The Arizona Wildcats have done a good job of re-establishing a recruiting pipeline in Hawaii.
But it's safe to say that, at least for now, the islands are Oregon State territory.
The Beavers have 15 players who hail from Hawaii, the most of any Pac-10 Conference team and second-most nationally, behind the University of Hawaii.
Two of them, safety Al Afalava and right tackle Tavita Thompson, start.
"Those guys do a nice job recruiting," said UA assistant Mike Tuiasosopo, who's in charge of recruiting Hawaii. "They do a nice job of evaluating personnel and developing those guys. They've gotten some really good ones."
Oregon State stresses recruiting Hawaii, in part because the Beavers' coaches have a rich history there.
Four OSU assistants — defensive coordinator Mark Banker, offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh, linebackers coach Greg Newhouse and defensive line coach Joe Seumalo — previously coached at the University of Hawaii. Seumalo played for the Warriors, and graduate assistant Inoke Breckterfield grew up in Honolulu.
By comparison, Arizona has just one coach — Tuiasosopo — with Polynesian ties.
No comments:
Post a Comment