Each day, Solomon Elimimian kneels in prayer.

He prays for the good health and safety of his parents, who live in Los Angeles' most hard-scrabbled area, South Central.

He prays in thankfulness for his life's blessing — his University of Hawai'i football scholarship, his free tuition, his chance for a good life.

Most of all, he said, "I ask God to show me the right path, to use me to be the best person I can be, to better the world. That's my No. 1 goal: To better the world. I want to do something positive with my life, and maybe that will inspire someone. I want someone to say, 'If he can do it, why can't I?' That's what I pray for. Every day."

Elimimian already accomplished much last season, his first year at UH.

By the third game of his college career, weeks before he took his first mid-term exam, Elimimian was a starting inside linebacker and the director of the Warriors' defense.

Overcoming homesickness and a bad diet, he finished as the Warriors' second-leading tackler as a freshman in 2005 while maintaining a B average.

For that, he thanks God.

"Our family is really Christian-based," said Elimimian, whose siblings have the Biblical names of Abraham, Jacob, Elizabeth and Isaac. "We have a strong faith. Without God, nothing is possible. With God, everything is possible.

"For me, I'm blessed to have the opportunities I have. I get to come to Hawai'i to play football. This is a great place to play. It's all about taking advantage of opportunities. I'm a very blessed person."

UH coach June Jones praised Elimimian, saying, "Solomon played like an NFL veteran. For a freshman to come in and take control of a defense, to make the calls and adjustments and play the game the way he played as a freshman, he's got a really bright three years ahead of him."

UH opened training camp Thursday, but Elimimian managed to take time to answer questions from The Advertiser.

On his Nigerian birthplace:

"I came to America when I was 1. I've never been back to Nigeria. My parents have been back. I haven't. It seems whenever they go, it's during school or football season. I plan to go (next) year. I have a lot of family still living in Nigeria."

"When we first came to America, we lived in San Luis Obispo (Calif.), maybe around nine, 10 years. I remember a lot about that. It was really cool. It was a nice neighborhood. I guess that's where my family really bonded."

On moving to South Central:

"We moved to L.A. because it was a big opportunity for my family. But it was a change. It was really tough.

"A lot of people in SoCal would know (the area). It's called 'The Jungles.' It's government housing and stuff. There was a lot of gang violence. It was really hard to be accepted by the kids. Everything you were taught was challenged by the kids. You were doing things a certain way, and the kids were doing the opposite.

"There were a lot of temptations to join the gangs. The part we were living in was real heavy on gangs. In middle school there were a lot of gang-bangers. Having a strong family, I knew I could never go that route. I had my brothers in college. My dad was a professor with a PhD in English. My mom got a degree in college. I couldn't go that route. I was never in a gang, but I hung out with a lot of guys who were in gangs.

"Being an athlete, I had a pass, I guess. I never messed with that stuff.

"A lot of people think gang members are heartless. They're human beings who don't have a lot of opportunities. There were cool people. They let me do my football thing and not interfere with that."

On his parents:

"It was hard growing up in L.A. with Nigerian parents. They were overprotective and strict. No matter how old you get, it seems it was always their way. I didn't really understand that when I was little. Now I understand that's how the culture is. I respect it a lot. It's always strict, but it worked.

"My friends used to ask why I couldn't spend a night, why I couldn't go out, stuff like that. I felt bad. Every kid wants to be accepted. Having Nigerian culture, it was difficult in that aspect. The freedom wasn't really there. The curfew was when it got dark, you had to be in the house. I never really spent time in my friends' house. Even when I go back to L.A., my parents don't really like me to go out. It's really dangerous in L.A.

"As I look at it now, it was great. Not many of my friends are in college. My parents taught us well."

On his brother, former UH cornerback Abraham Elimimian:

"My brother was a big inspiration to me. Growing up, I always wanted to be like my brother Abe. When Abe was playing basketball, I was playing basketball. When Abe dropped basketball and started playing football, that's when I stopped playing basketball and started playing football. I didn't play football until my ninth grade year. It was natural, I guess. My brother is the reason I played football."

On turning down other schools to sign with UH:

"After my (recruiting) trip, I kept thinking about signing, but I didn't really want to follow my brother's path. I wanted to make my own path. The more I thought about it, I realized I can make my own path even if I went to Hawai'i.

"I think I made the best choice. The (UH) coaches are cool. They teach you how to play. They inspire. (Linebacker) coach Cal (Lee) is a great guy. He always has time for us. That's what I like about coach Cal.

"Hawai'i is the best place for me. I wouldn't change anything. A lot of schools wouldn't give a freshman a chance to play. The coach told me they would give me a chance. All I had to do was show them what I've got. They were honest with me."

On his first start, replacing Ikaika Curnan, who was a senior:

"I really look up to Ikaika Curnan. He was hurt all last year. If he were healthy, I wouldn't have started. He didn't have a grudge against me. He was a hero, a real inspiration. How can a man be so humble? He was the man when my brother played here. I looked up to Ikaika Curnan. I was surprised at how he embraced me, how he tried to help me a lot. He could have been bitter, and that's understandable. A lot of guys get bitter when they're not playing. I feel he was an inspiration to me. I had his support. He couldn't really play 100 percent. That's when (defensive coordinator Jerry) Glanville told me, 'You're going to start this week.' I was really nervous, but excited to play.

"The most nervous I ever got was the (season-opening) USC game. I'm from L.A., and everybody back home was like, 'I'm going to have to watch you.' But I did pretty good. That boosted my confidence."

On being asked to call the defensive plays as a freshman:

"It was real tough. When things go wrong, and the line can't hear you calling the plays, you get blamed for it. It's your responsibility to make sure everyone knows what you're doing. You have to call the audibles. You have to grasp the whole concept almost as much as the defensive coordinator. I guess you're the general on the field.

"I was really worried about how the (older) players would receive me. A lot of guys don't respect you. That's the honest truth. You're a freshman. You haven't done anything to help the program. They don't know you. Everybody is looking at you. You hear stuff. 'Solomon this.' It's tough, but you respect it. They're the seniors. You're a freshman. You have to earn your way. You have to earn respect. It's really hard to trust a freshman calling plays.

"But the environment I grew up in Crenshaw (High School), the coaches really got us prepared to accept challenges. They're yelling in your face. There's a lot of pressure."

On his first year at UH:

"My freshman year was mind boggling. It was the hardest year of my life. The coaches take in mind you're a freshman, but it was either right or wrong. You don't do things right, you're not going to play.

"Even though people were saying I had a good freshman year, I didn't feel I had a good year, not by my standards. Being away from Los Angeles, it was really hard. I was homesick. It was tough. But I feel the fact I was playing helped me through it. It kept me focused on things, not going out to clubs. I feel if I redshirted (as a freshman), I would have been miserable. It would have been hard to be so far from my family and not playing.

"The hardest thing about being a freshman is learning to take care of your responsibilities. I've got to be honest with you. I don't really like school, but I did pretty well. What helped me through was football. In order for me to be successful in football, I have to go to school. There are a lot of guys who aren't here because of school. It's not that hard. You have to go to class. Study hall is long. But in the end, it pays off. It's mandatory, so you might as well go in there and do the work. The biggest thing about school is being focused."

On the difference between Hawai'i and Los Angeles:

"Hawai'i is a big melting pot. There are so many different cultures. In South Central, it's a different way of people thinking. There's less violence (here). It's real easy. It's not about material things. It's not how you dress or how much jewelry you have on. Out here, it's more free. You wear sandals wherever you go. I like it. You don't have to worry about materialistic stuff.

"I feel, in my heart, L.A. will always be home. I feel I need that tough environment to bring out the best in me. When things are tough, as the saying goes, people get better. Los Angeles is a tough place to live in. But if you can get out, you're most likely to be successful.

"As a matter of fact, two weeks ago, I got a phone call that my best friend's cousin got shot. He's still in a coma. My ninth grade year until now, I'd say over 15 people I knew personally are dead through gang violence or stupid things. It makes me angry that people can't see there's more to life than gang-banging, and that they don't value human life.

"In a way, it's understandable. I don't agree with what they do, but it's understandable when you have parents who gang-bang. They have no role models. For me, it was different. I had my brothers and my parents. Some kids don't have role models. The rap artists are talking about killing and drinking. And the parents are gang-banging. It's wrong, but it's understandable. It's what you know. It's so hard to change how you think, especially when everyone around you is thinking one way."

On his offseason conditioning program:

"I felt like last year I was in the worst shape I've ever been in. I got to 235 (pounds) at one point. It was bad weight. I felt really bloated. I was eating like I never ate before. I was eating everything. I had to understand you can't eat everything. You have to eat how your body wants you to eat.

"I'm at a good weight now. I worked hard during the summer. I'm at 226. That's a good weight. It's all about if you can play, if you can run, especially with the defense we play.

"I was up in Seattle for eight weeks this summer, working out with Adam (Leonard, UH's other starting inside linebacker). Adam's place was surprising. The family eats a lot, eats really good. My family eats good, too, but not like Adam's family. I thought the reason they were cooking so much was because of me. I told Adam, 'Your parents don't have to cook that much because of me.' He said, 'No, we eat like this all of the time.' It was great. By the time I left I was really comfortable.

"Adam is the closest friend I have on the team. We're competitive. He brings out the best in me, and I bring out the best in him. Training with Adam is the best for me. He has a goal, which is similar to mine, which is to be the best linebacker."

On his off-field interests:

"I'm not a real outgoing person. A lot of my teammates said I was a hermit because I never really went out. That's fine with me. I like to relax, hang out with my friends, play some dominos. Dominos is really competitive. It's strategic. If you don't have the hand that you want, you have to be more strategic. You need a poker face. You can't have people read you. You can't let them know what you're thinking or what you're trying to do. That's easy for me. Everybody says I never smile. It's just me. It's not that I don't like to smile, but that's how I am. What you see is what you get, I guess."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.