But it’s football. I don’t need it as much. It’s not as important as a leg.” (HA)

About the benefit of having to wear a cast when he was not playing football, Adam said:
“I managed to get a note-taker. It made things a lot easier. I couldn’t write, and I couldn’t read my handwriting.” (HA)

Quotes from the WAC Media Preview Day

After interviewing Sol and Adam yesterday, Idaho Statesman columnist Brian Murphy said:
“I was impressed. They seem introspective and thoughtful.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Several other reporters had similar comments after meeting them, and those who played golf with them the previous day appreciated their willingness to try something new which is notoriously difficult for beginners.”

Asked if Mack is a father figure, Adam said:
“He’s more like a grandfather. A grandfather who can be tough when he has to.” (HSB)

Asked if he ever hesitated wearing his WAC Champion ring after what happened in the Sugar Bowl, Sol said:
“You take the good with the bad. look at the ring, and it’s not the Sugar Bowl, it’s the season.” (HSB)

About his popularity right now, Mack said:
“I’m on my honeymoon. But this isn’t my first luau. I know I haven’t played a game yet.” (HSB)

About their improved meeting-room amenities, Mack said:
“We’ve now got big-butt chairs for the linemen.” (HSB)

About how the WAC is a conference with excellent RBs, especially with the top 9 rushers from last season returning, La Tech coach Derek Dooley said:
“It seems like every team you play has a good runner. (The dominance of passing is) one of the myths. It’s been a great marketing tool about this wide-open league we have. But people don’t realize how physical this league is. Even Hawaii last year. That was not a finesse football team. I think you have to run the ball and you have to play physical.” (HSB)

About the RBs in the WAC, Dick Tomey said:
“There are many, many good players at running back in this league. This league is a contradiction in many ways. It’s wide open and people spread out, but it’s also a league where you have to run the ball well.” (HSB)

About WAC teams (aside from UH) have to run the ball to win, Utah State coach Brent Guy said:
“Teams that win in this league are running the ball, with the exception of Hawaii. If you can’t stop the run, you can’t stop anything. We have to do that on offense and we have to stop the run.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “But even Warriors coach Greg McMackin said UH will run more, passing first to set it up. That’s why Hawaii will not be in the shotgun as often, unlike last season when Brennan was the focal point of the attack.”

About the resignation of their assistant AD for compliance Bill Bryant, JD said:
“We’re thankful for everything he’s done.” (HSB)

About getting the interim promotion, Amanda Peterson said:
“Bill kept me up to speed and I learned a lot about the day-to-day aspects of the job.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Paterson, a former UH soccer player, has been the No. 2 person in compliance the past two years and was a graduate assistant the previous three. She graduated from UH with a double major in speech and communications, and holds a master’s in educational administration. Her responsibilities include monitoring student-athlete eligibility and NCAA institutional control issues.”

Happy that Amanda was promoted, Bryant said:
“Hopefully Amanda will be the one. She’d be great. She knows her stuff. I think she’s qualified.” (HSB)