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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, October 26, 2006

Lone stars shine in Hawai'i secondary

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

When head coach June Jones wanted to rebuild the University of Hawai'i's defensive secondary, he followed his football compass and looked to the Lone Star State.

"Even when I was in the NFL, we tried to get a lot of players from Texas, especially the corners and defensive backs," Jones said. "Players from Texas are a lot like the players who play in Hawai'i. Football is what they do. In Texas, football is a passion, and it's a way of life. Watch 'Friday Night Lights,' and you find out what's different about it. We went down there specifically for that reason."

Saturday's game against Idaho will be the second in a row in which three Texans — cornerbacks Gerard Lewis and Myron Newberry and strong safety Jake Patek — will start in the UH secondary. All three are first-year Warriors who transferred from junior colleges. Free safety Leonard Peters, who was born in American Samoa and raised on the North Shore, is the other starter.

"Gerard and Myron and Jacob exemplify that passion for the sport," Jones said. "They love the game, and they play every play like it's their last."

Most important, said assistant coach Jeff Reinebold, who recruited all three, they "never grumbled when they weren't playing, and they never stopped working hard when they got their chance."

That's probably because of their difficult journey.

Lewis, who was raised in Houston, never started a high school football game. To make the Tyler Junior College team, he competed in the developmental program, which really was an audition for 140 prospects.

"He went to Tyler as basically a walk-on, an undersized (5 feet 9), unrecruited player," Reinebold said. "They couldn't run him off. And it was the same here. Until he unstraps his chin strap for the last time, he's going to have to battle people saying he's too small. If a guy's been through that, obviously the game has to mean an awful lot to him."

Lewis initially signed with Eastern New Mexico State. But he successfully voided that commitment, then contacted UH.

"I told him I couldn't help him, that he would have to do all of the work, and he did," Reinebold said. "The reason he's here is because he made it happen."

When Reinebold received orders to recruit Texas cornerbacks, he met with several contacts, and came up with a list of 15 prospects.

"As I talked to each guy, I started cutting the list," Reinebold said. "Some weren't good students, some had character issues."

Reinebold was impressed with Newberry, also 5 feet 9, who needed to attend classes through the second summer session to be eligible to play for UH this year.

"I brought the tapes to June," Reinebold said. "He has an eye for guys who fly in the air and aren't afraid to make plays. June said, 'Go get him.' "

Reinebold said UH was not seeking another safety when it learned Patek was available. Texas A&M had reneged on a scholarship offer. Reinebold reviewed Patek's initial tape, giving it a thumb's down.

"I told him to go back through all of his tapes and pick out the plays I knew Jerry (Glanville, UH's defensive coordinator) would like," Reinebold recalled. "I gave the new tape to Jerry, and Jerry was like, 'Wow, there's our kind of guy.' "

The three have bonded — with one another and their teammates. Newberry, the only child of a single mom, said: "All of these guys are my brothers."

Patek said it's difficult to live far away. Last week, his parents traveled by plane for the Warriors' road game against New Mexico State. He said his aunt, uncle and a high school friend made the 13-hour drive from Victoria, Texas, to Las Cruces, N.M.

"They really showed how much they love me," he said. "They could have been doing better things back home, working, making money, whatever. But they sacrificed their time to come out and watch me play."

Jones said the Texas players "are very respectful. They're really, really good kids. There's a lot of similarities between the aloha spirit and Southern hospitality."

Lewis said: "That's the way we were raised. It's 'yes, sir," or 'no, sir.' We're taught to mind our manners. On the field, we play with a lot of heart. There are a lot of guys who are taller, but they don't have the same sized heart."

NOTES AND UPDATES

  • Jones said he is hopeful defensive right end Ikaika Alama-Francis will resume practicing today or tomorrow. Alama-Francis, who was scheduled to meet with a doctor yesterday, is suffering from a strained lumbar, which causes back spasms.

  • Jones said he expects running back Reagan Mauia, who is suffering from a sprained left knee as well as injuries to both shoulders, to be available for Saturday's game against Idaho.

  • Right slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins said he is physically fit, and should play against Idaho. He has missed the past four games because of a sprained left ankle.

    "I truly feel this is the week," Grice-Mullins said. "I feel I had a good practice. I'm running. I'm cutting."

    He also is more appreciative.

    "Like anything else, you don't realize what you have until you don't have it anymore," Grice-Mullins said. "It's the same as the guys who take their scholarships for granted. If they mess up and lose their scholarships, they're like, 'Oh, my gosh, I have to work, my parents are struggling, now everyone's stressing.'" I take everything as a blessing. I appreciate having my health and being on scholarship and being able to go to school."

    • • •

    UH FOOTBALL

    WHAT: University of Hawai'i (5-2, 3-1 in Western Athletic Conference) vs. Idaho (4-4, 3-1 in WAC)

    WHEN: 6:05 p.m. Saturday

    WHERE: Aloha Stadium

    TV: Live on Oceanic cable pay-per-view digital; rebroadcast on PPV at 10:30 p.m. Call 625-8100 on O'ahu or (808) 643-2337 statewide. Delayed on KFVE Sunday 10 a.m.

    AUDIO WEBCAST: espn1420am.com

    VIDEO WEBCAST: Available through Hawaiian Telecom and KFVE. Tickets available for single game at $9.95, a full season for $39.95. Go to www.hawaiiantelmedia.com

    RADIO: Live on ESPN 1420, with warmup show at 5 p.m. Neighbor Island simulcasts on KAOI on Maui/Kona, KPUA in Hilo and KQNG on Kaua'i

    GATES OPEN: Parking lot 2:30 p.m.; Stadium gates 3 p.m.

    TICKET PRICES: $38 sideline, $32 South end zone, $27 North end zone (adult), $22 North end zone senior citizen, $22 North end zone students 4-18, $5 UH students.

    TICKET SALES: Available online at hawaiiathletics.com, by calling 944-2697 (BOWS) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or at Stan Sheriff Center, Aloha Stadium, UH Campus Center, RainBowtique at Ward Centre and Windward Community College's OCET Office during business hours. Convenience fees may apply.

    PROMOTION: Members of the University of Hawai'i Alumni Association and UH faculty and staff will receive two tickets for the price of one (maximum of eight total) to the game. UHAA members need to present their membership cards and faculty and staff their UH identification cards when purchasing tickets. Purchase in advance at Stan Sheriff Center (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or in advance and on game day at Aloha Stadium. Tickets are in special sections. Other restrictions may apply.

    PARKING: $5

    ALTERNATIVE PARKING (no tailgating):

    • Leeward Community College (free with $2 charge for shuttle service);

    • Kamehameha Drive-In ($5 with free shuttle service);

    • Radford High School ($3 with no shuttle service).

    All shuttle service runs from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and approximately one hour after the game ends.

    SECURITY: Only fanny packs, purses, backpacks and handbags will be allowed into stadium (subject to check).

    TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Sports Radio 1420 will provide traffic advisories and updates before each UH football home game.

    BUS SHUTTLES:

    For UH students: Chancellor office is providing free bus transportation to the home games at Aloha Stadium. Buses will pick up UH students on Dole Street in front of Gateway House two hours before game time.The buses will leave the stadium 30 minutes after the game and return to Gateway. Sign-up sheets are at the front desk at each UH residence hall.

    Roberts Hawaii is offering round trip "air conditioned" shuttle bus services to Aloha Stadium for $6 from three O'ahu areas.

    Bus No. 3 will pick up at the Hawai'i Kai Park n' Ride at 4 p.m., at Bank of Hawai'i at Kahala Mall at 4:15 and proceed to the stadium.

    Bus No. 2 will pick up at the Kailua District Park, Kainalu Avenue at 4:15 p.m., at Windward Mall Shopping Center on Alaloa Street facing Sears at 4:30 and proceed to the stadium.

    Bus No. 1 will pick up at the Mililani Mauka Park n' Ride at 4:30 p.m. and go directly to the stadium.

    Reservations are required and service is first come, first serve. Call Roberts School Bus at 832-4886 for reservations and additional information.

    City bus service

    The FootballExpress offers 17 pickup locations throughout O'ahu.
    The first trip from each location leaves approximately three hours before kickoff and the last trip leaves approximately 90 minutes before the game. Return trips leave as soon as the bus is full, with the final trip leaving 30 minutes after the game ends.

    Honolulu pickup locations are at Ala Moana, downtown, Hawai'i Kai, Kahala Mall, Kaimuki, Palolo, Waikiki and the University of Hawai'i.

    Leeward pickups are at 'Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Mililani Mauka and Village Park.

    Windward pickups are at Kalaniana'ole Highway and Kailua Road, Kailua Road at Keolu Drive and Hele Street, Kailua Road at Hahani Street, Kane'ohe Bay drive at Mokapu Boulevard and Kane'ohe Bay Drive at Makalani Street.

    Rates are $3 one way and $6 roundtrip. Passes and transfers are not accepted.

    For information, go to: http://www.thebus.org

    Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.