It was just another summer workout, teammates helping teammates without the coaches’ supervision, when Hawaii receiver Donnie King and cornerback Ne’Quan Phillips butted heads.
Literally.
They yelled at each other, pointed fingers and, an hour later, were sharing battle stories.
"Even when you fight with someone who is like your brother," Phillips said, "you’re still friends. We’re cool now."
Phillips and wide receiver Vasquez Haynes also have a love-instigate relationship.
"We always go at it," Haynes said. "We talk a lot. It gets us going. We’re competitive. We hate each other on the field, but we’re friends off it. What happens on the field stays on the field."
Phillips’ heckle-and-tackle style has made him the Rainbow Warriors’ best cover defender.
Phillips is at his best in man coverage. Each of his 10 tackles has been a solo stop.
"Ne’Quan is playing awfully well," coach Norm Chow said.
Few escape Phillips’ grasp. Opponents have a yards-after-catch average of under 2.0 against him. He did not miss a tackle in UH’s first two games.
"Coach (Daronte’) Jones has worked really hard on tackling," defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer said of the UH’s secondary coach. "If we can do that, (opposing teams) have to drive the whole way instead of turning a short pass into a big play."
Phillips is a sophomore from Miami whose Twitter handle is @MrHonolulu_1 — a reference to his hospitable nature.
In football, his lock-down technique is Miami vise.
"It’s from where I came from," said Phillips, who is 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds. "They always thought I was too small. I didn’t care about being too small. I cared about playing with a lot of heart."
His coach at Southridge High emphasized physical play and physical training.
"He came up with this word — animalistic," Phillips said. "We took that to heart. He made us into beasts."
His coach blasted music in the weight room.
"We’d get pumped up," Phillips said. "We were excited to go into the weight room and lift. He made sure we lifted every day, even after practice."
Phillips continues that iron diet at UH. He now can bench press 345 pounds and squat 308 pounds.
His hard work earned him a spot on UH’s 17-player captains’ council.
"I’m always loud, talking smack," Phillips said. "Receivers don’t like me because I’m talking smack and being physical."
Haynes said: "That’s part of the game. It’s not personal."
Phillips is even grateful for the knock from King, which left his nose swollen. The excess fluid will be drained after the season.
"I like it," Phillips said. "It’s the mean look I need."
And then Mr. Honolulu smiled.
