Jon Medeiros is practicing despite his injuries to try to remain the #1 left slotback

HA Note: “Hawai’i football player Jon Medeiros is suffering from injuries to his hip flexor and patellar tendon.”

HA Note: “Every day, he gets up at 4 a.m. and arrives, by bus from Kapolei, at UH by 6:15. His weekdays are filled with workouts, practices, meetings, video sessions and classes. What’s more, he works in the university’s maintenance department, helping to take care of the Lower Campus.”

Medeiros said that the maintenance department is:
“pretty lenient with my hours. They understand I have football and school, and I’m catching the bus from home. I try to do what I can do.” (HA)

About how he’s listed as their #1 left slotback but is being challenged by Greg Salas and Ryan Henry, Medeiros said:
“They’re right on my tail.” (HA)

About how he has to ignore his injuries to keep his spot on the depth chart, Medeiros said:
“I suck it up and play hard. My spot out there is on the line. I have to continue to work hard.” (HA)

Praising Medeiros, Ron Lee said:
“He’s in great shape, and he understands what we’re doing. He has to keep working and getting better.” (HA)

HA Note: “Medeiros, who is 5 feet 9, said he has lost 10 pounds since the end of the 2008 season, and now weighs 188. During the offseason, the players have the option of participating in morning or afternoon workouts. He X’d both boxes. Medeiros said he uses student loans to pay for his tuition. His campus job pays for his meals and school expenses.”

About the training-table breakfast UH provides for scholarship football players, which includes eggs, meats, cereal, oatmeal and fruits, Medeiros said:
“I walk past and smell the food … it smells so good. I don’t have that kind of money to pay for that.” (HA)

HA Note: “Instead, he often skips breakfast. He usually brings a home lunch.”

About how he hopes to earn a scholarship, Medeiros said:
“To this day, I don’t know how I’m going to pay for next year. I’m trying to work as much as I can during the spring.” (HA)

Medeiros said thata even is he doesn’t receive a scholarship:
“I’m going to keep working hard. I’m not a quitter. At times, I had thoughts like, ‘How am I going to pay for school?’ I don’t know how I’m going to make it through. I always find some way.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090414/SPORTS0201/904140352/1312&template=UHSports

Shane Austin benifitted by being the scout team QB last yeara

About being their scout team QB last year, Shane Austin said:
“I wanted to get work going against a starting defense.” (HSB)

About how being their scout team QB helped him, Austin said:
“In the offseason we can do as many reps as we want in 7-on-7, but you don’t really get the full look with linemen. So that definitely helped me, having a full line, feeling where the pocket is.” (HSB)

Praising Austin’s performance in their scrimmage, Rolo said:
“He throws a great ball, he has good knowledge, showed some good poise and presence.” (HSB)

About the benefit players get from being on the scout team, Rolo said:
“I tell those (scout team) guys, ‘You’re going to go against the best defense we have every day, three days at least in a game week.’ … Having a head coach (Greg McMackin) who’s on the defensive side of the ball a lot, that’s a great opportunity to show him you can play.” (HSB)

About how the game is slowing down for him, Austin said:
“Before everything kind of seemed blurry because everything was going so fast. But now that I got all that work I feel more comfortable when I drop back. I can feel the pocket and slide up into it. … Everything’s kind of slowing down for me now.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Austin’s father, Dave, regularly works with professional athletes on honing the mental side of the game, and has had a prominent part in shaping his outlook on his role with the Warriors.”

About how his Dad works with him every night, Austin said:
“He calls me pretty much every night and gets me mentally prepared for every day.” (HSB)

About how he loves going to practice, Austin said:
“It’s been a journey, but I’m enjoying every day of it and have fun with it. I love football so much. I love coming out to practice. I enjoy every part of it.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Alexander usually takes four repetitions in team periods, followed by Rausch and Austin with two each.”

Not worried about how many reps he gets, Austin said:
“In the meeting room we’re all students of the game and when I come out to practice, whenever they tell me to go in I go in. I’m not trying to worry about reps or anything. Just trying to make each play my best play.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/sportsnews/20090414_Austin_power.html

UH’s D prepares to face option offenses

About devoting a period early in yesterday’s practice to defending the option, which they will face in some of their games early in the season, Mac said:
“We’re not game planning but we just want to get our base option defense in.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “McMackin said Central Arkansas, Washington State and UNLV — the Warriors’ first three opponents — all have a form of an option scheme in their offensive packages. They’ll also face Navy, coached by former UH quarterback Ken Niumatalolo, and its spread option offense in late November. McMackin said the Warriors will put in the basics of its option defense in the spring and continue to review in the fall so it’ll be ready when an option team comes up on the schedule.”

About how they need to work on their defense against the option every week, Mac said:
“We’re playing so many option teams, every week we’ll have at least a 10-minute session on the option.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/sportsnews/20090414_UH_defense_to_be_tested_by_option.html

Adrian Thomas did well at RT with Letuli out

HA Note: “Right tackle Laupepa Letuli did not practice yesterday because of a “tweaked” right knee. He promises to resume practicing tomorrow.”

Adrian Thomas, who was raised in Australia, said that he has to:
“work on the technique and the plays. I haven’t had as much practices as these guys.” (HA)

Praising Thomas, who took Letuli’s first-team spot in yesterday’s practice, Gordy Shaw said he is:
“one of the most improved guys in camp right now.” (HA)

HA Note: “Thomas, who is 6 feet 6 and 300 pounds, has the build to serve as a perimeter blocker.”

About how they have been working on Thomas’ technique, Shaw said:
“Technically, we had to clean him up. He has to play pretty flawless to be outside there. He’s doing the things he’s getting coached to do.” (HA)

About how he’s mostly focused on Thomas’ footwork, Shaw said:
“He’s not super quick, but he’s a big guy, and when he does things right, he’s hard to get around. I think he’s going to be a really solid backup for us.” (HA)

HA Note: “Shaw said the Warriors did not relinquish any sacks during yesterday’s drills.”

DT Chris Leatigaga is in the DT rotation

HA Note: “Defensive tackle Chris Leatigaga was a heralded recruit in 2007. But a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee short-circuited his 2007 season.”

About how he wasn’t able to move up in the depth chart in 2007 and 2008, Leatigaga said:
“After I got hurt, it went downhill from that.” (HA)

About how he entered UH in 2007 at 260 pounds but went up to 305 pounds after his injury, Leatigaga (who is now at 290 pounds) said:
“When I hurt my knee, I couldn’t run.” (HA)

HA Note: “He said he is focused on contributing during his senior season.”

About how he’s not fully back yet from his injury but he will be soon, Leatigaga said:
“I’m not where I want to be, but after the summer, I will be.” (HA)

Top two units will be selected by Wednesday

About how their top 2 units will begin getting most of the reps for the rest of the spring, though the depth chart won’t be “set in stone”, Mac said:
“We’re at a point now here we’ve got to get into scout teams and work our first and second unit for the rest of our practices. We’ll go with two units and we just have to figure out who our guys are and who’s doing the best and go that way.” (HSB)