Feature on the Hawaii Speed and Quickness Camps

SC = scout.com

SC Note: "This is the last day of the Hawaii Speed and Quickness' Big Man's Camp, so the island's top linemen take center stage. The Big Man's Camp is the last in a series of camps HSQ put together this summer to include over 1000 football players - something unprecedented in the history of Hawaii prep athletics. The plan for this vision began after June Jones' inaugural season on the islands."

About how their Speed and Quickness Camps started last year, Rich Miano said:
"Nobody really knew how to deal with it or wanted to deal with doing it. Since we took over last year and it was successful, it gets easier the more you do it." (SC)

SC Note: "Hawai'i Speed and Quickness (http://www.hawaiispeedandquickness.com/ was founded by Miano and UH Strength and Conditioning Coach Mel deLaura. Their mission? They are committed to improving athleticism and integrity of Hawaii's youth through all sports."

About their camps, Miano said:
"We're trying to make things affordable for everyone in Hawai'i and we're trying to be as inclusive as we can." (SC)

About how the Just Win! camp on Maui and the Education First camp laid the groundwork for their camps, Miano said:
"We encourage kids to go to all of them. But at the same time, the University of Hawai'i needed to have a camp." (SC)

SC Note: "Just based on the turnout, it appears these camps were a bombshell waiting to go off. It doesn't hurt that the Warriors went to a BCS bowl game for the first time in history and put UH footballl back on the national radar."

About how last season attracted a lot of new fans to UH, Miano said:
"Even people who don't like footballl were following it,." (SC)

SC Note: "And with it has come record highs in season ticket sales, as well as donations to Na Koa, the booster club that supports the UH football program."

About how their success on the field made it possible for them to get what they needed for their program, Miano said:
"With the success of the program, we've been able to get the things we need. Most programs have recruiting coordinators and secretaries in the front of the office. The locker room is embarrassing. The field turf has been condemned. But now, we've had people step up for the new surface and the coaches' offices. It's not just going to be artist renderings anymore." (SC)

About how Mack has reached out to the community, Miano said:
"Since he (McMackin) took the job, he's reached out to the community to make sure they know that they are very important to the support of the team. This is Hawai'i's team. He brought back green in the uniform, signed a big Under Armour deal and put Hawai'i on the front of the jerseys." (SC)

About how UH has the attention of the entire state, Tony Tuioti said:
"USC and UCLA still have to battle the Lakers. There's nothing like that here. It gives the young kids growing up here a unique opportunity, unlike any other program." (SC)

About how the success of last year's camp will help them expand their camp offerings in the future, Miano said:
"The success of last year's camp, knowing we had a camp, means that we'll be doing things a lot earlier next year. We'll probably do a team camp, maybe some pads for the big guys...just expanding what we have." (SC)

Happy with how their camps are growing, Tuioti said:
"I'm just ecstatic about the number we've had and to see how much it's grown. I think it's just the tip of the iceberg for what we can do in the Coach Mack era." (SC)

SC Note: "By having these camps, the UH football program is moving in a direction unparalleled in the history of the program. In the past, they took their legacy and their distance from major college football for granted. No more. Former UH greats like Jesse Sapolu, Dane Uperesa, Ma'a Tanuvasa and others have been waiting for the time when they could come back and give back to the program that gave them so much."

About his love for UH, Tanuvasa said:
"I will always be a Warrior at heart. I've always wanted to come back to my roots and help any way I could. With Coach McMackin, a lot of the NFL scouts call. With those type of connections, it's a great deal to stay here, as opposed to having to go away to play." (SC)

SC Note: "And while the primary mission of serving the island youth is taken very seriously, the ability to evaluate and recruit talent at these camps is something the UH staff uses to their advantage. And while every college football program in America strives to keep their top talent within their boundaries, that hasn't always been the case in Hawai'i."

About how UH will try to keep the top local talent in Hawaii, Tuioti said:
"There's some great talent that's gotten away, like Olin Kreutz to Washington and Chris Ma'afala to Utah. Coach McMackin has a vision to keep the top players home." (SC)

SC Note: "And while there was only one player to be offered after last year's camps - Damien's Christian Vasconcellos - the breadth and depth of McMackin's local recruiting efforts to date are already paying off big dividends. Corey Nielsen (Gahr, Calif.) and Billy Ray Stutzmann (St. Louis) were offered after the HSQ Skills camp, and all accepted. Cayman Shutter (Punahou) and Conrad Scheidt (Kamehameha-Kapalama) were also offered after the skills camp. Kimo Makaula (Punahou) committed when he found out he had been offered after the first day of the Big Man's camp. Benson Ma'afala (Damien) and Chauncey Makainai (Kailua) are two other 2009 island prospects that were offered scholarships after the camps. The coaches are already delving into the 2010 talent pool, offering Taz Stevenson (Mililani), Micah Hatchie (Waialua) and V.J. Fehoko from Farrington after the camps."

About how Mack is as a recruiter, Tuioti said:
"Coach McMackin has an eye for talent." (SC)

About the talent in Hawaii high schools, Dane Uperesa said:
"We have a lot of great talent here, and they've picked up on that. It's late in coming, but it's great for the college and the community. A lot of the things they are doing are things I learned in college. For the University of Hawai'i to bring back these camps, it's a great opportunity for them to learn from D1 coaches." (SC)