Warrior Beat

Legi Suiaunoa, who coached the defensive line this past year, has been named the Warriors’ defensive coordinator. Suiaunoa replaces Kevin Lempa, who resigned, presumably to become a non-coaching defensive analyst at Michigan. Lempa interviewed at Michigan the past weekend. Suiaunoa will continue to coach the defensive tackles and nose tackles. Mayur Chaudhari, the special teams coordinator, will coach the defensive ends. Offensive coordinator Brian Smith also will coach the running backs and tight ends.

It was dark at 6 a.m., when the Warriors began workouts this morning, but it also was bright thanks to the UH maintenance workers installing new lightbulbs at Ching Athletic Complex. Strength/conditioning coach Bubba Reynolds mixed some fun with the intensity. In one activity, a player stood in the middle of a square, with a teammate on each side. Reynolds would call a number, and the corresponding player would try to race past the middle guy. And then another number […]

For the penultimate workout of the intensive offseason conditioning program, the Warriors ran, ran while carrying weights overhead, jumped, and pushed and pulled weighted sleds. The Warriors will taper next week, performing in testing drills, ahead of the opening of spring training. The first of 15 spring practice is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 20, although it might be pushed back a few days, maybe starting on the 23rd. Plans are still in the works.

From last week’s walk-on tryouts, the Warriors have extended spring-training invitations to: > Kayson Smith Bejgrowicz: He was named the state’s 2015 Gatorade athlete of the year in track and field after winning the high jump (6-6) and triple jump (46-1.5) and placing second in the long jump (22-5.75) in the state meet. The 2015 Kamehameha graduate is 6-3, 195 pounds and expected to compete at wideout or DB. His father is Kawika Smith, a former track standout at Damien. […]

A few Warriors are sporting new looks: Before: Wideout Kumoku Noa After: Kumoku Noa * * * * * Before: Slotback John Ursua After: John Ursua * * * * * Before: Slotback Dylan Collie After: Dylan Collie * * * * * The amazing, gravity-defying Keelan Ewaliko * * * * * On to today’s workouts:

Defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa is a candidate for a non-coaching job at Michigan. Lempa met with Michigan officials this past weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich. Lempa and his wife own a home in Maryland. He became a grand-father this past fall. Lempa had worked under Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown at Boston College for three seasons through 2015 and at Maryland in 2009 and 2010. Brown was hired at Michigan in 2016. Lempa started his second stint as UH defensive […]

With Rigo Sanchez’s graduation, the Warriors appear to be set on finding his replacement through the walk-on program. Stephen Yaffe, a walk-on, redshirted this past season. The Warriors will audition kickers when spring training opens on Feb. 20. This past Friday’s workouts, by NCAA rules, did not permit the use of a football. The Warriors also can add kickers this summer. It will be a familiar strategy. Sanchez, Dan Kelly and Eric Hannum initially joined the Warriors as walk-ons before […]

Our friend Robert Kekaula’s move from sports director to news anchor is not unprecedented. Decades ago, Joe Garagiola switched from doing baseball’s Game of the Week to the Today Show panel. Lately, it is Michael Strahan making the cross-over move. Curt Schilling actually does sports and news. Hawaii’s television history is rich with those who made the switch from the sports desk to news anchor. Here are a few: > Joe Moore: Back in the three-channel day, a famous trio […]