From the jump, Tre’ Griffiths immersed himself among Hawaii WRs
· Yahoo Sports
He earned the nickname “Tre’” for being the third Edley William Griffiths in his family.
At Keller High School in Texas, Griffiths excelled in the triple-jump.
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It is little wonder Tre’ Griffiths is a three-tool wideout for the University of Hawaii football team. After the first two practices of training camp, 6-foot-3, 205-pound Griffiths has shown speed, hops on 50-50 balls, and Hoy-Hoy grip.
“I’m loving it here,” said Griffiths, who transferred from Oklahoma State in January. “Coach (Jared) Ursua and Coach (William) Overstreet have done a really good job getting me acclimated and adjusted to the program. I’ve been loving it so far.”
Griffiths is helping to fill a void in the Warriors’ four-receiver offense. Wideouts Jackson Harris and Brandon White transferred, and Karsyn Pupunu’s petition for an extra season was denied. Margin Hooks, who is Griffiths’ personal trainer, called Ursua. Hooks, a former BYU receiver, and the UH receivers coach are close friends.
Last season, Griffiths’ second at OSU, coach Mike Gundy was dismissed after a 1-2 start. Doug Meachman was promoted to interim head coach. Eric Morris was named Gundy’s permanent replacement in November. By then, Griffiths was looking for a fresh start. Hooks recommended working under Ursua, who developed Harris, White, Steven McBride and Dekel Crowdus into deep threats at UH.
With a background in track and football, Griffiths appeared to have the aggregate skills to be a Warriors wideout.
At Keller High, Griffiths competed in the 4×100 relay — the second leg as a junior and anchor as a senior.
“That second leg sets it up,” Griffiths noted. “The anchor finishes it.”
His best event was the triple jump, in which he mastered the hop-step-jump process. The third phase was the most challenging because he soared into the pit off his left (non-dominant) leg.
“It takes a timing, a lot of power, forced transition, and a lot of coordination,” Griffiths said. His personal best was 47 feet, 10 inches as a junior. He did not compete as a senior.
“Never broke 48,” he said. “That was the goal. … The smallest thing can affect your jump so much.”
Griffiths takes care of the details in football.
“Just repetition,” said Griffiths, who will catch tennis balls thrown against walls or secure passes from teammates and the JUGS machine.
“Anything I can possibly do to help me,” he said. “I’m always looking to perfect catching.”
On Thursday afternoon, after teammates headed to the training table or training room, Griffiths was the lone Warrior remaining on Ching field, working on his footwork, the sport’s equivalent of shadow boxing.
It is a work ethic he has embraced since Keller: Train diligently during the week, play before a sellout crowd at KISD Athletics Complex.
“Everybody supports Keller High School in that town,” he said. “It’s like what you see in the movie ‘Friday Night Lights.’ And then after the game, you to go to Whataburger.”
These days, Keller’s free time is spent enjoying Hawaii’s culture and scenery.
“Everything here is so unreal,” he said. “My first time in Hawaii was when I visited (on a recruiting trip). It’s all so brand new. It’s pretty. The air is cleaner. The scenery is beautiful. I love the tide pools at the Makapuu Lighthouse (trails). It’s one of my favorite hikes. It’s an easy hike. But it’s just so peaceful. I love it here so much.”
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