Cesar Jube has experience playing before big crowds
in pressure-filled games.
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin

Hawaii Pacific University sophomore Cesar Jube knows about both. He worked as a wedding photographer in his native Brazil. And on the field last year, he was a wild shooter, making a few while missing many.

But the way Jube is violating opposing nets this season, that analogy is as useless as a roll of overexposed film.

Jube has scored 19 goals in eight games, leading the Sea Warriors to a 7-1 record, including a recently completed 5-1 road trip.

In one game, he made three first half goals - on a total of three attempts.

Click, click, click.

Jube didn't even play in the second half. Why mess with perfection?

"That's the first time I've ever done that," Jube said, shaking his head and smiling. "Yeah, I guess I'm in the zone. It's the hottest I've ever been. Last year I struggled to finish."

Jube led HPU with 10 goals as it had its best season in six years of men's soccer, finishing one victory short of the NAIA national tournament. But it took him 76 shots to make those goals.

He was an NAIA All-America Honorable Mention. But he wasn't happy; he sensed jealousy from some teammates and at times had communication problems with former coach Robert Smock.

Jube was a freshman. But he was a 26-year-old freshman who had played on the junior national level in Brazil, often in front of crowds of 30,000 or more.

His confidence borne of experience was sometimes mistaken for arrogance.

"My philosophy is not that I'm a better player than the other guys," he said. "But I've had more exposure to good competition and pressure. The team respects that more this year, and I'm a little more verbal in my leadership.

"We get along better. The team chemistry is there," Jube added. "We really care about each other."

He also said he has a better relationship with new coach Frank Doyle.

"He listens. He might not always do what I want, but I always feel like I have the option of giving him ideas," Jube said.

Doyle has no complaints. Quite the contrary.

"This year he's just exploding. He's working hard, and we're getting him the ball," Doyle said. "He's got amazing ball control and agility with the ball at his feet, in addition to marvelous shooting ability. But Cesar's got to get the ball before he can put it in the net. And it's not like the ball magically gets to Cesar."

Jube is the first to hand out plaudits to the passers.

"Our midfielders are doing a great job this year," he said. "Especially Marcelo Rodrigues and Diego Yemal."

Doyle pointed out that everyone's getting into the assist act. Even fullback Brad Ventura, who set up Jube for the game-winning goal against Westminster College (Utah) on Saturday as HPU closed the road trip with a 3-2 win.

"I'd say (Jube's) easy-going and laid back," said team captain Scott Liedtke. "It's like the way he plays. He's so relaxed when he gets the ball and it correlates with his personality."

It might look easy for him on the field. But Jube has had to work hard in school - he only learned to speak English a little more than two years ago. Today, he is fluent.

HPU heard about Jube through his brother, Jose, who played basketball at Chaminade.

"When I came here, I had to pass an English test to get my scholarship, but I failed," Cesar Jube said. "Luckily, I like studying languages. I ate my books, and whenever I spoke Portuguese to my brother, he'd say, 'What? I can't hear you.' I passed the test three months later."

Jube is majoring in communications, and hopes to coach someday. He lives with a younger brother, Sandro, who may also play for HPU in the future.

Does Jube feel he is too old to keep dreams of playing on a national team - that of Brazil, or maybe even the U.S.?

"I think I've passed that stage," he said. "Of course, I don't close the door, but it's very political back home. And I know I want to stay here for a while after college, but I'm not sure if I will become a U.S. citizen or not."

For now, leading the Sea Warriors to the NAIA nationals will make for a pretty enough picture.

Cesar Jube was named the NAIA National Player of the Week yesterday.

Jube scored 10 goals and added two assists in four matches last week. He had back-to-back hat tricks in wins over Biola and Point Loma Nazarene and had two goals and one assist in each of the victories over Southern California College and Westminster.

HPU (7-1) hosts Brigham Young-Hawaii (0-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday at the HPU's Hawaii Loa campus field.