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Positives about Kalani

by Mars · 12/19/2015

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M
Mars


Sitake, a devout Mormon, played offense for BYU, and has coached defenses for SUU, Utah, and Oregon State. Here are some quotes about him:



"When Utah got Kalani and other Polynesian coaches and went in the Pac-12, the Poly pipeline tipped from BYU to Utah. You look at Utah and a key in what they do is with the defensive line and Polynesian athletes... It would totally shift it back to BYU, this Polynesian pipeline. He is the perfect guy for the job." -Reno Mahe



"Kalani Sitake has been more instrumental than anyone in the country in elevating and helping Polynesian coaches... He's pulled people in and helped them. He is highly respected among his peers."

"If this happens, it would be a huge advantage for BYU going forward because of the trust he has as a mentor and leader in Polynesian communities across the globe."

"Kalani, because he’s such an icon among Polynesians and because he has such a great reputation as a man who is trusted and will mentor young men, his history alone and where he sits right now would really help BYU because parents would want to send their kids to Kalani. It’s kind of the Polynesian way."

"It’s a trust factor, whether it is the Salt Lake City community, the Hawaiian community or the community back in Samoa or Tonga, they relate to Kalani. In my opinion, if BYU hired Kalani, it would be a game changer in all these communities across the country. I just feel like, man, it is wide open for what Kalani could do."

"It makes all the sense in the world... If BYU wants to compete with the Pac-12 and with Utah, they have to stop treating that job like a church calling and treat it like a football job... I hope if they bring him in they give them the resources to allow him to get serious about competing on a national level. I say give him the tools he needs and get out of the way and let him do the job. He will deliver." -Alema Teo



"The perfect fit as head coach for BYU is Kalani Sitake. Stop messing around. Make the hire." -Hans Olsen



"Kalani is my guy. He does all the right things. He cares about kids first. He is a great technician. He's emotional. His care factor is very high. He teaches the game the right way."

"In my opinion, there is one guy to hire, so what are you doing?.. He should be on the sidelines for the [Las Vegas Bowl]." -Gary Anderson



"He is well-regarded as a coordinator by those who have observed him closely. He knows his stuff. He works well with players. And he delegates well. Those are necessary qualities to be a successful head coach." -Ken Goe (The Oregonian)



"He brings a lot more intensity. You make a play, he wants us to celebrate." -Justin Strong (Oregon State)





And one of the best things about Sitake? He may come to Provo even if he isn't hired as the head coach... assuming that Whittingham is. And that's a whole 'nother story...
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Schmoe
I'm sure people also said positive things about Charlie Weis before he was hired at Kansas, even though he was an obvious loser, and they probably weren't even bitter, racist, former-teammates.
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Gunk
So, if he is so great, why does Gary Anderson want him gone.



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frdbtr
Gunk wrote:
So, if he is so great, why does Gary Anderson want him gone.



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I've been thinking that exact same thing.
M
Mars
Schmoe wrote:
I'm sure people also said positive things about Charlie Weis before he was hired at Kansas, even though he was an obvious loser, and they probably weren't even bitter, racist, former-teammates.

Who on this list are you calling racist? Alema? Reno?
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Schmoe
Mars wrote:
I'm sure people also said positive things about Charlie Weis before he was hired at Kansas, even though he was an obvious loser, and they probably weren't even bitter, racist, former-teammates.

Who on this list are you calling racist? Alema? Reno?


No, you're right, we never see Polynesians pushing for Poly coaches just because of their race. I just get tired of it. I see lots of Cougar nation calling for Kalani, but no one has been able to justify it other than vague allusions to "Poly pipeline" and quotes. People say nicer things about Mike Riley at Nebraska than they've ever said about Bo Pelini, but he doesn't win like Pelini does (same thing with Mangino at Kansas, nobody said great things about what a nice guy he was or how much he wanted to celebrate, but he made the program the best it will ever be).



When I saw the thread title, I thought there'd be some numbers, stats, etc. but was disappointed to see just a bunch of pats on the back from his buddies. You could find quotes praising just about any coach in the country, it doesn't justify hiring them as a head coach. That's all. I just was hoping to see something that might justify the hype.
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snoscythe
What, you couldn't find a "he'll be awesome because he's polynesian" quote from Vai Sikahema as well?



One thing I liked about Bronco was how he kept our "Caucasian causeway" open, helping us land some of the top white Mormon QB recruits like Max Hall, Jake Heaps, Tanner Mangum and Taysom Hill--some of them even after they'd committed to other schools! We need another white coach if we want to continue to get the best QBs!! :roll:



I know that might be offensive, but it's okay--I have white friends.
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Cougs_Rule
Get some thicker skin, white guys. Waaa.

More polys will come who may not have w a white coach. A white qb isn't going to avoid BYU bc it has a poly coach.

Calm down. Polys are usually the last minority race to play the race card. Appreciate that. I do.

It wasn't like it was the first and top criteria TH used for a search. There just aren't a lot of options.



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Schmoe
Cougs_Rule wrote:
Get some thicker skin, white guys. Waaa.

More polys will come who may not have w a white coach. A white qb isn't going to avoid BYU bc it has a poly coach.

Calm down. Polys are usually the last minority race to play the race card. Appreciate that. I do.

It wasn't like it was the first and top criteria TH used for a search. There just aren't a lot of options.



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What in the world are you even talking about? This thread is about his qualifications as head coach and the only thing that anyone can come up with is "Well, he's Polynesian and his friends like him." How does that have anything to do with "white guys" needing "thicker skin?"
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scott715
A good recruiter. He has worked under very good DC and should have learned a lot. BM learned under Rocky Long and became good DC.



The poly world loves him and he could be the thing to move our recruiting up a notch.
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urroner
The only time I ever saw a Poly being racist was when I attended BYU.



I was in a pickup b-ball game and I was one of two white guys, the rest were Tongans and Samoan. I was lucky to get out of the game live.



Well, they picked on me more because I was this little white boy and I was 220 and 6 foot and the rougher they were with me and with everybody else, the louder they laughed. I "fell down" one time when I got sandwiched between two 6' 4+" behemoths and one of them said "Yo palagi, are you going to cry like a little baby?" I used the only word I knew in Somoan, te'ete'e, which means "puffer fish." "What a te'ete'e." That had all of them laughing and earned me another sandwich later on.
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pikoi
Schmoe wrote:
Get some thicker skin, white guys. Waaa.

More polys will come who may not have w a white coach. A white qb isn't going to avoid BYU bc it has a poly coach.

Calm down. Polys are usually the last minority race to play the race card. Appreciate that. I do.

It wasn't like it was the first and top criteria TH used for a search. There just aren't a lot of options.



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What in the world are you even talking about? This thread is about his qualifications as head coach and the only thing that anyone can come up with is "Well, he's Polynesian and his friends like him." How does that have anything to do with "white guys" needing "thicker skin?"


Ya'll don't know what it's like, being male, middle class, and white.



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mtnradio
Reports say he is a great motivator ...

he's a good recruiter



c'mon guys, TH doesn't pick him if he doesn't have some real strong traits
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Schmoe
mtnradio wrote:
Reports say he is a great motivator ...

he's a good recruiter



c'mon guys, TH doesn't pick him if he doesn't have some real strong traits


Okay, but why don't his great recruits, motivation, etc. make his team better on the field?
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snoscythe
Bronco got most of the poly recruits he targeted when he was winning 10 games a season. After three 8 win seasons, he wasn't getting so many. Just win, baby, and you'll get all the colors of recruits you need.
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TulaneVandyRiceCoug
Time to kick-off the diversity party!-Michael Scott



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imuakahuku
What I look forward to is that Kalani will be coming in with the expectation of winning against everyone. That is what I think gave KW a leg up on Bronco. BYU has lost too many P5 games. BC, UCLA, AZ, UCLA again, and so on. But Kalani benefited being under KWitt and KWitt was able to coach with Urban who brought a who new attitude to Utah. I believe it was an attitude of winning against everyone and believing you will. I think a prime example was Ohio St vs Alabama and Oregon last year. And he passed much of that on to KWitt who passed that on to his assistants.

So what I am looking for outside of KS being the "super" recruiter that everyone keeps harping on, it is that expectation of winning. This to me is key to the success of a team.

I'll use Kahuku as an example. We have had super talented kids at the school forever. But the coaches never seemed to be able to get the team to perform to its ability. Not until Doug Simmones took over. He brought a whole new attitude of expecting to win. And now Kahuku is a true national powerhouse. He didn't make huge changes to the offense or the defense. He mostly caused a change in attitude. Again, they are not more talented now than they were when they had players like Jr Ah You, Keala Santiago, the WIley's, the Heimuli's, the Akina's, the list goes on and on. They just go out there and work to beat the team on the other side on every play and expect that by winning most of them they will win the game.
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BroncoBot
imuakahuku wrote:
What I look forward to is that Kalani will be coming in with the expectation of winning against everyone. That is what I think gave KW a leg up on Bronco. BYU has lost too many P5 games. BC, UCLA, AZ, UCLA again, and so on. But Kalani benefited being under KWitt and KWitt was able to coach with Urban who brought a who new attitude to Utah. I believe it was an attitude of winning against everyone and believing you will. I think a prime example was Ohio St vs Alabama and Oregon last year. And he passed much of that on to KWitt who passed that on to his assistants.

So what I am looking for outside of KS being the "super" recruiter that everyone keeps harping on, it is that expectation of winning. This to me is key to the success of a team.

I'll use Kahuku as an example. We have had super talented kids at the school forever. But the coaches never seemed to be able to get the team to perform to its ability. Not until Doug Simmones took over. He brought a whole new attitude of expecting to win. And now Kahuku is a true national powerhouse. He didn't make huge changes to the offense or the defense. He mostly caused a change in attitude. Again, they are not more talented now than they were when they had players like Jr Ah You, Keala Santiago, the WIley's, the Heimuli's, the Akina's, the list goes on and on. They just go out there and work to beat the team on the other side on every play and expect that by winning most of them they will win the game.

Explain KW's losses to UNLV and other non-p5 teams to me please...
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SenorCougar
Bronco came from New Mexico/Rocky Long and made an immediate positive impact on the defense. Sitake cannot make that same claim...



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vancouvercougar
Gunk wrote:
So, if he is so great, why does Gary Anderson want him gone.



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I don't think that Gary Anderson wanted him gone so much as he wanted a decision from BYU. Gary knew that he was likely losing Kalani and the delay from BYU delayed his search for a new coordinator.



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