Kaonohi gets fresh
start with Warriors

After a brief transfer,
the O-lineman is back
with Hawaii

Springtime in Manoa means versatile No. 60 is trying to make an impression yet again, battling to climb the Hawaii offensive-line depth chart any way he can.

He's a little smaller than the other candidates, but he's more athletic, and he absorbed the playbook and everything else former position coach Mike Cavanaugh threw at him for three years.

Like Cavanaugh's replacement, Mouse Davis, says, "He's the right kind of kid."

It's almost like Marques Kaonohi never left.

But he did -- even though it was just for a few days -- and now the fourth-year junior from Waimanalo and Kailua High School is scrapping not only for a position, but also to regain his scholarship.

When you're a UH offensive lineman and you get caught up in the numbers game, you do have options. You can wait it out, hoping for something to happen that moves you up the chart. You can switch to the defensive line, where playing time comes faster. Or, you can look into transferring to another school.

Kaonohi chose Door No. 3.

His coach at Kailua, Darren Johnson, helped him find Tennessee-Chattanooga.

"I was getting kind of frustrated here. I wanted to play and I felt I could play at that level," he said.

But his brief trip in January "didn't work out," Kaonohi said.

"I went up there, but it was totally different," said Kaonohi, who'd never been out of Hawaii except for a couple of three- or four-day UH football road trips.

Said Davis: "He told me that was tough."

Two weeks later, Kaonohi returned to Hawaii.

"I got back in time to enroll this semester," he said.

The difference is he has to pay his own tuition now.

Coach June Jones wants to get him back on scholarship, but needs to check on the rules regarding Kaonohi's situation.

In the meantime, Kaonohi has a fresh start in another sense.

"I'm getting a chance to prove myself to a new coach," he said.

Davis said he likes Kaonohi's versatility. With incumbent centers Derek Fa'avi and Samson Satele resting injuries from last season, Kaonohi is getting plenty of work making line calls and snapping the ball.

"He's a natural center, could play guard, probably tackle, too," Davis said of Kaonohi, who is 6-foot-1 and 270 pounds. "He's a good, strong kid."

Before Cavanaugh left for Oregon State, he told Kaonohi to try to be "the new Phil." The reference is to Phil Kauffman, who completed his UH career last season and made himself a valuable team member by being ready to play center or either guard position.

Teammates are glad Kaonohi is back.

"I wasn't surprised he left. I thought he might the year before," said Satele, who was also his high school teammate. "He took a chance. I'm glad he's getting a second chance. He knows his stuff. This is nothing new to him."

Workout monsters: Strength and conditioning coach Mel deLaura was asked to name five Warriors who prepared the best physically for spring practice since the end of last season.

He obliged, using a point system (adjusted by positions) that includes 12 events including lifting, running and agility tests:

1. Defensive end Karl Noa. 2 (tie). Cornerback Kenny Patton. 2 (tie). Linebacker Brad Kalilimoku. 4. Linebacker C.J. Allen-Jones. 5. Offensive lineman Brandon Eaton.

Need for speed: Potential NFL draftees Tim Chang and Chad Owens will be guest instructors at the Hawaii Speed & Quickness Camps this weekend.

Tomorrow, Chang will appear, and Owens will be on hand Sunday. They will sign autographs after the sessions.

Ages 7-12 go from 8:30 to 10 a.m. and 13 and above from 10:30 to noon.

The cost is $10 and includes a certificate from Jamba Juice. Registration is at Cooke Field on the UH campus.

Short yardage: Nease High School (Fla.) coach Ken Taylor and his staff observed practice for the third day yesterday before returning home. Taylor is the father of wide receiver Rick Taylor, who is expected to join the Warriors in 2006. ... Former UH and current San Jose State coach Dick Tomey also visited yesterday. ... Players will be in full pads for the first time this morning.