Feature on starting MLB Mana Lolotai

About how Lolotai took over his MLB spot after he was hurt, Brashton said:
“I told Mana: ‘It’s your job now.’ ” (HA)

About how Lolotai improved this offseason, Cal Lee said:
“He dedicated himself to getting quicker, faster, stronger.” (HA)

HA Note: “Lolotai spent four weeks in Arizona participating in trainer Chad Ikei’s intensive workout program. Lolotai was placed on a strict low-carb diet — small portions, frequent light snacks, lots of salads — and focused on footwork and speed drills.”

About the benefit Lolotai got from going through Chad Ikei’s program, Cal Lee said:
“He came back in excellent shape.” (HA)

About how he thinks Lolotai will do well, Brashton said:
“I think he’s going to have a good year.” (HA)

About how Brashton has been helping him, Lolotai said:
“Brashton has been helping me a lot.” (HA)

HA Note: “Each day, Lolotai goes to the defensive conference room, where he watches freshly edited videos of practices. Alongside Satele and Lee, Lolotai would review his play in practice.”

About the daily practice video reviews, Lolotai said:
“I’m more of a visual person. I have to see (the wide picture), then make my corrections.” (HA)

HA Note: “The videos show a panoramic view of the offensive and defensive formations.”

About what he sees in the videos, Lolotai said:
“You can see all of the routes, and what the receivers are doing, what they try to do when they line up in certain formations.” (HA)

HA Note: “He said his improved condition — he lost more than 10 pounds and reduced his body fat to 11 percent this summer — enables him to cover more turf.”

About the importance of the improvement he made this offseason, Lolotai said:
“Getting faster was a big thing. And I wanted to get my lungs ready. I want to play stronger (deeper) in games.” (HA)

HA Note: “Lolotai was born with the football gene. His grandfather, Al Lolotai, was the first National Football League player of Samoan ancestry. His father and uncles were standout local high school defensive players. As a Kamehameha senior in 2006, Lolotai signed with Oregon State. But because of family commitments, he remained in Hawai’i, attending a private college during the 2006-2007 academic year. During that time, he and his wife, Shaela, had a daughter, Zaiah. Today is Zaiah’s third birthday.”

About the sacrifices that were made during the 2006-2007 academic year, Lolotai said:
“It was tough that year, working and going to school. I wasn’t working out like I should have been. But my wife and family really stuck by me. They made a lot of sacrifices. They really motivated me. I owe them a lot.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/SPORTS0201/908260388&template=UHsports

Starting center (and captain) John Estes will miss a few days of practice

HA Note: There was somewhat of a scare when center John Estes was carted off the field after suffering a tweaked ankle. While coaches expect Estes to be fine, the incident did trigger an emergency plan. Matagisila Lefiti, a sophomore from Mater Dei High in California, and Bronson Tiwanak, a junior from Damien Memorial School, are Estes’ immediate replacements.”

About the battle between Lefiti and Tiwanak for the backup center spot, OL coach Gordy Shaw said:
“They’re battling to be the backup center. They’re fighting to be on the plane for that Washington State-UNLV trip in two weeks.” (HA)

About Lefiti (who has more experience in the offense than Tiwanak), Shaw said:
“Sila is an outstanding, strong, agile athlete who loves to play football.” (HA)

HA Note: “Lefiti has practiced as the No. 2 right guard. Tiwanak played two seasons at Fresno City College, then attended a Hawai’i community college last fall to earn enough credits to enroll at UH-Manoa.”

About transferring to UH, Tiwanak said:
“I kind of missed my family. I wanted to be home. I wanted to play in front of my family.” (HA)

About how Estes has helped him with his footwork and hand placement on blocks, Tiwanak said:
“He’s one of the best in the nation. He has a lot of things to teach the younger guys — a lot of tips and techniques. I think it’s a good thing to learn from him.” (HA)

HSB Note: “Center John Estes is expected to miss the next couple of days of practice with a bruised lower left leg. The senior captain was hurt during a goal-line period late in yesterday’s practice. He was carted from the field with ice on his leg and had X-rays taken, which didn’t show a break.”

About Estes’ injury, Mac said:
“He’s got a contusion, but he’s fine and we’re going to hold him out for a couple of days. We’re at a point where we just have to get him ready for the game.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Sophomore Matagisila Lefiti is Estes’ backup at center, followed by junior transfer Bronson Tiwanak. UH offensive line coach Gordy Shaw said he also plans to give starting right guard Raphael Ieru a look at center, with Lefiti getting work at guard.”

http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/sportsnews/20090826_Aiea_alumni_ascend_at_UH.html

Article about how Aiea alums R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane and Rocky Savaiigaea are captains for UH

About how RJ and Rocky are good examples for their players, Aiea coach Wendell Say said:
“It’s always good to have our players see players like that. It makes our players know those goals are attainable, you just need a lot of hard work and those two players were two of our hardest workers when they were here.” (HSB)

About how RJ and he were captains at Aiea also, Rocky said:
“In high school we were captains together too and we had our front-row lockers. It’s kind of reminiscent of the old days. The biggest thing is to get respect from our peers like that to vote us as captains means a lot.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “For varying reasons, Savaiigaea and Kiesel-Kauhane have both waited to take leading roles in college. Savaiigaea suffered a triceps injury during fall camp last year and was limited to one game in 2008. Kiesel-Kauhane started four games last year, but was primarily a special teams player and reserve in a linebacker corps that featured Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard.”

Remembering when he met Rocky in intermediate school (they bonded over football and weightlifting), RJ said:
“I can still remember the first day I met him. Rocky’s a big guy with a heart, always trying to make an impact on a lot of people’s lives. You can see he’s always trying to put a smile on everybody’s face. He’s the whole package, he’s vocal, he shows by example and I think he developed as a player and a person.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Savaiigaea said it was Kiesel-Kauhane, now one of the Warriors’ strongest players, who invited him to the 4H Club run by Milton Kanemoto and got him into weight training.”

About how Kanemoto got him into weight training, RJ said:
“(Kanemoto) worked with the public housing kids, he always had his home open to us and he always kept the weight room open and taught us life skills.” (HSB)

About how RJ can be outgoing, Rocky said:
“Everybody sees that R.J. puts his talk onto the field, but like anything else, there’s a time to be outgoing and he’s one of those dudes that’s hilarious off the field. When you get to know him that guy will tell jokes, play music. I can’t sing, but this guy will jam on the guitar and sing.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Kiesel-Kauhane still has a connection to the Aiea program as his younger brother, Chucky Ka’ahanui, is the starting quarterback for Na Alii.”

About how he tries to lead like former UH DT/NT Michael Lafaele, Rocky said:
“The person I feel was the best leader I’ve ever been around was (former UH lineman) Michael Lafaele. If you see the way he led and the way he carried himself, hands down that’s the best leader I’ve been around. I still talk to him and try to take everything he teaches me.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/sportsnews/20090826_Aiea_alumni_ascend_at_UH.html

Feature story on Ryan Grice-Mullins

About returning kicks in the CFL, Ryan Grice-Mullins (RGM) said:
“I’m just happy to play — it’s a blessing to play up here. I mean, if you look at the AFL (Arena Football League) folding, a lot of guys (are) out of jobs. And that’s another thing, it’s not easy to make a team here, especially if you’re American. There’s only eight teams and only 22 roster spots for Americans for each team, so it’s just as hard to make a team here as it is to make a team in the NFL.” (HSB)

About leaving UH a year early because he had nothing left to prove in college, RGM said:
“If I come back for my senior season and I get 1,400 yards instead of 1,300 yards, and 15 touchdowns instead of 14 touchdowns, is that really going to make a difference?” (HSB)

HSB Note: “He said at the NFL combine he finished in the top 10 in three categories and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds twice, just to prove that it wasn’t a fluke.”

About how he was shocked not to be drafted, RGM said:
“I did everything possible to solidify to get drafted. It (not being drafted) was a shock to everybody. It was a shock to me definitely. It was a shock to my family. It was a huge shock to my agency.” (HSB)

Note: RGM added that he still can’t understand how Colt Brennan went as low as the sixth round, and that no one else on that high-powered offense was picked at all.

RGM Note: “Despite the bitter disappointment, he persevered. He had a good training camp with the Texans and after two days of organized team activities he insists he had impressed the coaches. But on the third day of OTAs he pulled a hamstring and everything changed in an instant. He was cut with little hesitation.”

About being cut by the Texans once he was hurt, RGM said:
“That’s the difference between a draftee and being a free agent. If you’re a draftee, they’ve got money invested in you now so they take their time with you. But if you’re a free agent, you just can’t get hurt. The Texans said, ‘We didn’t release you because you couldn’t play. We had to release you because you couldn’t show what you could do.’ ” (HSB)

About his short time with Chicago, RGM said:
“They had already drafted a receiver in the third (round). And they just gave Devin Hester a $40-million contract to make him into a receiver. They were going to make him into a receiver no matter what. I never really got the opportunity.” (HSB)

HSB NOte: “Next stop Vancouver. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder from Rialto, Calif., was signed to a spot on the practice roster at the end of September. That’s late in the CFL season, which runs from July to October, followed by the playoffs in November. The coaching staff liked what they saw and put him on the active roster as a receiver for the last few games of the season. He caught nine passes for 175 yards and one touchdown. Then he hauled in a 67-yard touchdown pass in a playoff game the Lions lost to end the season.

He had done so well that the team made some offseason roster moves to move him up to the top of the depth chart for this season. But he had a terrible start to the year, and after some dropped balls that drew heavy media criticism, he was placed on the inactive roster about a month ago. He was reactivated a week later when another receiver — and also the team’s main kick returner — went down with a knee injury.”

My note: Ian Smart was the kick returner and he is a *RB*, not a WR.

HSB Note: “While Grice-Mullins is still struggling as a receiver — just six catches for 62 yards after seven games — his opportunity on special teams has taken his career in a new direction. He had 82 return yards in his first game fielding kicks, followed by 160 return yards the next time. In the game against the Toronto Argonauts two weeks ago, he added 120 more, including a season-long 43-yard kickoff return.”

About how he thinks that RGM’s skills are perfectly suited for the CFL, GM and head coach Buono said:
“Ryan’s got, I believe, tremendous, tremendous skills and speed. And in our game, if you can get him the ball in space, he is, in my mind, as dangerous as any returner who’s playing right now. He’s going to be one of those guys who people will stand up out of their chairs because he’s that exciting. I’m just toughing him up (by making him a returner) and making him a better prepared football player and that will make him a better receiver. Every game I get excited about him because I can see the growth.” (HSB)

About returning kicks or whatever else the team needs, RGM said:
“I’m just one of those players who wants to do whatever I can to help the team win. So if the coaches feel I’m the best person to do that I’m going to do it. If I’m going to be on the field, I may as well do it to the best of my abilities.” (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/sportsnews/20090826_RGM_in_the_CFL.html

Feature article on UH’s walk-on program

Rich Miano (UH associate head coach) said that UH’s walk-on program:
“is the fabric of who we are. To me, it’s the best walk-on program in the United States.” (HA)

HA Note: “Miano, who played 11 seasons in the NFL, should know: After all, he is a former UH walk-on himself.”

About walking on to UH in the mid-1970s, Nelson Maeda said:
“I was just grateful for the opportunity to be playing at home. But right away, you were very aware of who was on scholarship and who was a walk-on. Basically, it was the difference between the ‘haves and the have-nots.’ ” (HA)

About earning a scholarship and a starting spot by his senior year, Maeda said:
“It was such a gratifying feeling.” (HA)

About how his walk-on experience has influenced the way he treats his players, Maeda (who has been the head coach at Castle High for 13 years) said:
“You enter coaching with a different perspective. You know how it is to have to work your way up.” (HA)

About how nobody offered him a scholarship, Miano said:
“None. Nobody.” (HA)

HA Note: “But at UH, he literally worked his way into the starting lineup and became an All-Western Athletic Conference safety before embarking on a lengthy NFL career.”

About walk-ons from Hawaii, Miano (who runs UH’s walk-on program) said:
“Hawai’i kids can’t always measure up when it comes to size or stats, but we’re passionate and play with a lot of heart. And the walk-ons are usually the hardest working guys on the team.” (HA)

HA Note: “David Stant was an all-star defensive lineman at Kahuku in 1980, but at 5 feet 10, 195 pounds, he had zero scholarship offers. So he entered the work force for a short time before serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Stant then resumed his football career at Yuma (Ariz.) Junior College, earning all-conference honors.”

About walking on to UH, Stant said:
“But I wanted to come home.” (HA)

HA Note: “As a UH walk-on, like Maeda, Stant started at the bottom of the depth chart and quickly learned the social hierarchy of scholarship players vs. walk-ons.”

About how walk-ons are treated differently than scholarship players, Stant said:
“You’re not treated like a blue-chipper, you have to put up with so much more. But it makes you so much stronger, it builds character, because you’re either going to quit or become a better man. They put me on the o-line, scout team, and we had to go up against guys like (All-American nose guard) Al Noga. But we never backed down.” (HA)

Stant said that working so hard without seeing any reward for his work tested his patience and:
“a couple of times I wanted to quit. But I didn’t, because I loved football so much.” (HA)

After UH suffered several injuries on the DL during Stant’s senior season in 1989, defensive coordinator Rich Ellerson told Stant:
“If you wanna play, here’s your chance.” (HA)

HA Note: “Stant, by then a chiseled 236 pounds, earned not just a starting position at defensive tackle but a scholarship as well.”

About finally getting his chance in his final season at UH, Stant said:
“When my break came, I was ready, and all my hard work paid off. It was like a dream come true.” (HA)

About trying to instill the values he learned as a walk-on and give opportunities to players who work extra hard, Stant (head coach at Kamehameha) said:
“That’s how our philosophy is. We have players who maybe should be starting but are not because they’re not hungry, and we have players who maybe wouldn’t be starting but are because they are hungrier. So long as you work hard, we’ll find a way to get you some playing time.” (HA)

HA Note: “Coming out of Hilo High in 1985, Sean Saturnio was bound for small college football and ended up at Division III Beloit (Wisc.) College. But after two relatively successful seasons, he “had an itch” to come home and play for Division I Hawai’i. As a 5-7, 169-pound slotback, however, Saturnio had to start out at the bottom as a walk-on.”

About walking on to UH, Sean Saturnio said:
“On the scout team, you don’t even get a real jersey — you get a yellow practice jersey. Nobody knows who you are, nothing is given to you. It really teaches you humility and appreciation, and perseverance.” (HA)

HA Note: “Saturnio never did earn a scholarship, but by his senior year he did earn a spot on the game roster, an experience he describes as “a pinch-me moment.”"

About earning a roster spot by his senior year, Saturnio said:
“Coming from the Big Island, it was every kid’s dream to be a part of UH football. So the first time I saw my white jersey with the green number (39) hanging in my locker, it was a dream fulfilled.” (HA)

About teaching the virtues of hard work, teamwork and compassion, Saturnio (head coach at Waipahu) said:
“Being a former walk-on allows me to have a more empathetic view. It makes it a lot easier for me to relate to that kid who barely made the team, who doesn’t get to play much but tries hard anyway.” (HA)

About how his walk-on experience helped shape his life, Saturnio said:
“Going through that route, it helps me in anything I do.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/SPORTS0201/90824052&template=UHsports

Article on JJ leaving UH for SMU

HA Note: “Jones’ contract had been allowed to lapse into its final year, even though Jones had offered to sign a new, unique five-year deal in March 2006 for less than his current annual salary of $800,016. Instead, athletic director Herman Frazier rejected Jones’ proposal and the two would not discuss a contract proposal until two days after the 2008 Sugar Bowl.”

About JJ’s contract running out at UH and Herman Frazier rejecting JJ’s offer to take a pay *cut*, former UH tight end (and prominent Hawaii business man) Kent Untermann said:
“Any athletic director in his right mind would have had June under contract at this time last year, for recruiting purposes, if nothing else. This is inexcusable.” (HA)

HA Note: “With SMU offering a five-year deal worth between $1.85 million to $2 million, UH launched an 11th-hour charge, offering Jones $1.1 million, then $1.3 million, then $1.3 million with a $1 million annuity that would boost his per-year average to $1.5 million. Jones, already in Dallas for face-to-face interviews, turned off his cell phones, kneeled in prayer in his hotel room and slept on it. Five hours later, his mind was clear and decision made.”

About choosing SMU over UH’s last-minute offer, JJ said:
“I had peace about coming here (to Dallas).” (HA)

HA Note: “So ended the tenure of the winningest coach in UH history. Jones’ nine-year record at UH was 76-41, including six bowl appearances.”

About why it was important for him to leave UH for the changes needed to get implemented, JJ said:
“It was time to go. My gut feeling was I didn’t think the university would pull the trigger on the things that needed to change, to keep going, unless I left. I think it’s great the university has FieldTurf now and they’ve accomplished a lot of things. I’m not convinced those things would have happened if I stayed. My leaving brought attention, just like when we got a grass field when vonAppen left. They have more recruiting money. They have new offices. I was there nine years and nothing ever changed. I wasn’t convinced those things would have happened.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/SPORTS0201/908260319&template=UHsports

Feature on Colt Brennan’s career at UH

HA Note: “June Jones knew he had a jewel. With the career of a high-profile local quarterback winding down, Jones remembers former UH athletic director Paul Durham asking him, “What are you going to do next year after Timmy Chang?” Jones didn’t need words to explain, just visuals. He popped in a videotape, and both watched Colt Brennan in action while at Saddleback Junior College.”

About how he told his Durham to keep Colt a secret, JJ said:
“Don’t breathe a word of who that guy is. I don’t want anybody to know.” (HA)

About his high expectations for Colt, JJ said:
“I knew he was special the first time I saw him throw.” (HA)

HA Note: “In his first year at UH in 2005, Brennan led the nation in passing and touchdown throws. In his second year, he set the NCAA record for touchdown passes in a season with 58. In his third year, he played the lead role in a storybook season in which he led the Warriors to a 12-0 regular-season record and a berth in the Sugar Bowl while finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting.”

About staying at UH for his senior season, Colt said:
“The second I made that decision, my time became Hawai’i's time. Everything I did, I did for Hawai’i.” (HA)

“I always felt the NFL would always be there. I wanted to come back so I could do something great with my teammates, do something awesome. I wanted to do it for my teammates, and my school, and the state. If you do it for someone else, it’s always more rewarding.” (HA)

Not regretting coming back for his senior season, Colt said:
“Just the experience alone. I have friends like Matt Leinart, who went to SC. I would never trade what he had and the career he had for what I had here in Hawai’i in a million years.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/SPORTS0201/908260304&template=UHsports

Feature on why JJ chose UH over the San Diego Chargers

HA Note: “In what could be its most significant — and fortunate — head coaching hire, UH lured June Jones away from a multi-million dollar contract with the San Diego Chargers to take over a floundering program that had lost 18 games in a row and had some wondering if its days in Division I were numbered.”

Asked why JJ chose far less money to coach at UH instead of the Chargers, Chargers President Dean Spanos said at the time
“I think (June Jones’) heart wasn’t (in San Diego), I think it was in Hawai’i.” (HA)

HA Note: “In a year’s time, Jones, behind his a run-and-shoot offense, led UH to a 9-5 record, a win in the O’ahu Bowl, and set a record for the greatest turnaround in NCAA history.

But he was more than a coach. He was a visionary. Jones incorporated black as part of the team’s colors and encouraged the school to rebrand itself by changing its nickname from Rainbow Warriors or Rainbows to Warriors, and then creating a new “H” logo for sports teams. Almost every change he made — from practice time to travel — Jones had a purpose in mind.”

HA Note: “He left UH with the most victories (76) of any UH coach. His winning percentage of .634 (76-41) ranks second to only Dave Holmes (.722) of UH coaches with more than one season.”

About what he wanted to establish at UH, JJ said:
“I wanted to create a tradition of winning. I think the university had some successful football coaches. Some won, some didn’t. I wanted a program of consistent winning.” (HA)

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/SPORTS0201/908260302&template=UHsports

Feature on Jason Elam

HA Note: “Late in the University of Hawai’i's 1988 preseason training camp, head coach Bob Wagner installed what came to be known as the “Jason Elam Rule.” Elam, a true freshman, had been so amazing a kicker in the practice sessions that Wagner said he and the coaches did not want to build him up too much in the eyes of the fans, so they took the extreme action of declining to talk about him.”

About why they didn’t talk about Jason Elam, Bob Wagner said:
“We didn’t want to raise the expectations and put too much pressure on him.” (HA

HA Note: “Elam kicked field goals of 47 yards and 23 yards, the last one with 1 minute, 36 seconds left, to beat ninth-ranked Iowa, 27-24, in his first UH game, the 1988 season opener. Before he left following the 11-2 Holiday Bowl championship season of 1992 as an All-American, Elam owned just about every UH kicking record, including a share of the still-standing mark of longest at 56 yards.”

HA Note: “Elam is in the 18th year of an NFL career that many believe will eventually make him the first UH grad in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Elam came to UH from Snellville, Ga., much overlooked in national recruiting. The battle for his services pretty much came down to UH and Appalachian State. But UH, from the beginning, felt it had landed a gem.”

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/SPORTS0201/908260313&template=UHsports

Article about Paul Johnson bringing his offense to UH

HA Note: “Wagner, who as a former defensive coordinator knew what was hard to defend, sold athletic director Stan Sheriff on the spread option. Johnson ran it as an assistant at Division I-AA power Georgia Southern and heard the clamor here.”

About why he chose to take the UH job, Paul Johnson said:
“When I visited before (taking the UH job) everybody I ran into and saw seemed like they were really excited about Hawai’i football, the offense and opening it up. That was definitely a positive factor in deciding to come.” (HA)

HA Note: “In 1986, UH ranked 74th in scoring offense. In 1987, Johnson’s first year, they were 21st and, thereafter, were consistent a Top 20 team offensively. In the bowl seasons of 1989 (Aloha) and 1992 (Holiday), UH was fifth and eighth in scoring offense. The 11-2 1992 team was the first to finish the season in the Top 20 and won UH’s first Western Athletic Conference title. Johnson left after the 1994 season for Navy, where he eventually became head coach before moving on to Georgia Tech.”

http://sports.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/SPORTS0201/908260322&template=UHsports