Thursday, March 22, 2001
Miano’s prime If Rich Miano was in the midst of a storm, he's the kind of man who'd say, "I hear it's going to be clear tomorrow."
objective will be
secondary
He has Jackson and Espiau
for a solid core, and is looking
to see who else steps upFOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinLike all the coaches on the University of Hawaii football team, Miano is a disciple of June Jones. They believe the glass half empty is on its way to being full.
All that's needed is a little belief and a lot of effort to make anything possible.
So when Miano says he isn't passing judgment on his cornerbacks until he sees how they run in the Division I lamplights, pay attention. It means the depth chart could change on a wrong read or an improper turn.
And we're talking in practice, not a game.
"We've still got the spring and fall camp for guys to prove themselves," Miano said. "Hyrum Peters has some experience at corner, but the other guys don't really have any. In my mind, both spots are still open. Competition is good for everybody."
Peters started three of the last four games in 2000, but if the true freshman struggled, Miano could always turn to reliable Flex Armstrong. Now that he and fellow senior corner Shawndel Tucker are gone, it leaves Miano with two prime time spots to fill without any clear-cut candidates.
Coaches claim, when assembling a defense, you start with your cornerbacks and build toward the middle. Miano will probably start with Peters on the right side and Gary Wright on the left in this Sunday's spring game at Cooke Field. But don't hold him to it.
California-grown Kelvin Millhouse and Abraham Elimimian were pushing to play last year, but Miano held them out for eligibility reasons. Millhouse has three inches and seven pounds on Wright, but is still No. 2 on the hit list.
That's because Wright has stepped up and made some big plays this spring.
He's a solid 5-foot-10, 191 pounds, in possession of good quickness and even better instincts.
But with Millhouse pushing him and Elimimian shoving Peters, it's tough to say who will start in the Sept. 8 opener vs. Montana at Maui's War Memorial Stadium.
"We're not experienced, but we feel like we have some talented players at corner," UH defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "Hyrum performed well for us the last month of the season, and Gary has the right mental makeup for the position."
Cornerbacks have to be long on talent and short on memory. As Miano puts it, "Even the best cornerbacks are going to get beat. It's how you respond to it that proves if you're tough enough to play the position."
Miano believes Peters has already passed muster to some degree. Barely a year removed from Kahuku High, Peters squared off with pass-happy Nevada and Louisiana Tech, and survived encounters with big-play receivers Chris Chambers of Wisconsin and Nate Turner of Nevada-Las Vegas.
He didn't win all those battles, but he still finished the season with 49 tackles and three pass breakups. Not particularly imposing at 5-8, 182, like safeties Nate Jackson and Jacob Espiau, Peters doesn't shy away from mixing it up. He has been hampered by a bad hamstring most of the spring, but plans to play Sunday.
That's something Jackson and Espiau can't claim. They will miss the spring game with injuries, something Miano hopes isn't a portent of things to come. It does allow him to
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