When Hawai'i quarterback Shane Austin was 9, he would stand against a wall, his right hand raised as if he were taking an oath.

Then he would swing his hand down, slapping the wall with his right palm.

"I would do that maybe 100 times," Austin said.

It is said, figuratively speaking, the most difficult part of training is hitting the wall. For Austin, literally, that was the most beneficial.

That childhood drill helped develop a passer's wrist snap, and, these days, Austin throws what UH quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich calls "the prettiest pass."

Coupled with his knowledge of the four-wide offense, Austin has ascended to No. 3 on the depth chart. What's more, the third-year sophomore will be placed on football scholarship in August.

There is a deja vu feel to Austin's situation. Several years ago, Austin and his father Dave were watching an ESPN telecast of a UH football game.

Austin recalled his father saying: "Wouldn't it be nice to play for Hawai'i? They throw the ball."

Austin said: "I thought he was joking, but it ended up working out."

The quarterback in that telecast? It was Rolovich, now Austin's position coach.

Then again, Dave Austin has made a living making dreams come true. He is essentially a motivational speaker who works with several major league baseball pitchers. One of his techniques is to have an athlete envision specific situations and try to come up with positive solutions.

"I'm pretty much one of his clients," Austin said, smiling. "He gets me ready mentally."

It started when he was growing up in Southern California.

"I was always the small quarterback," said Austin, who is now 6 feet and 200 pounds. "To compensate, I had to make sure I had the perfect technique just to keep up with everybody. And I got good coaching."

One of his coaches was Bob Gagliano, a former Nation Football League quarterback. Austin said he also learned from former UH coaches June Jones and Mouse Davis, and now Rolovich.

"All of those little things, like slapping the wall, really helped," Austin said. "My passes started developing into nice spirals. Now it's second nature. I'm very fortunate I got all of that work when I was younger."

Austin worked out in Hawai'i last summer, staying in a house on the North Shore. He plans to train in Hawai'i this summer.

Most of all, he follows another of his father's advice: Enjoy the battle.

"It's a journey," Austin said. "It's definitely a battle working out here. The thing is to enjoy each moment, enjoy the process. I thank God every day for every opportunity I receive."

PUTTING IT ON THE LINE

Offensive lineman Raphael Ieru is trying to make the most of what is essentially his last chance.

As a McKinley High senior, Ieru was one of the top prospects when he signed with UH in February 2005. But he suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee when he was sideswiped during a running drill, and underwent arthroscopic surgery. Rehabilitation was about three months; it took his career nearly four years to recover.

"I had to learn from all of the mistakes and stupid things I did," Ieru said.

His biggest problem was his waist line. Ieru weighed 365 pounds when he first enrolled at UH in August 2005.

"I wasn't really training after high school," he said. "That was my fault."

The excessive weight, he believed, put added strain on his knees.

He began to reduce his weight through exercise and diet last year. Now he follows a strict regimen. He eats lean protein (no more than 15 grams of fat each day), salads with light dressing, and he works out twice daily.

He now weighs 315.

He also is the No. 1 right guard.

Often, he said, "I could hear people talking on the side about the expectations they had for me. I wasn't performing at my best last year. This year is different. It's my last year. I have a sense of urgency."