Football players think big. So does University of Hawaii president Evan Dobelle, who struck the right chords in a brief speech to the Warriors after practice yesterday. UH president’s visit
gives players a boostBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comDobelle appeared at the request of head coach June Jones, who earlier gave Dobelle an open-ended invitation to talk to the players.
Dobelle drew three rounds of applause in his 10-minute speech.
"I thanked them for what they were doing for themselves, for their teammates, and for, in my opinion, the university and the state," said Dobelle, who replaced Kenneth Mortimer on July 1. "It's an honor for me to be asked by the coach to do it. It's not a usual thing that happens. But if he feels it can be helpful, I'm happy to do it."
Jones said Dobelle's energy can only help his team as UH prepares for its Sept. 8 season-opener against Montana on Maui.
"He's a great guy. He's a football fan. He loves his job and he loves football," Jones said. "They know that he's their kind of guy. I think they sensed that when he spoke."
Dobelle said he played defensive back in high school.
"I wasn't a great player," he said. "But I was fast and I hit low and it worked out. I enjoyed it."
Sophomore defensive lineman Wayne Hunter said the Warriors are at the point in camp where inspiring speeches can help a lot.
"I like the fact that he's a football fan. This late in camp everyone's feeling down so it's great when people like that come out and they pick us up," Hunter said. "They make us realize what we're fighting for."
Senior offensive lineman Manly Kanoa is excited for his younger teammates about Dobelle's vision of a new stadium and his big goals, including national championships.
"Where was he when I was younger? I'm real excited about all this. It's good for the football program. It'll only go up from here," Kanoa said. "It looks like it's going to be real positive."
Dobelle said he appreciates the sacrifices the players make.
"They've got to play, they've got to go to school and they've got family responsibilities," he said. "And they've got to be thinking ahead. To win you gotta get hit. They have to be thinking about that all week. That's significant."
Not too sharp: Although afternoon practice ended on a positive note with Dobelle's talk, it was overall a flat session -- so flat that Jones canceled the evening practice, except for a special teams' meeting.
There were some good plays in the 11-on-11 drills, but there were just as many bad snaps, bad reads, dropped balls and blown coverages.
It was the first practice of fall camp which Jones did not consider especially productive.
"Our legs are really sore. So we cut out the running and we're not going to practice tonight," Jones said. "Concentration level was down a little bit."
Short yardage: Reserve freshman offensive lineman Brandon Eaton fractured his right elbow yesterday and may require surgery. ... Junior offensive lineman Shayne Kajioka (6-3, 323) shed more than 50 pounds from last year's playing weight. ... Freshman defensive backs Jason and Justin Goss are identical twins. ... Two officials worked the Warriors' 11-on-11 drills yesterday, but there was no full-on scrimmage.