Quotes about Bess and Grice-Mullins

About the hard work he and Grice-Mullins are putting in all summer in Hawaii, Bess said:
"I feel like I'm at a point in my life and career where I'm not satisfied. Me and Ryan, we know if we work hard, there will be a payoff. It's a matter of staying focused and humble." (HSB)

"Work, work, work. Hard work pays off." (HSB)


About the extra work that he and Bess are putting in, Grice-Mullins said:
"If you want to succeed, be the top in your sport, you have to go beyond what the average do. We come out early, make sure we get our running in. We run pretty much every day of the week. We do different things, but it's every day. A lot of times it's just me and him out here until everybody else comes. To me, every year's our biggest year." (HSB)

HSB Note: "They say character is defined by what you do when no one is watching. So it means even more that Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins are early for practices now -- in the summer, when the coaches aren't around to note who are the early birds.

The work ethic of the Warriors' junior slotbacks doesn't cool off as the temperature rises. They were more than a half-hour ahead of the other 15 players who participated in yesterday's informal pass-and-catch session at UH.

Bess and Grice-Mullins set up cones on the practice field, stretched thoroughly, and then did a progression of about a dozen sprints ranging from 10 to 50 yards, a workout designed to improve their explosiveness as well as endurance. Then they ran pass patterns for nearly an hour."


About how he's trying to improve his straight-away speed, Grice-Mullins said:
"Like last year, I want to get up field faster, not dance as much and get up field." (HSB)


About how he got too excited before big games last season, Bess said:
"The main thing I'm working on is understanding the game itself, the big picture, and managing myself, being prepared the right way. I was over-pumped. I have to learn how to relax." (HSB)

Note: This probably explains why Bess had a big problems with dropped passes (especially against Alabama) early in games.


Hoping that the NCAA will grant him an extra season of eligibility, Jazen Anderson said:
"I started school in 2002 at Moorpark College, but I was a part-time student." (HSB)


About joining the players with their informal workouts, Azusa Pacific transfer Nate Nasca (Pearl City alum) said:
"I'm going to go to school this fall, but I won't be able to play yet because of transfer rules. Hopefully I can in the spring. I just want to get a little bigger and learn the offense." (HSB)