StarBulletin.com

Prestigious Senior Bowl picks Hawaii's Veikune


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POSTED: Sunday, January 11, 2009

David Veikune didn't mind the sudden change of plans.

Veikune, a former Hawaii defensive end, was just about to hop a flight from Los Angeles to Houston—where he was to play in Saturday's East-West Shrine Game—when his agent informed him he'd been invited to the Senior Bowl.

“;I didn't find out until about 5:45 this morning,”; Veikune said. “;I was about a minute away from getting into a cab when my agent called and told me to unpack my bags.

“;It's going to be an honor to play in the Senior Bowl.”;

Veikune and former UH long snapper Jake Ingram have accepted the invitation to the Senior Bowl, to be held Jan. 24 in Mobile, Ala. The game's connection to the NFL heightens its attractiveness to draft hopefuls and Veikune will play for the South team, coached by the Jacksonville Jaguars staff.

Veikune was a second-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection and named Hawaii's Most Valuable Player last season after posting 73 tackles and leading the Warriors with 16 1/2 tackles for loss, including nine sacks.

“;When you play for Hawaii and in the WAC, a lot of people in the Midwest and East Coast don't really get an opportunity to see you,”; said agent Kenny Zuckerman, who represents Veikune and former Warriors defensive back Ryan Mouton. “;It's a great opportunity for him to showcase himself.”;

Veikune and Mouton are training at Athletes Performance in Carson, Calif., and have both been invited to the NFL combine.

While Veikune will spend another week training, Mouton did head to Houston yesterday and will play in the Shrine game in Houston on Saturday along with former USC linebacker and Baldwin graduate Kaluka Maiava.

Wynn Silberman, the agent representing Ingram and linebacker Solomon Elimimian, said Elimimian is training in San Diego and is hopeful he'll be invited to the NFL combine as well.

 

Sneak peak

David Graves made a recruiting trip to Hawaii in December and will come over again next month to attend the Pro Bowl. The next time he visits his stay will be quite a bit longer than a weekend.

Graves, a quarterback from Folsom (Calif.) High School, plans to sign with the Warriors on Feb. 4, a few days before his Pro Bowl vacation. Graves was named the Sacramento Bee's All-Metro Player of the Year after passing for 2,771 yards and 40 touchdowns and rushing for 11 scores.

“;The offense is real similar to the offense we ran in high school and I think I can fit into the island lifestyle real well,”; Graves said.

Graves is the third high school quarterback to commit to UH, joining Corey Nielsen of Gahr (Calif.) High School and Punahou's Cayman Shutter.

“;I believe the competition will only make us stronger,”; Graves said.

Graves excelled in his lone varsity season as a quarterback. He was behind a prolific passer as a sophomore and junior, and played receiver instead.

“;He handled it from Day 1 like he'd been there forever,”; Folsom coach Kris Richardson said.

 

Waiting game

Offensive lineman Kainoa LaCount is hoping to enroll at UH for the spring semester, which starts tomorrow, and is waiting on transcripts from his junior college. LaCount (6-foot-7, 290 pounds), a Kailua graduate, signed with UH last year as a heralded recruit from College of the Canyons, but didn't earn his associate degree in time to enter school for the fall.

Brett Leonard, a 6-5, 305-pound tackle from Saddleback Junior College, is set to start classes tomorrow. Leonard was among five mid-year transfers who signed with the Warriors last month.