 Jones awake, condition upgraded to guarded
Graphic: Repairing Jones' heart
State hopes coach to be 'poster boy' for seat belts
Diagram of the accident
 Send your best wishes to the coach and read comments sent by others
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
The University of Hawai‘i football team will proceed with plans to begin spring football practice on Thursday, UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida announced yesterday.
Yoshida said he considered postponing or canceling the start of the month-long spring practice after head coach June Jones was hospitalized in critical condition this past Thursday following a single-car accident on H-1 Freeway. But when Jones’ condition was upgraded to "guarded" yesterday morning, it was decided to go ahead with spring practice.
"Coach Jones would want us to go on," UH slotback Craig Stutzmann said.
Said Yoshida: "Based on the good progress, what we plan to do is move forward with what we had planned. If something happens that needs reassessing, we’ll reassess it."
Yoshida said that associate head coach George Lumpkin will run the team. Yoshida said Jones and his staff already had plotted out the agenda before the accident.
"Everything is in place," Yoshida said.
Yoshida met with the players yesterday afternoon to provide updates on Jones’ conditions and plans for spring practice.
"As hard as it is to keep going, that’s what we have to do," Stutzmann said. "We’re not going to use it as a crutch or an excuse not to train. It won’t be easy. We’ll have to fight through it. But our team has fought through a lot. Everybody will get through this."
Stutzmann said the players fully support Lumpkin, who has been associated with the university for nearly 25 years as a player and coach.
"He’s very experienced," Stutzmann said. "We feel he can come in and do a good job. Coach Jones is out now, but hopefully we won’t miss a step."
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