Kealoha Pilares was named to ESPN's All-Academic first team

About being named to ESPN's All-Academic first team, Kealoha Pilares (who will get his Kinesiology degree in May) said:
"It's definitely an honor. I work hard in the classroom. That's important to me." (HSA)


HSA Note: "He is the eighth Warrior football player to earn the honor, and only the third to be named to the first team, following safety Chris Shinnick (1997) and running back Travis Sims (1992)."


HSA Note: "To qualify, a player must be either a starter or have a significant reserve role; have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.3, and have reached sophomore athletic eligibility. Pilares' GPA is 3.65. He is sixth nationally in receiving with 109.9 yards per game."


Praising Pilares, Mack said:
"He is an academic athlete. What could be more important than first-team academic all-American? That takes it to another level." (HSA)


Mack said that scholarships compensate a player:
"to go to school. They play football for fun." (HSA)


About Pilares being a great role model for kids in Hawaii, Rich MIano said:
"Kealoha is a Stanford kid, a Cal kid, a Harvard kid. He's a perfect role model for the youth of Hawaii. He is so adamant about his studies. He is so adamant about being the best football player. You don't go from a kid who's 160 pounds to a guy who's 207 pounds and has a power clean of 356. He beats out linemen in power cleans. He puts in the time in the weight room, and he puts in the time in the classroom." (HSA)


HSA Note: "Pilares' childhood dream was to be a pilot. He was accepted to the Air Force Academy, but decided to leave after a few weeks at the Prep Academy. He then enrolled at UH as a part-time student in the 2006 fall semester before joining the Warriors in January 2007. Pilares was taking pre-med classes, but with the time demands of football, he switched majors. He said he aspires to be a physical therapist."


About how he works hard on his classes, Pilares said:
"I wouldn't say I'm smart, but I put in the time and work. I try to stay focused and get things done. That's why we're in school. This is our time. All we have to do is go to school. Why not take advantage of it?" (HSA)

"I'm trying to be successful in life. I have some expensive tastes. I want to put in the time now. I take it one day at a time. I try to do the best I can." (HSA)


HSA Note: "Pilares said he is the first person in his family to attend a four-year college."


Praising Pilares' parents for the way they emphasized education, Miano said:
"He wasn't the biggest kid. He probably wasn't the fastest kid. But he became big and fast. And he's smart. Look at his parents. He comes from good stock. He has two great parents as role models. They really emphasized education." (HSA)


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