Feature on UH's football camp

HA Note: "Most football campers receive helpful tips, a sunburn and a commemorative T-shirt. Last year, Christian Vasconcellos came away with a $15,000-a-year University of Hawai'i football scholarship."

About getting a scholarship offer from UH after attending their camp, Christian said:
"I was shocked." (HA)


About being one of several hundred high school players who attended last year's first UH football camp, Christian said:
"Being that it was a camp with no pads, I didn't expect anything, maybe a questionnaire. On the last day, (the UH coaches) offered me a scholarship. I was pretty surprised." (HA)

HA Note: "This season, under first-year UH head coach Greg McMackin, the camp has expanded. There will be three separate camps at the school's grass practice fields:

# Kids Camp, ages 5 to 12, July 12 to 13.

# Skills Camp, ages 13 and older, July 15 to 18.

# Big Man's Camp, ages 13 and older, July 21 to 23."

About the importance of camps, Chris Fetters (West Coast director for scout.com and superprep.com) said:
"A lot of times, guys go to the Mainland not for better opportunities, but because they're not feeling the love from the home school. This is one of the ways they can go out there and get their faces in front of the (UH) coaches, and build that bridge of trust. I think it's a great deal — for the players and for the coaches, who have the run of the entire state. They're the only Division I (program) in the state." (HA)

HA Note: "The camp helped cornerback Kawika Ornellas, who will be an invited UH walk-on this year. Ornellas has been likened to Kenny Patton, a former UH cornerback now with the New York Jets. Patton served as a guest instructor last year, working closely with Ornellas."

About catching UH's attention at the camp, invited walk-on Kawika Ornellas said:
"It definitely helped get me noticed. And I learned a lot." (HA)

About how he learned several techniques at the camp that helped him be on the Advertiser's All-State first team last year, Christian said:
"Your (high school) team can teach you the basics. The camp taught us everything. It made me a better player." (HA)

HA Note: "Fetters, who is based in Washington, said the camp helps showcase some of the best prospects in the country. Fetters said Hawai'i has produced more NFL prospects, per capita, than any other area."

About the success of prospects from Hawaii, Fetters said:
"The kids on the Islands build up core strength at an early age, from either surfing or running on the beach. They're naturally outside all of the time. They're not like that TV generation. They're always out and active. By doing that, you grow up and build a nice base to be a real solid athlete." (HA)

About how Hawaii is developing more skill players, Fetters said:
"Colleges are always looking for those great athletes they can mold into the kind of player they want. Not only does Hawai'i have a lot of pure athletes, the kids are extremely well grounded. They're brought up in good families. In my time on the Islands, I understand how important family is over here. It lends itself to putting great athletes out there." (HA)