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Thursday, July 13, 2000
Rainbows’
gentle man
toughening up
Assistant coach Cavanaugh
By Dave Reardon
wants Manly Kanoa III to be a
meaner and nastier lineman
Star-BulletinDelphine and Manly Kanoa Jr. raised their son, Manly III, to be courteous, calm, polite and friendly.
By all accounts, they succeeded.
Even on the football field, Kanoa's the kind of guy to lend an opponent a hand off the turf after knocking his butt onto it.
But Mike Cavanaugh wants to undo all those nice manners, if just for a few hours each Saturday in the fall. He wants Kanoa to hunt for another guy to throttle instead of helping the first one back to his feet.
The University of Hawaii offensive line coach says size, strength and technique are fine, but he also needs his lone returning starter to get nasty.
"He's a real smart guy who understands the offense, and a vocal guy. I think he's got all the tools. But he's got to get tougher and meaner," Cavanaugh said. "I want him to be a big, mean (expletive). I want him to beat people up and be a mean SOB. I got on his ass about that last spring."
Kanoa said the special attention doesn't bother him, and understands that a temporary personality switch when he puts on the pads is for his benefit.
"When he's yelling at me, I know he's doing it for the greater good," the fourth-year junior said."He knows in his heart I could be a great lineman, and he wants to bring it out of me."
It doesn't bother Sarah, his wife of six months, either. Manly's high school sweetheart (both are 1997 Kamehameha graduates) finds the Bruce Banner-Incredible Hulk transformation intriguing.
"He's a gentle person by nature, a big teddy bear. It's interesting for me to watch him smash people, because he's pretty passive outside of football," Sarah said. "It's good for him to be more aggressive. Maybe that's why he's so gentle, because he gets it out of his system on the field."
And in the weight-room.
Kanoa didn't lift much in high school. Didn't need to, and didn't really want to. That was until his senior year, when his dad, an avid powerlifter, got him into the gym.
"I told him for them to beat the mighty (St. Louis) Crusaders people would have to step up and lead," said the father, a St. Louis alumnus. "And the best way to do that would be by working out."
From then on, Manly Jr. and Manly III trained together often.
"In the good old days, I could stay with him," the father said. "No way now."
Manly III is closing in on his goal of benching 225 pounds 30 times.
The Kanoas lost their favorite training partners last week when Manly Jr. moved to the Seattle area to take a job as the assistant general manager for public utilities in Snohomish County.
"I'm wheeling and dealing to try to get to as many games as I can," said Manly Jr., who will also be missed locally as a high school football and track official. "I already made an arrangement with my employer that they shouldn't expect to see me on Fridays of Rainbow football weekends."
He'll be seeing his son at a different position than last season. Kanoa will be at left guard instead of right guard.
While it might not seem much of a change, the move allows the most experienced lineman to help pass block on the side where the opposition's best pass rusher usually lines up.
"It's a different feeling coming in as the one with the least experience to being the one with the most," Kanoa said.
Coming out of spring practice, the rest of UH's tentative lineup across the front was Chris Pinkney (left tackle), Brian Smith or Sione Tafua (center), Vince Manuwai (right guard) and Keenan Forney (right tackle).
They will try to replace a line that sent two players, Adrian Klemm and Kaulana Noa, to the NFL.
"Adrian and Kaulana showed him the way," Manly Jr. said. "Now it's his turn to do it for the younger guys."
UH head coach June Jones has little doubt Kanoa can move into a take-charge role.
"Everyone's looking toward him as a guy with leadership skills," Jones said.
"Associated with that, he needs to step up and be one of the hardest workers and be diligent. It seems he's accepting that role pretty well."
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
