Feature on how the Warriors with children are motivated by them

About how he plays harder due to his children (Kanoa, 4, and Keamalu, 6 months), Keao Mohnteilh said:
"It makes me play a lot harder. You never know, an opportunity might arise, and I might make it to the next level and I might not, but I can always fall back on my degree. But it's always on the back of my mind; I want to give them what they want. I want to buy them whatever and take care of my family and my dad and my mom, and that kind of motivates me." (HA)

About the demands on Keao's time due to sports, Keao's wife Kamele said:
"(Kanoa) misses his dad a lot when he's gone, like right now, when they are at camp. That's why (Kanoa is) really excited to be here right now. When we do spend time with him, Keao tries to make the most of it." (HA)

About how Keao visits Kanoa (who goes to the UH preschool) during the school day, Kamele said:
"If (Keao) has extra time off, some of the guys will go with (Keao) and hang out with the kids, and that kind of helps." (HA)

About Kamele, Keao said:
"I go home and to the house and I do abs and make her come outside to the yard and throw the ball and she'll say, 'No, I'm tired already, go call my brother;' And I say, 'No, you have to help me. Do you want me to make it or not?' I give her the old guilt trip. And she gives in." (HA)

About how having kids has given him "more maturity", Keao said:
"My mom still teases me about still being a little kid, asking how I can have kids if I'm still a little kid myself, but it's because I still like to play around. It made me settle down a lot." (HA)

About how Keao wasn't really a "party-party guy" but has done even less partying this season, Kamele said:
"And it's not because of me ... He's just more focused on football." (HA)

About how having a child makes football more important, Mana Silva said:
"It makes you set your priorities correctly and makes you make the right decisions in life." (HA)

HA Note: "Silva's wife Keilah and son Kauahe, 1, live in Hilo, and he rarely gets to see them. In the spring, he flew back on weekends."

About his family, Silva said:
"The family is the cornerstone for me. My wife keeps me in line and we stay close and take care of our son. It's tough when you first leave, but you just try to get through it. My wife takes it hard. Having a child, I had to mature pretty quick. There's more responsibility. You can't just go to the beach and play around and stuff, your family is always first." (HA)

About how he doesn't get to see his daughter Layla much because she lives in San Francisco with her mother (his girlfriend Addie Cortez), Calvin Roberts said:
"The life is not necessarily hard. I miss her every day, but I have a job to do. I need to go to school, and play football, so overall I think it's fantastic. I visit her and she tries to come down once in a while." (HA)

About how having Layla changed him from spending his time playing video games or hanging out with his friends to spending that time with her, Calvin said:
"Now it's crucial timing. I have to play with her and spend time with her. I watch TV with her. We watch cartoons and I think it's really fun. It's like being a kid all over again." (HA)

HA Note: "He thinks about her "every day" wondering how she enjoyed her first day at preschool, what she liked the most about it, or if she cried. Every time he thinks about her, it makes him push harder."

HA Note: "Unlike Roberts, defensive tackle Josh Leonard brought his fiancee Christa Sariaba with him when he came to UH. Now, with 11-month-old son Blayne in the picture, Leonard said he works harder to make sure he will be able to provide for his family."

About how having a son has motivated him to work harder, Josh Leonard said:
"I'd say I work a little harder to push myself and hopefully make it to the next level. I matured more, starting thinking about the degree and making sure I'm financially stable when I get older for my son." (HA)

Josh said that the:
"hardest part is dealing with the family life, going to practice, going to school, going to meetings, going to sleep at midnight and waking up at 5 in the morning. But it's good, because it's good having a kid. I'm glad I have one. The only way I can describe it is it's just pure love for him." (HA)