Cream of the crop in local recruiting.

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Sportsbow
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Cream of the crop in local recruiting.

Post by Sportsbow »

Where some are leaning to.
LINK: http://starbulletin.com/2004/12/12/sports/index5.html

Sunday, December 12, 2004

[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]

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Kane weighing his
many options
By Paul Honda
phonda@starbulletin.com
At 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, Mika Kane is probably strong enough to lift any car with a flat tire.

But when Kapolei lineman Ikaika Aken-Moleta's ride -- his grandparents' van -- was in need of a jack after a recent practice for the HUB Goodwill Classic, Kane let modern technology do the work. There will be plenty of time for heavy lifting in the near future.

The Kamehameha defensive tackle pondered his future after the HUB Goodwill Classic West All-Star team's practice Thursday. Kane returned from Cal a few weeks ago with plenty of optimism. Visits to San Diego State (Dec. 17), Oregon State (Jan. 7) and Michigan State (tentatively Jan. 14) are lined up. But then again, there was the call.

Urban Meyer picked up his phone and called Kane recently after the Utah coach was hired by Florida.

"He explained the situation. He said, 'At Utah, I liked you and Tyson (Alualu).' He likes Polynesian kids, and no matter where he goes, wants some," Kane said. "I thought, SEC? Holy crap."

Kane is big on Cal, though. If he does visit Florida, Kane believes it'll be a 50-50 pick between the two schools. At this point, he ranks his favorites as: 1. Cal, 2. Oregon State, 3. Michigan State, 4. San Diego State.

Hawaii, in dire need of defensive linemen, is still in the picture.

"They want me to visit, but I'm holding on," Kane said. A student-athlete is permitted no more than five official visits.

"Plus, I want to go away. Except for the Cal trip, I've only been off this rock once, and that was when I was a baby," he said.

For a time, Kane's mother wanted nothing more than to see him attend BYU.

"My dad and me talked with her. She doesn't know a lot about college football," Kane said. "Now, they support whatever I decide."

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Hawaii's Top College Prospects
A position-by-position look at some of the state's best high school players:


Offensive Line
Arguably the deepest and most talented position in this and all seasons. Six of the top eight here are leaning toward the mainland.

The cream of this crop, Kailua's Kainoa LaCount, is bluntly undecided.

While they wait on the results of his recent SAT, Colorado, Idaho and Hawaii remain in close contact with the 6-foot-6, 305-pound senior.

He insists that he is 6-7, but recruiters love him just the same.

Raphael Ieru, McKinley's 6-4, 315-pound anchor, is also getting a lot of aloha from coaches. With a 3.4 GPA, he's already NCAA qualified. He has trips to San Diego State, Arizona State and Hawaii lined up.

Kapolei's Ikaika Aken-Moleta (6-2, 315) already has trips to Oregon State and Oregon lined up for January. However, Tennessee inquired with his coach, Darren Hernandez, Thursday morning. The Volunteers, as well as Hawaii, are interested in him as a defensive lineman.

Shawn Lauvao boarded an 11:30 p.m. flight Friday, shortly after the HUB Goodwill Classic. He is visiting Cal, and will also visit Arizona State, Oregon, Boise State and San Diego State. The onslaught of interest picked up only within the past two weeks. He's already a qualifier (3.7 GPA, 980 SAT). Hawaii was initially not overly interested in the 6-3, 310-pound Farrington student-athlete.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (Hawaii Prep) and Aaron Kia (Mililani) are leaning toward Hawaii. Both are long, lean and athletic, very much the way UH offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh likes his blockers. Te'o-Nesheim is 6-3, 235, and Kia is 6-4, 255. Trask Iosefa (Punahou) and Tyler Williams (Kamehameha) will travel quite a bit this holiday season. Iosefa (6-1, 305) will likely visit Tulane, and has drawn interest from Arizona State and Washington.

"He's further along than (Derek) Fa'avi was at his age," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said. Fa'avi is Hawaii's starting center.

Williams has trips lined up to San Diego State, Washington and Tennessee.

Tight End
Waika Spencer and Stanley Malamala are drawing interest.

Spencer, a 6-4, 220-pound multi-sport standout, suffered a knee injury in the state tournament semifinals. Before the injury, he was rated No. 4 in the state by Rivals.com.

Malamala, at 6-3, 220 pounds, has excellent speed and good hands. Like Spencer, he is a qualifier.

Wide Receiver
Spencer Hafoka, Jon Santos, Isaac Laupola and Shaun Kauleinamoku have attracted the most attention.

Hafoka had been leaning toward Utah until Meyer left for Florida. The 6-foot, 180-pound Kahuku speedster is now leaning toward Hawaii.

San Diego State, Boise State and Hawaii have targeted Mililani's Santos, a 6-foot, 180-pound receiver who has high yards-after-catch numbers.

Laupola said he will need high SAT scores to become a qualifier. He was timed at 4.3 in the 40 at a summer combine, with a regular 4.4 mark. He also played defensive back and returned kicks for Campbell.

Kauleinamoku, at 5-7 and 165 pounds, heard mainly from small colleges until the past week. Hawaii is showing more interest now.

Running Back
Micah Strickland had opportunities, but apparently has turned off some recruiters, including Utah, for various reasons. He is a qualifier, however, and there still may be a school that will work with the talented youngster.

Damien Torres (Kailua) and Jayson Rego (Kamehameha), who led the OIA East and ILH, respectively, in rushing, are waiting patiently.

Saint Louis' Kevin Sullivan has drawn interest from Air Force, Rhode Island and SMU. Unlike Torres and Rego, Sullivan is more of a straight-ahead runner who would fit in option-type offenses.

Quarterback
Kekoa Crowell and Stanley Nihipali are on the bubble.

Crowell had Colorado's interest for some time, but the Buffaloes have backed off. He will meet with San Diego State this weekend.

Nihipali has bounced back from a midseason shoulder separation, impressing coaches during HUB practices. Both Crowell and Nihipali played in run-and-shoot offenses.

Defensive Tackle
Alualu and Kane may be thinking of the mainland, but Aiea's Rocky Savaiigaea is leaning toward Hawaii.

Savaiigaea, who is waiting on his SAT results, had been interested in Utah until Meyer left.

His teammate, Malo Taumua, could be the sleeper of the season. He's close to becoming a qualifier. Taumua (6-2, 295) will visit Utah in January.

Defensive End
Brashton Satele of Pac-Five (Word of Life) has already made a verbal commitment to Hawaii, fulfilling a lifelong dream. He played linebacker and running back in high school.

Oregon State is showing strong interest in Jake Ingrams, a recent Mililani graduate.

Inside Linebacker
Blaze Soares and B.J. Fruean are in the spotlight. Soares, a three-year starter for Castle, has filled out his 6-2 frame and is now 210 pounds. He will visit San Diego State soon, and Hawaii is also interested. Fruean, of Leilehua, drew interest from Hawaii early on. He is close to becoming an NCAA qualifier.

Punahou's Tysan Pa'aga, at 6-1, 220, runs a 4.65 40. He had early interest from Arizona State, Oregon State and Colorado, among others.

Outside Linebacker
Kaluka Maiava of Baldwin made a verbal commitment to USC during the summer. Maiava has a tremendous combination of speed and power.

Defensive Back
Kahuku's Al Afalava will visit BYU, Oregon State and Washington. Tennessee and Hawaii are also showing interest.

On the Bubble
Mililani's Sene Ma'afala was an offensive lineman for the duration of his prep career. Oregon State and Hawaii, however, may be interested in the 6-1, 372-pound senior as a nose guard. Academics will be the key factor.

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Kaluka Maiava

Post by SM96753 »

Baldwin High linebacker and USC recruit Kaluka Maiava stated in the Maui News that his hometown college (UH) didn't even give him a call for recruitment. I guess they didn't see the same atributes that mighty powerhouse University of Southern California saw in him.

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Post by Ldub20 »

Really? That is wierd. What is June Jone's on? June Jones is a fudging bastard sometimes, god damned, If this kid is good enough for USC they're more than good enough for Hawaii. Come On now! poop! There's too many fuking kids that got away! :x

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Post by warriorfan808 »

I think a lot of it had to do with him going to their combines. I never heard anything about him until the combines and now he's having an awesome year. I think once USC and UCLA got into a recruiting battle for him, June Jones proably felt that it was a battled that couldn't be won. Especially if you add in that he went to their combines to get noticed.

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Post by Ldub20 »

It doesn't matter if u think u can or can't get a blue-chipper or talented player over a big-time school. You at least send the kid letters and show some interest and let him know what you as a coach can help him accomplish if he comes to play for you and your system. But, if you just pay the kid no attention then why should he pay you any attention.

June Jone's was here to attract some better talent, but he has not done it. He's not a great recruiter period. It seems like he doesn't really sell the program and Hawaii well to kids. Most of the top local kids are still leaving and Utah would've taken a big chunk if Urban Meyer stayed. That saids a lot about what players think of June Jones. It looks like this year Hawaii will not get the big receiver that can stretch the field and make big plays like Chad Owens who is gone. That is UNBELIEVABLE! :x

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Post by IPatentllo7o1 »

hey ldub isnt rivers ahead of lelie at the same point of their careers??? and rivers still has an offseason to work on his routes... we'll also have desmond thomas who redshirted this year and is suppose to be a playmaker with decent height and speed... we should be fine with grice mullen and ferguson at slots... river and thomas at wideouts... id like to see either a big time qb recruit or humphrey get the start next year...ilaoa is an awesome slot but we might need him more at running back unless bass can get more balance with his running..

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Post by WA Warrior »

Mahalos Sportsbow for that post. I'm interested what the prospect coming out of American Samoa looks like, as a matter of fact what the prospects for the whole Pacific Rim looks likes since UH did get a verbal from that Aussie lineman, or was is from New Zealand? Regardless, I'd like to see that too...can anyone make that happen?
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Mahalos [*]Red Gun[/color] for the update!!!

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Post by wayoutwest »

main problem with kids out of american samoa is their grades. think hawaii... only worse. that's why a lot of those kids end up taking the juco route and making a name for themselves in their final two years of college (sopoaga).

as for the rest of the pacific rim, the talent is very raw. i actually played some "gridiron" when i was down in new zealand and they definitely have the horses, it's just a matter of getting the fundamentals down. good thing about nz and aussie is that rugby is huge and their tackling fundamentals are second-to-none. our aussie recruit this year (adrian thomas) seems like a rarity in that he has a lot of football experience for an aussie. not exactly sure what the academic requirements are for foreign students though...

ot: the equipment i used in nz was second-hand stuff sent from high schools in the united states. i was actually missing an ear pad in my helmet, LOL... but you play the game nonetheless. good times...

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Can someone explain what

Post by seasider »

"Close to becoming a qualifier" means...LOL, you either pass the SAT or go the JUCO route.

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Post by warriorfan808 »

I just wish we had a JUCO system here in Hawaii. Maybe they can put together something. Do they have a junior college in Samoa? If they don't, maybe UH can set something up. Think about all the talent that would come out of a JUCO system like this:

2 American Samoa Junior Colleges
Honolulu Community College
Leeward Community College
Windward Community College
Kapiolani Community College
Hilo Community College
Maui Community College

Enough schools to start a league. If we keep the games to a minimum, hopefully we'll be able to save on cost.

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Post by Grinch »

Warrior808's idea is a really good one. I wonder if anyone's tried this here in Hawaii, but couldn't get it going for some reason.

On the side: After reading about all our blue-chip recruits going away, gotta say this about Timmy Chang: Thanks for staying at home to represent the 50th state. He could've gone to alot of big mainland schools, but stayed home and put UH on the map with the NCAA passing record.

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Post by WA Warrior »

Islander wrote:On the side: After reading about all our blue-chip recruits going away, gotta say this about Timmy Chang: Thanks for staying at home to represent the 50th state. He could've gone to alot of big mainland schools, but stayed home and put UH on the map with the NCAA passing record.
Despite all my criticism on TC's play over the years, I would have to echo your thoughts on the "Mahalos" for staying home. Always good to see any local boy do good!
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Mahalos [*]Red Gun[/color] for the update!!!

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Hold the horses!

Post by sponger48 »

I would wait on being so critical this early in recruiting. The truth is we have no idea of who the coaches are talking to or not. We don't know if some of the players told the Hawaii coaches they are not interested. UH has put out the welcome mat for any Hawaii player to come in and even walk on, and the vision is to keep all the Hawaii players home. Due to NCAA rules, its kind of a guessing game for us as we wait. There is a big difference between recruiting a blue chipper and when the lights go on.

We don't know if some of the Hawaii players on the mainland are getting homesick and want to come home too! If someone's head and heart is somewhere else, I would leave the door open for them. As far as having a limited budget, I would not chase someone down and waste money trying to change their mind, it would be futile. So sit back, relax, pop open a beer and watch your tapes of your favorite games. We don't have anyone nor have we lost anyone until letter of intent day!!!!

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Post by MisterPurple »

I think a juco league in Hawaii can only benefit UH, but I really don't think it's feasible.

Unfortunately the #1 concern is:

How would the league be financed?

It's sad, but the first thing that needs to be accounted for is money. There's a lot of startup involved. Equipment for the teams, building or renting sites (this likely could be given by high schools for free), employment and training of on-field officials. All before the first whistle is blown.

I don't think UH is hurting enough in recruiting that the athletic department would contribute significantly to funding such a league. Besides, they have their own bottom line to worry about, so I wouldn't blame them if they didn't.

Corporate sponsorship has got to be the way to go. I just don't know how easy it would be to get companies to open up their coffers to support a product with so many unknowns.

But even after the league gets started... will attendence be sufficient enough to keep it afloat? Remember what happened with the Islanders, the Winter Baseball League, and the World Football League.

Besides the money, there is also a lot of work that would need to be done... a lot of coordinated work. You would need a number of people with a common vision to get together and put a plan in motion. Administrators from every school involved would have to put in time to make it get off the ground.

But I think there is an even bigger hole to fill than money:

Are there enough athletes to fill the rosters?

I will admit, I've never seen any juco games, even though I lived near some successful teams when I was in college. Thus, I can't speak to their talent level. So, I imagine this "what if" league to be made up of a pool of the high school graduates who aren't good enough and/or don't qualify for a Div I school. Are there enough players from Hawaii high school teams to make this league work? I'm not so sure about that. I mean... yes, there are lots of guys who graduate high school and never go to the next level. But how many of them are genuinely interested in playing football AND going to school for another two or three years (at least). It could be a lot, it might not be. I really have no way of guessing without going to the schools and taking a poll.

I would not count on mainland players to fill the roster. As much as I think that the Hawaii paradise image can attract some players to UH, I'm not so sure that would work with a juco team. I also doubt that a juco recruiting budget would allow for coaches to travel to the mainland very much.

I will say this though: if somehow this gets worked out, I think it would be good for a lot of people to work toward at least an Associates degree, and increase the chances that they'd pursue a 4-year degree. I don't have hard numbers, but the state of Hawaii has always had a relatively low level of education for its residents. Socioeconomically, it should be better for the whole state if several hundred more people earn even a 2-year degree every year.

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Where are the St. Louis Studs

Post by BigWave96744 »

In the past there were like 3-4 St Louis guys courted by big time BCS teams and another 3-4 that went to mid majors...

Is there a trend happening since Cal Lee left that local boys are starting to play for their hometown HS?

To me it's a positive because now you don't have a big bully school beating up everyone 70-0 and a more balanced league... Also a big time player (ie Kaluka Maiava) can draw attention to his school and help other teammates get noticed and get scholies..

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