CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Joe Avery, a freshman receiver from Carson, Calif., is 6 feet, 5 inches tall.
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Warriors receiver Avery is 6-foot-5 but has room to grow
At 6 feet 5 inches,
Joe Avery is one guy who doesn't have a problem getting noticed.
The redshirt freshman from Carson, Calif., has stood out among his fellow receivers from the first time he stepped onto the Hawaii practice field last fall.
His tall frame combined with his speed and athleticism make him tough not to watch during practice.
"Size is not the problem," offensive coordinator Ron Lee said. "He has got to work on his hands a little more."
Avery spent last year on the scout team and received very few reps once the season began. His workload has increased 10-fold this spring.
"Every day I try to find things that I was at flaw at last practice or during the fall," Avery said. "I'm just trying to find ways to (make things perfect)."
Avery is a perfectionist, which is why he's not satisfied with his spring performance. His biggest struggle has been an inconsistency catching the ball, something that hampers a lot of freshman receivers.
"Everybody goes through this process where they're learning the routes and have too much on their mind, and (when) the ball comes they drop it," Lee said. "For a redshirt freshman, he has come a long way. What he does in the summer is going to be critical to where he ends up on the depth chart."
Teammate Greg Salas was in the same situation a year ago, and is now one of the guys at the head of the receiving pack.
It's one reason Avery looks up to Salas.
"He has great hands and that's an aspect about him that I'm going to eventually have to get, too," Avery said. "His athleticism and route-running is almost perfect. I set my standards based off of him because he's obviously a good athlete."
Green vs. Black
This morning's practice was to feature the teams for Saturday's Warrior Bowl playing each other in a prelude, coach Greg McMackin said.
"We'll do our individual, 7 on 7, and then we'll split it up and have a mock game and we'll close it with the ha'a," McMackin said.
The Warrior Bowl starts at 7 p.m. at Aloha Stadium on Saturday. The event, including parking, is free.
The parking lot opens at 4 and the stadium gates at 5. There will be free activities from 5 to 7 on the south concourse.
See UH Sports Extra at starbulletin.com for complete Warrior Bowl rosters.
Done for spring
Redshirt freshman Korey Reynolds will sit out the rest of spring practice to heal a strained ligament in his right shoulder.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound running back had surgery on it after the Sugar Bowl and wants to be completely healthy going into next season.
"I'm just trying to be careful," Reynolds said. "Trying to get ready for fall now."
Washington returns
Senior slotback Mike Washington returned to practice yesterday after missing several sessions with a tight hamstring.
"It's doing better, but I can't sprint on it yet," said the odds-on favorite to win a starting spot. "I tried to plant on it and the pain shot up. I'd say it's about 90 percent."
Calling all alumni
A reception for all former UH football players is scheduled for today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lettermen's Club building on lower campus. Refreshments will be served.