LIHU‘E — The most important aspect of football is academics, said University of Hawai‘i head football coach Greg McMackin, Tuesday. “Academics is so important,” McMackin said. “Our football team’s average is a 3.0 grade point average; we have 18 early
LIHU‘E — The most important aspect of football is academics, said University of Hawai‘i head football coach Greg McMackin, Tuesday.
“Academics is so important,” McMackin said. “Our football team’s average is a 3.0 grade point average; we have 18 early graduates, and three or four players working on their master’s degrees.”
McMackin told the more than 150 older players, most in high school, that this is the time to prepare for playing football beyond high school.
“How many of you want to play football in college?” Tony Tuioti, University of Hawai‘i personnel director, asked.
The majority of hands shot up without hesitation during the special presentation that prefaced Tuesday’s football clinic for student-athletes 13 years and older.
“We have 25 scholarships to give away,” Rich Miano, associate head coach of the University of Hawai‘i, said.
That’s far less than the number of hands indicating high school students’ desire to attend college through some sort of football program.
Tuioti said there are 16 core courses that need to be successfully completed in order to play Division I college football.
“There are a lot of players the coaches look at, but with just 15.5 of the required 16 core courses, there’s no way they can get in,” Tuioti said.
McMackin said he’s seen great players who can’t get in to the University of Hawai‘i almost every year.
His advice is to start young because by the time players get to the 9th grade, everything counts.
“What you do from the 9th through 12th grade counts for college,” McMackin said. “Prepare your game plan early. Your counselor should be your best friend because eligibility rules change each year. If you’re a senior and ready to graduate and you go to the counselor’s office asking ‘Who’s my counselor?’ how can they help you?”
Tuioti offered an academic
game plan for aspiring student athletes, and copies of “College Bound Game Plan” were distributed through the Mayor’s office to the aspiring college-bound athletes.
Tuioti said the copies are a very effective academic map students can use to help their chances earn college scholarships.
“If you toss it in the wastebasket, it won’t do you any good,” he said. “If you use it like a map, it’ll help you get to where you need to go.”
Tuioti said the handout covers a variety of areas student athletes need to follow in pursuit of college scholarships — down to getting airfare and expenses covered during familiarization trips to the different campuses.
“Today, there is a lot of opportunities for students to play football as colleges in all division levels as well as junior colleges have programs,” said Miano. “This is all to encourage you to further your education beyond high school.”
