If the coach who had a part in the career of one of Hawai'i greatest boxers in Brian Viloria says, "Remember what I said, years from now, you'll be proud of both these athletes," then Bruno Escalante Jr. and Keola McKee must have a lot going for them.

Al Mitchell, the head coach of U.S. Olympic Education Center boxing program, picked Waimanalo's Escalante and Wailuku's McKee as part of the B.J. Stupak Scholarship Program, a federally funded grant program that provides assistance to aspiring Olympic student athletes.

Student-athletes are eligible for grants that can cover tuition and fees, books, room and board, other miscellaneous educational expenses, and up to $500 per semester for sports specific expenses.

Approximately 25,000 athletes in nearly 30 sports have trained at the USOEC at the Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich.

Both Escalante and McKee take classes in collision repair, their declared majors at the USOEC.

"It's a regular college," said Mitchell, head boxing coach of the 1996 Olympic Team and the 2004 Olympics team technical advisor. "But they have a chance to compete in their sport."

The two 17-year-olds are the latest Hawai'i boxers to attend the program, following in the footsteps of Viloria, Frisco Bagio of Kane'ohe, Dustin Kim of Waipahu, Dat Nguyen of Wailuku, Van Oscar Penovaroff of Kailua, Kona, and Samson Guillermo of Wai'anae.

"We always had Hawai'i boxers," Mitchell said. "We always did good with them."

The transition to the Mainland was a difficult one initially for Escalante, who was born in the Philippines but moved to Hawai'i when he was 8.

"I was excited and sad at the same time because it was the first time I was far away from my parents and friends," he said. "It was a good opportunity for me to have this scholarship and be in the USOEC. And I came a long way. I didn't think I would end up here."

Tougher still is the increase in workouts.

"It was hard, because I don't really run back home, maybe two or three times a week," Escalante said. "But here it is six days a week. We're in shape."

Escalante, 5 feet 2 and 112 pounds, and the 5-foot-4, 106-pound McKee benefit from the increase of fights not available to them if they remained in Hawai'i, where they would get one or two a year if they were lucky, according to McKee.

"We get to see different styles (at the USOEC)," McKee said. "We have too much of a pro style at home. We can learn how to hit and move, rather than hit and get hit. We're going to get some fights now. In Hawai'i we don't get too many fights."

Now, they will end up with anywhere between 15 and 25 fights. But Mitchell plans to hold them back, easing them into competition.

Mitchell said Escalante and McKee have "different styles. I love them both. Bruno is ... a boxer puncher but more of a puncher. (McKee) is a cold-blooded boxer. I call him a midget Ali."

Mitchell discovered both at a Golden Gloves competition earlier this year.

"I was surprised, because I fought and lost and he still wanted me, and I was happy," McKee said. "It kind of cheered me up."

Because Mitchell doesn't expect either to be a "flash in the pan," he plans to work slowly with them, improving their basic skills. It helps that both "want to learn and they want to be the best, and I guess that's the culture that comes from Hawai'i."

Mitchell projects that Escalante and McKee will be challenging for berths on the U.S. team in the 2012 Olympics.

"Both of them are going to make Hawai'i proud," Mitchell said.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.