Warrior Beat Q&A with Ryan Henry

About where he goes for a view when he’s back home, Ryan Henry said:
“We like to go to a place near Kobe’s old house. It’s a secret hideout. We call it Top of the World. It’s about a five-minute drive from Palisades High School, my old high school. It’s a view we go to. We hang out there, talk story, and catch up, let everybody know what’s been going on here. It’s a great view. We can see downtown L.A., the ocean, everything. It’s peaceful. It’s very quiet.” (HA)

About where he likes to go to work out, Henry said:
“I like to go to the Sand Dunes. That’s in Manhattan Beach. It’s like a 150-yard steep hill of sand. A lot of the pro and college athletes like to go there and train. Last year, I saw Troy Polamalu train there. It’s a very popular training spot. If you walk up it one time, you’re already sore. I know some people who walk up it 10 times. That’s a crucial workout. I sprint, maybe, halfway. You get a good warmup that way. I walk up it about three times. I’m going to meet up with (teammate) Joe Avery. We’re going to train over there.” (HA)

About where he likes to go out to eat when he’s back home, Henry said:
“It’s in West L.A. It’s a place that makes waffles and chicken. If were to bring any local person back home with me, I’d take them there. I order a No. 9. It’s a waffle and three chicken wings. The waffle is from a secret recipe. It’s a special taste you can’t get anywhere else. I usually get one waffle. It’s filling. It’s a fat waffle. You pour the syrup on it, but you don’t need that much. I’ll go there after the Sand Dunes.” (HA)

http://warriorbeat.honadvblogs.com/2009/07/02/a-couple-of-minutes-with-ryan-henry/

Random Warriors quotes from the Star-Bulletin

Happy about having the All-Poly Camp in Hawaii to provide additional exposure for recruits, VJ Feheko said:
“We’re so far away from the United States, we don’t get a fair look I think. Things like this puts Hawaii on the map. My brothers got to play college football because of these kinds of camps, and I hope they can continue to have them here.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “The 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker says he has already been offered scholarships by 16 schools, including California, Colorado, UCLA and Texas Tech — where his brother Sam plays — and plans on narrowing his choices just before the season starts.”

Hoping to get more offers in addition to his offer from UH, Andrew Manley said:
“I still only have one offer, so I’m just trying to get myself out there as much as I can. Hopefully I have a pretty good season and some schools start offering.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Reigning Star-Bulletin state player of the year Andrew Manley has been to summer camps up and down the West Coast. From Seattle to Los Angeles, Manley has shown his stuff to a variety of schools and has been in contact with many Pac-10 coaches. But so far, his only offer has come from Hawaii. He attended summer camps at Washington and UCLA, but both schools have already secured a 2010 commitment from a quarterback.”

HSB Note: “UH athletic director Jim Donovan said he spoke with football coach Greg McMackin about it, and McMackin convinced him that the home hotel helps the team significantly in organization and preparation.

But is it $130,000 worth of advantage? That’s the early estimate for what it will cost to put up the Warriors on the eves of home games this fall. Sounds like they need to get the Priceline Negotiator involved in the deal.

There may not be a choice as soon as next year. The Pac-10 wants legislation so it can chop some Hotel California out of the expense columns.”

http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/sportsnews/20090702_fehoko_sees_the_value_in_all_poly_camp.html

http://www.starbulletin.com/columnists/furtherreview/20090702_further_review.html

Chad Owens talks about going to play for the CFL Montreal Alouettes

About going to Montreal, which opened their season with a 33-27 win over Calgary, Chad Owens said:
“I’m going in there with a humble attitude and a willingness to learn. If I’m not starting, it’s because those guys know what they’re doing, and I’ll just learn and wait until I get my chance.” (HA)

HA Note: “At the same time, Owens said the CFL’s bigger field (110 yards long — with 20-yard end zones — and 65 yards wide) “is built for me” and his shifty, elusive style.”

About how his injured left knee feels fully recovered, Owens said:
“My strength came back really quick, and I never had to put on a knee brace. It feels great, but I won’t say it’s 100 percent until I start playing again.” (HA)

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090702/SPORTS04/907020350/1049/sportsfront/Former+Warrior+Owens+to+CFL

JD hopes that UH’s Athletic Budget is balanced by 2011

About hoping to balance their Athletic Department budget by the 2011 fiscal year, JD said:
“We’ve got a lot of factors, a lot of dynamics are changing out there. I would say by then we should be getting (the operating deficit) close to zero. Based on everything I can see in my hazy crystal ball. I think it’s very realistic for us to be in the black. It’s just that we’re in the depths of the economic valley right now.” (HSB)

About their projected $2.6 million deficit in the 2009 FY, adding to their previous deficit of $5.4 million, JD said:
“It’s definitely more challenging than what I envisioned from (a financial) standpoint.” (HSB)

About how a conservative estimate of 2010 would project a deficit of about $2 million, JD said:
“It could be much better than that, and certainly hopefully not worse than that.” (HSB)

About how he expects football season-ticket renewals to drop from the average rate of 90%-95% to 80%-85% this year, JD noted that they have BSU, Fresno State, Navy and Wisconsin at home this year and concluded:
“That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to make less revenue from football.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Donovan said he fielded offers from two BCS programs, including one from the Southeastern Conference, to have the Warriors play a one-time road game for a payout of around $1 million. But the competitive circumstances contributed to Donovan’s decision to pass on the offers.”

About how he turned down two offers (one from the SEC) for $1 million for a road game due to their preference for home-and-home series, JD said:
“I’m not ruling out completely us playing in a money game. I’m saying it just has to make sense for us.” (HSB)

About how their financial situation is related to the overall economy, JD said:
“About 85 percent of what we do is from disposable income. You’re going to pay your bills, and what you have left is your disposable income. You’re going to save some of it, you’re going to go out to eat, and you’re going to use some for entertainment. It’s the entertainment value that gets them to come. When disposable income shrinks, winning and losing becomes the compelling argument to go to a UH game.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/sportsnews/20090702_donovan_eyes_2011_for_balancing_budget.html