UH football
Jones: You're in good hands with Ashley Lelie

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Once a rail-thin freshman, wide receiver Ashley Lelie has grown into a 6-foot-3, 193-pound weapon in the UH passing game. Advertiser library photo

Clutching a bouquet of flowers as tightly as his nerves, Lelie remembered standing outside the Black Point house three months ago and "sweating. My hands were so sweaty."

Lelie had accepted an invitation to be Nikki Jones' prom date. Her father, June Jones, is Lelie's head coach at UH.

"I was really nervous, super nervous, as anybody in my situation would be," Lelie recalled yesterday.

June Jones greeted Lelie, then said, "Have fun. Be respectful."

"I trust Ashley," Jones said yesterday. "He's a great person."

Lelie said he and Nikki are friends, and he tried "to make it a fun evening." After the prom, Nikki and several of her Punahou School classmates went on a planned boat cruise. Lelie went home.

"When I saw Coach Jones the next day, I made sure to tell him I was home at 10:30," Lelie said. "I think it turned out OK."

Said Jones: "I wasn't worried."

Jones also has praised Lelie's remarkable development as a junior. Lelie entered UH as a nonscholarship player in 1998. The 6-foot-3 Lelie weighed 175 pounds and wore a size-28 belt.

"You could say I was thin," he said, as well as raw.

Radford High did not win a game during Lelie's senior season, and UH was winless in his first year at Manoa.

"But you could tell he had a lot of talent," Jones said of Lelie, who is representing the Warriors at the Western Athletic Conference Media Preview at the Reno Hilton. "He's a hard worker."

Between jobs — he works at a Waikiki restaurant and in the UH library — Lelie tries to catch 100 passes each day in workouts with UH quarterbacks Tim Chang and Nick Rolovich. He also has improved his strength through weightlifting and exercise. He now weighs 193 pounds.

Last year, Lelie caught 74 passes for 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns. Three months ago, he caught the attention of a Philadelphia Eagle scout when he ran 40 yards in 4.27 seconds during a combine at UH's Cooke Field. Although the sprint was hand-timed, and thus subject to scrutiny, Jones said, "There is no question that he can run."

Jones added, "Ashley is talented enough to play at the next level. He's very special."