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| Junior tight end Michael Hoomanwanui is one of many weapons in Illinois' 2008 offensive arsenal. |
Spend a few minutes over the lunch hour Tuesday with junior TE Michael Hoomanawanui as he answers your questions in the chat room. Send in your questions now!
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| Moderator: Good afternoon, Illini fans. We'll be getting started with Michael Hoomanawanui in just a few minutes. |
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| Marc (Plainfield, IN): Hey Michael, hope your school year and football season goes well. This team seems full of physical talent. How do the coaches keep the talent focused and are the younger players responding well to the pressure of college football? |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: Thanks us for writing in. It's up to the coaches and the upperclassmen to keep everybody level-headed. The younger guys could easily think that you just come in and go to the Rose Bowl in your first year. But those of us who were here before--we're reminding them of all the hard work it takes to have success. The new guys are doing well. Hubie Graham is asking a lot of questions, and he and the other guys are really picking things up. They certainly have the strength and talent to succeed. Now all they need is experience. |
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| Chas (E-town, PA): Mike, as the main man at TE are you up to the task of teaching freshman TE Hubie Graham the job, or is it a lost cause? Let's face it, my 13-year-old daughter blocks better, and he can't catch a cold. |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: Wow! I hope you're kidding, because I don't see him that way. Hubie is a great kid and an even better athlete who will use that athleticism to help our team this season. I definitely see him getting playing time this year. |
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| Mal (Bloomington): Michael, what are the chances any TV or radio announcer will take the time to learn how to pronounce your last name this year? I will send Steamer (5 years old) up to the booth to assist them if need be. We hope to hear your name a lot this fall. Good luck. |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: Hey, Coach! I've had many announcers take short lessons from me on the pronunciation of my last name. Not too many of them seem to review their notes on the correct way to say it. But you and I both know that I'm used to it by now. |
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| Matt (Augustana): Hey Mike! What's up? How's it going down there? I have noticed that you have progressed over the last two plus years in the offense. I was wondering what it was like transitioning from having a high school quarterback throw you the ball to Juice throwing you the ball? Also, what are your personal goals for the season? Hope all is well, see you soon and Go Illini! |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: Hey, Matt. I'm doing great. You threw harder to me than Juice would ever think about doing, so the transition hasn't been too bad. You threw me a lot more balls than Juice has, but hopefully that will change this season. |
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| Greg (Mattoon): Hey Hooman, hows it going? I'm curious, what is your favorite part of playing the tight end position and how are the younger guys at that position doing? Thanks and good luck against Mizzou! |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: My favorite part of playing tight end...everyone likes to catch the ball and be in the spotlight, but I like to block and catch. I like to be able to catch the ball like a receiver, yet still have the mentality and blocking ability of a lineman. |
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| Mike (Kenilworth): Do you think Ilinois has the talent to compete for the Big Ten title this season? |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: Yes. With the recruiting and the hard work we put in during the off-season, along with the pressure we put on ourselves to perform, as well as the goals we formed as a team, I definitely think we can contend. |
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| Denise: How have you improved your game this season? What can we expect from your improvements? Was the extra week at camp worth it? Have a healthy and successful season! |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: I really worked on my pass routes and my footwork in blocking during the off-season. I expect that more balls will be thrown my way and that more runs will come to my side. |
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| Bill (Springfield, Ill.): Is it speed or finesse that gets you into a pass pattern after a block? |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: Both. You have to have speed to get out of the block, but you have to have finesse to avoid defenders and find openings. |
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| Ryan (Newton): Hey Uh-Oh,
What's up? I can't wait for the season to start on Saturday! WOOO. I am so pumped to see the Orange and Blue take the field. I hope your going to get a lot of passes thrown your way this year because you have earned it the last few years. My question is, what is it like to be in the locker room with all of the talent surrounding you? Also, where would you rank yourself among Big Ten TEs this year? Hope you do awesome this year, and don't forget to pay up. |
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Michael Hoomanawanui: It's a lot of fun...we have a lot of unique characters, funny guys who like to joke around. I'm in the locker room with some of the best athletes in the nation, and it's an honor to play with them. I wouldn't rank myself among the tight ends, but I hope to be considered among one of the best...with guys like Travis Beckum and Anthony Moeaki. |
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| Moderator: Michael's headed for class, now. Thanks for your questions. Sorry we couldn't get to them all. We'll have another chat right here with one of Uh-Oh's teammates next Tuesday afternoon. |
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