[ WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]
UH end starting
to shineFormer hoopster Alama-Francis
looks good at scrimmage
For Ikaika Alama-Francis, scrimmage used to mean running up and down a basketball court. Now it's about chasing quarterbacks.
The former Hawaii basketball player has been with the Warriors football team for a year now and looks almost as comfortable at defensive end as he did at small forward. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound sophomore, who didn't play football at Kalaheo High School, was in on two sacks at yesterday's 50-play full-contact scrimmage.
"He's the real deal," UH coach June Jones said. "Looking at the tape, he stood out the most. Unbelievable big-time speed off the edge and he gets to the football."
It seems instincts are beginning to kick in for Alama-Francis, whose father, Joe Francis, played for the Green Bay Packers.
"I'm a little more confident than I was last year," said Alama-Francis, who played sparingly in six games, making two tackles and recovering a fumble. "It was all about learning the technique. (Defensive line) coach (Vantz) Singletary pushed that and I have to learn a little bit more every day.
"Spring practice is very important for me. It gives me a chance to show what I can do, what I've learned. Maybe it will give the coaches confidence in me to put me in the game."
If Alama-Francis needed any extra inspiration yesterday, he only had to look at the sideline. Former UH defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga visited practice. Today, he will likely be chosen in the first day of the NFL Draft. Like Alama-Francis, Sopoaga is a relative newcomer to football.
"Coming from Samoa, I played rugby my whole life and never experienced football. It's a big thing. The door's wide open for me and I gotta take it," Sopoaga said. "I have to thank this whole coaching staff. They got me ready. They prepared me and got me to be able to play this level. A lot of people ask me where I'm going to go, where I want to go. But my answer to them is it doesn't matter to me. I just wait until they call. They call, I go. NFL has 32 teams."
Sopoaga is expected to be chosen in the first two rounds today. Defensive end Travis LaBoy will likely be picked in the second or third round.
Hit of the day: Junior safety Lamar Broadway took advantage of the rare full-pads scrimmage by laying a big hit. Sophomore slotback Orlando Wong made a nifty leaping catch across the middle, only to have Broadway crack him in a mid-air collision.
"You don't savor it, because you're doing it against your teammate," Broadway said. "But you have to perform for the coaches. That's my teammate, I wouldn't wish anything bad upon him. But at the same time, that's what we're practicing every day. ... Explode through. That's my job. Protect the middle."
Wong got some payback a few plays later. He caught another pass but eluded Broadway this time and chewed up 40 yards before he was gang-tackled.
"I slipped and he got away. That's the game of football. Highs to a low and back," Broadway said. "You try to keep your head clear, one snap and clear and go to the next play. He did, and that's what I have to do."
Not to mention any names, but ...: Jones and quarterback coach Dan Morrison have continually said all four backup-quarterback candidates have done well.
But freshman Jack Rolovich's name seems to keep coming up each day.
"Rolovich showed he can stand in there and throw the ball," Jones said when asked what he learned about his quarterbacks yesterday. "But they all made a couple of big plays."
Junior Jeff Rhode said he enjoyed the full-contact situation where even the orange-shirted quarterbacks aren't spared.
"It's a good chance to get a feel. In team (drills) they come at you, but they'll pull up. They came at us today," Rhode said. "I made a couple of throws with guys right in my face, and it's tough. You might incomplete them, but at least you get the feel."
Rhode is displaying more confidence in his third spring at UH.
"It's just knowledge. Just feeling better about reading defenses and throwing the ball on time. That's made a world of difference," he said.
Hard on himself: Junior defensive tackle Abu Ma'afala made a nice play to end the scrimmage, nearly intercepting a shovel pass. But he gave himself low marks for the morning overall.
"I had a real bad day today. I just have no excuse. I wasn't going as hard as I should've and it shows up on the film. I wasn't finishing, I wasn't working hard," Ma'afala said. "I have to improve my consistency and finish hard, playing harder and more aggressive with a bigger motor. Have to stop taking things for granted now and keep working hard."