WARRIOR FOOTBALL
Hawaii reels in recruits
STORY SUMMARY »
Saint Louis product Geordon Hanohano and Damien's Haku Correa have orally committed to play for Hawaii next fall.
Four other players said they would join them, including Damien cornerback Christian Vasconcellos.
STAR-BULLETIN
FULL STORY »
Not so long ago, he was a little squirt fetching water bottles at practice as Cal Lee roamed the sidelines at Saint Louis.
Football Commitments
» Haku Correa, Damien, DE/OLB, 6-1, 240, to Hawaii
» Geordon Hanohano, Saint Louis, DT, 6-2, 270, to Hawaii
» Mykenna Ikehara, Kamehameha, OL, 6-3, 275, to Washington
» Solomon Koehler, Castle, OL/DL, 6-2, 305, to Arizona
» Earvin Sione, McKinley, QB/WR, 6-5, 190, to Hawaii
» Sean Tesoro, Baldwin, OL, 6-3, 285, to UNLV
» Aaron Tipoti, Pac-Five/Word of Life, DE, 6-3, 250, to Cal
» Christian Vasconcellos, Damien, CB, 6-2, 190, to Hawaii
» J.J. Autele, Punahou, LB/DE 6-2, 230, to San Diego State
|
Today, Geordon Hanohano is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive tackle. He is also the newest recruit for the University of Hawaii, thanks in part to Lee, now a UH assistant coach.
"It's kind of a full circle I've made, going from a waterboy to becoming one of his players," Hanohano said yesterday afternoon, just 2 hours after giving the Warriors an oral commitment.
The Star-Bulletin All-State first-team selection gave Hawaii his word during a meeting with new head coach Greg McMackin.
"He's a really good person and he seems sincere with everything he said. He's not just talking to you like you're just another recruit. He means everything he says," Hanohano said.
Damien defensive end Haku Correa, a brother of former UH defensive lineman Laanui Correa, also gave McMackin an oral commitment, and Correa's Damien teammate Christian Vasconcellos reaffirmed a commitment he made last summer.
"I felt like the Hawaii coaches believe in me. I trust them and trust that they can take me to the next level," Haku Correa said.
A source close to the situation indicated three other players committed during this weekend's visits but would not name them.
Hanohano is not a qualifier yet. He said he needs to improve his grade-point average and will retake the SAT.
To concentrate more on academics, he gave up his senior season of basketball. The Crusaders hoopsters are ranked No. 6 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10.
"I'm officially retired from high school basketball, but I miss every second of it," said Hanohano, who leads the student cheering section at Saint Louis games. "I know I need to focus on academics."
Arizona was Hanohano's leading choice until recently.
"They filled their slots with scholarships before they could bring me up (on a visit), so they kind of let me go. That was kind of a heartbreaker," he said.
Hanohano turned down offers from New Mexico State, San Diego State and UNLV.
Former Hawaii receiver Jason Rivers caught three passes for 16 yards in the East-West Shrine game in Houston on Saturday.
Rivers played for the West team in a 31-13 win.
Rivers makes three catches
Former Hawaii receiver Jason Rivers caught three passes for 16 yards in the East-West Shrine game in Houston on Saturday.
Rivers played for the West team in a 31-13 win.