Warriors who truly know how to keep their cool
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
It does not take a take a certified meteorologist to know when it is hot. Conversely, there are no rules to determine what is cool.
Cool is an attitude, a don't-give-a-schtick lifestyle.
For the third time in 10 years — hey, annual lists are not cool — we search for low temperatures of the University of Hawai'i football program.
• Coolest psycho (offseason): In the days leading to the start of the football season, defensive end Laanui Correa can be found wearing a helmet . . . at home.
"I walk around the house with it on, I sleep with it on, I do homework with it on . . ." Correa said.
Wearing the hard hat "gets me in the right frame of mind," Correa said, although he admitted, "I think it freaks out my family."
• Coolest psycho (regular season): Before every game, middle linebacker Chris Brown will inhale two smelling salts.
"That's how I get into a mental zone," said Brown, who dismissed coffee as being too mild.
Before the game starts, Brown said, "I'm anxious to get that first tackle. Until I get that first hit, I can't relax. If I have to wait too long, I'll hit myself."
• Coolest mentor: Wide receiver Justin Colbert said he has learned perseverance from his second cousin.
"He gives me tips about life," Colbert said. "He always says, 'Don't let anybody tell you that you can't achieve something.' His talks mean a lot to me. I hold the words deep in my heart."
Colbert's second cousin is basketball great Scottie Pippen.
• Coolest coach: Your first thought is, "Drew Carey looks a lot shorter than he does on TV."
But 5-foot-6 Mike Cavanaugh has street cred. Not only is he respected for helping land NFL jobs for three UH offensive linemen, he remains an unpretentious leader. For a semi-formal reception in Rhode Island last month, Cavanaugh wore a bright aloha shirt that should have come with SPF-30 sunblock.
• Coolest player: Like many young men, safety Nate Jackson has been told, "Cut your hair."
Jackson refused and, four years later, his pony tail is halfway down his back. Jackson has said that the more people complain, the more defiant he becomes.
• Coolest reporter: KHON sportscaster John Veneri collects CDs, ranging from blues to Blue's Clues, owns a video production company and does dead-on impressions of local personalities.
While KGMB's Liz Chun is Hawai'i's only female sportscaster and KITV's Robert Kekaula has Jennifer Love Hewitt's number on speed dial (they were co-stars on the show, "Byrds of Paradise"), Veneri is the only sportscaster in town with a WAC championship ring. The gold ring, commemorating UH's 1992 WAC championship, "is a conversation piece," Veneri said.
Veneri wears the ring whenever he serves as sports anchor. "There's a lot of pride and hard work involved with it," he said.
• Coolest fan: Honolulu lawyer Ken Kuniyuki has started a Web site where UH fans can link to news about the team and other Western Athletic Conference schools.
"I do it as a hobby," said Kuniyuki, who often visits Warrior practices.
Kuniyuki has declared Friday, Oct. 26, as a half-day for his office, which includes three lawyers and eight staff workers. That's the day UH plays host to Fresno State at 3 p.m.
• Coolest workout: Some people eat less. Some do aerobics. To lose nearly 30 pounds, slotback Gerald Welch ran the two miles up the winding hill in Pupukea.
The incline is severe enough for drivers to shift to the low gears.
"Sometimes," said Welch, who sweats at the memory, "I'm just hanging on. But there's no sense in stopping and going back."
