Fall Practice - Day 4: Estes, Kia, Reynolds, Keenan

Dave Reardon has an update on John Estes' injury.

Starting center John Estes suffered what he described as a sprained left elbow during Monday's practice when he tried to brace a fall. He tried to play through it, but then thought better of it.

"If it was a game, I'd be out there," said Estes, who started all 14 games at right guard last year as a freshman, despite a sprained knee midway through the season.

In his spot, Aaron Kia and Lafu Tuioiti-Mariner took a lot of reps. Stephen Tsai talked to Kia about his versatility.

UH head coach June Jones described Kia, a third-year sophomore from Mililani, as "our jack-of-all-trades." Kia can play tackle, guard and center.

"I used to watch film with Samson (Satele)," Kia said of last year's starting center and the Miami Dolphins' second-round draft pick in April. "He would help me with everything. He knew every position. I figured I might as well know everything. It's working to my advantage."

Also from Tsai's article, Davone Bess talks about running north-south, while Leon Wright-Jackson, Dennis McKnight and Colt Brennan talk about the monster that is Blaze Soares:

McKnight said: "Blaze is going to be a great one. Blaze is a man. He reminds me a lot of Pisa (Tinoisamoa, a former Warrior now with the St. Louis Rams). He's athletic. He can run. He's big. He's strong. He's got that smile to him, that you know he's going to kick your (butt) and there's nothing you can do about it."

Reardon's article also mentions that Brashton Satele will remain at linebacker, while JC transfer cornerback Calvin Roberts should be arriving Friday, hopefully with NCAA verification of his AA degree.

Brian McInnis has a great article profiling freshman Korey Reynolds of Alabama, who's getting adjusted to his surroundings in Hawaii.

"It's very different," Reynolds said. "It's not as humid, and you've got the beach right there. The mountains, rain forests. It's definitely different."

The poofy-haired freshman paused.

"And uh, the culture. It's a culture shock."

...

That's where teammates on this tight-knit team come into play. David Veikune, Amani Purcell and others have helped him on the field, while some of the younger grayshirts have shown him around the island. He tried his hand at surfing and has been up to the North Shore ("Everything 'cept the hiking, haven't done that yet").

"It's (been) pretty good, guys are real friendly," he said. "I think it's starting to get the 'team' feeling. All that, trying to be accepted. It's working out pretty good."

He'll get settled soon, surfing, hiking and eating squid luau in no time. Mmmmm, squid luau.

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Michael Tsai has an article on cornerbacks Keenan Jones and JoPierre Davis. Here's a quote from Davis:

"What I really want, though, is game experience," Davis said. "When you practice, it's your team and you can't throw your body around the way you want to.

"I want to make the most of my reps and give the coaches a chance to see that I'm the best guy for the job."

And finally, off-topic somewhat, here's a profile of Chad Owens, from the Herald Tribune in Florida.

Owens hopes to bring to Tampa the magic that worked for him at Hawaii.

"My no-fear attitude, my willingness to always want to make that big play, just playing fast, just going 110 mph, using my quickness, my reactions," Owens said.