Hawaii Basketball

The 2007 Hawaii Girls Basketball All-State Team consists of the top 20 performers from this season as rated by HawaiiHoops.com. Seven players were named to the first team which is fairly unusual, but necessary in that the final two selections (Tagalicod & Lota) were among the state’s best despite not having the opportunity to showcase their talent in the state tournament.

Selections were based on both individual and team performances throughout the 2007 basketball season. Players were slightly penalized, though not completely, for their team’s inability to win big games while others were awarded for their team’s success.

The First Team (plus 2):
Jazzmin Awa-Williams, Konawaena, Sr. - Player of the Year - Awa-Williams was the unquestionable leader of the 2007 State Champion Konawaena Wildcats, averaging an impressive 20.3 ppg in three tournament wins. The Wildcats were also the BIIF Champions and finished the season with a perfect 17-0 record. The decision to pick Awa-Williams as the 2007 Hawaii State Player-of-the-Year over Keisha Kanekoa (Honokaa) was a tough one, but as they say… “to the victor goes the spoils.”

Keisha Kanekoa, Honokaa, Sr. - In this year’s state tournament, Kanekoa showed the rest of the state what the Big Island has known for years… that she’s really, really good. As the lone gun on an underpowered Honokaa team, Kanekoa was simply unbelievable in the state tournament averaging 23.8 ppg which included 31 points in an upset of #1 seed Roosevelt and 32 points in a close loss to Punahou in the semifinals. In her final game against ILH Champion Iolani, Kanekoa finished with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and hit a game-winning floater to earn the third place trophy.

Jamie Smith, Iolani, Jr. - A strong finisher with an endless motor, Smith was the powerful force behind Iolani’s run to the 2007 ILH Championship. On the season, Smith averaged a double-double of 15+ points and 11+ rebounds per game and continued her performance in the state tournament where she averaged 18.0 points and 10.6 rebounds in 3 games including 28 (points) and 13 (rebounds) in a semifinal loss to Konawaena.

Iwalani Rodrigues, Roosevelt, Jr. - Considered by many to be the most athletic player in the state, Rodrigues “wowed” crowds with her accurate jumper and smooth handle as she led the Roosevelt Rough Riders to the 2007 OIA Red Division title. In the open court, “Iwa” was virtually unstoppable, able to get to the rim and finish high above her opponents. She was equally as tough inside, ripping down tough rebounds on the defensive end and reaching up for putbacks on offense.

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From June 11th to June 16th, a number of Hawaii’s top high school players will be under one roof competing with and against each other at the 2007 Hawaii High School Basketball Exposure Camp on the Kamehameha-Maui campus.

Put on by the Maui Sports Academy, the Exposure Camp is the only one of its kind in Hawaii and aimed at the top returning underclassmen from around the state. Players will receive instruction from current college coaches and former players including Alan Walls, assistant coach at Texas Lutheran University (San Antonio) and former assistant at the University of Northern Colorado, Avi Meyerson, assistant coach at Occidental College and former graduate assistant at Washington State University, Mike Siener, assistant coach at Webster Unversity (MO) as well as former University of Hawaii Hilo standout Andy Smith and 2005 Hawaii State Player of the Year Kyle Pape (currently at the Colorado School of Mines).

Former attendees include 2006 Hawaii State Player of the Year Junior Ale (Kahuku/BYU Hawaii), All-State players Jeremiah Ostrowski (Punahou/Hawaii), Gary Satterwhite (Radford/Hawaii), Beau Albrechtson (Kaimuki/Hawaii), Vinny Nip (Iolani/Occidental), Tyler Tsukazaki (Maryknoll/Lewis & Clark), Kerston Ho (Roosevelt/Pierce) among many others…

2007 Notable Attendees:
Cheynne Lishman, Kalaheo (2007 Fab 15 All-State, All-OIA East First Team)
Mike Makinano, Campbell (2007 All-OIA West First Team)
Obie Woods, Aiea (2007 All-OIA West First Team)
Erwin Decoite, KS-Maui (2007 MIL Player of the Year)
Kason Dudley, Seabury Hall (2007 All-MIL First Team)
Jeffery Oka, KS-Maui (2007 All-MIL Second Team)
Dillon Soldwisch, Lahainaluna (2007 All-MIL Second Team)
Collin Cabatbat, Waiakea (2007 All-BIIF Second Team)
Taylor Mounts, Iolani
Richard Herring, Maryknoll

For more information, visit the Maui Sports Academy website: www.mauisportsacademy.com

As the only NCAA sanctioned women’s basketball league in Hawaii, the D.ONE Summer League made its debut in 2006 and will continue on this summer from June 19th - August 7th at Manoa Gymnasium. The league is open to high-school graduates and has featured several current and former college players including Brittney Aiwohi, Melanie Azama, Kyla Evers, Michelle Gabriel, Dainora Puida and Ki’i Spencer-Vasconcellos as well as former UH standout and league president Nani Cockett.

What: 2007 D.ONE Hawaii Women’s Summer League
When: June 19 - August 7, 2007 (Tuesdays & Saturdays)
Where: Manoa Recreational Gymnasium

For those interested in participating, please fill out and mail in the League Application and attend the Mandatory Pre-Draft Open Gym on June 1st and 8th (Fridays) from 6:30 - 9:00pm at Kamehameha School’s Kekuhaupi’o Gym. There is an entry fee of $80 to be paid at the Draft Meeting on June 16, 2007.

For more information, email d.onebasketball@hotmail.com.

In honor of Memorial Day, receive 30% off of your purchase at Foot Locker, Champs & Footaction either in-store or online from Friday, May 25th to Monday, May 28th, 2007.

The best deals are usually online because you can add the discount to the items already on sale and their inventory is much larger. Shipping rates to Hawaii are reasonable.

Foot Locker: In-store coupon (Online Code: FF7YCP75)
Champs Sports: In-store coupon (Online Code: FF7YCH75)
Footaction: In-store coupon (Online Code: FF7YFA75)

Special Note: From experience, you will not see the 30% discount when you complete the transaction online. The final cost with all discounts, shipping and taxes will be sent via email in an order confirmation. Just make sure you enter the online code correctly before finalizing the transaction. Also, the online coupon is only valid until 5/28/2007 at 11:59pm CST which is 5:59pm HST.

Receive 20% off all Nike items through May 31 at NIKETOWN, NikeWomen & NikeStore.com with a qualifying total purchase of $125.

Print this coupon for in-store purchases or to redeem online at NikeStore.com, enter promotion code 2PLKBKEM7 at checkout.

“Ground” shipping is available to Hawaii for $8.00 on orders under $175.00 (Free over $175).

After being a four-year starter in the five-year-old Kamehameha-Hawaii basketball program, guard Mea Wong knows what it’s like to be at the beginning of something. Symbolizing another beginning, Wong has signed a letter of intent to attend Warner Pacific College next year to play basketball.

Warner Pacific is an NAIA Division II college, member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference and associate member of the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association).

With coaches, administrators and friends around him, Wong spoke with WPC head coach Bart Valentine by phone immediately after signing his letter. Coach Valentine asked Wong how he planned to get ready for his first year of college basketball. Wong indicated that he will be training with his brother Aukai (Kea’au ‘05), who is finishing his second year at Carl Albert State College in Oklahoma.

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Two teams from the Big Island swept the Division I and Division II titles at the 2007 Hawaii Girls Basketball State Tournament this weekend taking down teams from the ILH in the finals at Stan Sheriff Center.

The Konawaena Wildcats completed their three-day “run for respect” with a 59-47 victory over the Punahou Buffanblu in the Division I Championship game. Despite going 15-0 in the BIIF, Konawaena was given the #2 seed and placed into a tough bracket along with ILH Champion Iolani and OIA 3rd place team Kalani. The Wildcats defeated the Falcons 58-46 in the quarterfinals and advanced to the semfinals where they overcame a 6-point halftime defeat to beat the Raiders 50-41 behind 27 points by star forward Jazzmin Awa-Williams. In the finals, Konawaena got a huge contribution from junior forward Mana Hopkins (26 points, 9 boards) and were able to take down a fiesty Punahou team, leading 27-14 at halftime and holding on for the win.

The 2007 State Championship is the second for Konawaena in the last 4 years. Since 2004, the Wildcats have two state titles (2004 and 2007), one 2nd place finish (2005) and one 4th place finish (2006).

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Disrespect versus improbability…

The Konawaena Wildcats will be out to prove they rightly deserved the #1-seed in this year’s tournament when they face the “no-one-expected-us-to-be-here” Punahou Buffanblu in the finals of the Hawaii Girls Basketball State Tournament. The two teams come into the game after hard-earned wins in the semifinals and will be looking to impose their style of play on the other and capture the 2007 title.

What will each team need to do to win?…

Konawaena will need to execute their offense effectively and get easy opportunities for star forward Jazzmin Awa-Williams who is coming fresh off of a 27 point performance in the semifinals against Iolani. More importantly, the Wildcats will have to handle Punahou’s pressure. If they are able to limit their turnovers and play the same “keep-um-in-front-of-you” defense that stifled the Raiders in the second half of last night’s game, Punahou will have a difficult time putting up enough points to win.

Important Roles: Awa-Williams will need to do it all. Besides scoring, she’ll have to help her guards handle the Buffanblu press and help the bigs control the boards. The Hanato-Smith sisters will need to limit turnovers and make the most out of their offensive opportunities while forward Mana Hopkins will play an important role as a finisher once the Wildcats get past the first wave of Punahou pressure.

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Well… just as suspected, the BIIF actually did deserve more respect than the the HHSAA seeding committee gave them. Despite a unblemished 15-0 record and a #1 ranking in recent polls, the Konawaena Wildcats were snubbed by the HHSAA in favor of the Roosevelt Rough Riders who at 14-1 were awarded the #1-seed over the BIIF champion. Though the Rough Riders were surely among the top contenders for the title, their loss to Kahuku should have given Konawaena the edge when it came to seeding. Even Roosevelt head coach Bobby Keanini questioned the decision, saying “We’re seeded 1? How did they come up with that? Konawaena and Iolani, they deserve their respect.”

The only teams remaining are from the BIIF and the ILH. Each one of the six OIA teams has been eliminated, including #1-seed Roosevelt who fell to the Honokaa Dragons 53-45 behind 31 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists from superstar guard Keisha Kanekoa. The Dragons will face Punahou tomorrow in one semifinal as the Buffanblu were able to defeat the #4-seed Lahainaluna Lunas 66-47, forcing 40 turnovers in the win.

In the other semifinal, the #3-seed Iolani Raiders will face the #2-seed Konawaena Wildcats in a matchup of the top teams from the ILH and BIIF. The Raiders advanced to the semifinals by defeating the Radford Rams 50-39 despite a 22 point, 21 rebound perfomance by Radford freshman Ta Nitra Byrd while the Wildcats opened up an early lead and held on for a 58-46 win over the Kalani Falcons.

The Final Four - Matchup Analysis:
(Games on Thursday, May 17 @ Stan Sheriff Center)

Konawaena Wildcats vs. Iolani Raiders - 6:00pm
In a matchup of the BIIF champion and the ILH champion, consistency will be the key. The two teams are fairly evenly matched, both able to execute their sets with precision. The game will likely be won by the team that’s more efficient on the offensive end and can keep its star out of foul trouble.

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The field is set and the schedule is made… so get ready for the 2007 Hawaii Girls Basketball State Tournament which starts on Tuesday, May 15th at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Full tournament schedule »

Here’s a quick rundown of the DI “contenders” (by seed):

#1 - Roosevelt (14-1): Last year’s state runner-up returns to this year’s tournament as the questionable #1 seed fresh off winning their second consecutive OIA championship on Friday over the Radford Rams. The Rough Riders are led by one of the most gifted players in the state, Iwalani Rodrigues, a 5-8 guard with a smooth handle, accurate jumper and unquestionable athletic ability.

Keys to victory: While “Iwa” will undoubtedly get her points, it will be Roosevelt’s supporting cast that will determine their overall success. Point guard Diana Zane will be instrumental in handling the ball for the Rough Riders and may be called upon to fill the offensive void left by injured guard Tiana Sugui. Sugui, one of the team’s top three-point shooters, missed the OIA final after turning an ankle late in the semifinal game against Farrington. Her return in questionable, but the team and coach Bobby Keanini are hopeful.

#2 - Konawaena (15-0): Despite going undefeated in league play and being ranked #1 in the latest Star Bulletin Top 10 poll, the Wildcats were given the #2 overall seed in the 2007 State Tournament, an interesting move by the committee given Kona’s unblemished record and past success. The Wildcats are led by 5-9 forward Jazzmin Awa-Williams, a 4-year varsity player who was a member of the 2004 State Championship Team and has been among the state’s best the last few years. In the finals of the BIIF Tournament against Honokaa, Awa-Williams scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help her team secure the win.

Keys to victory: The biggest advantage the Wildcats have over the competition is that very few teams have seen then play “in-person” during this 2007 season. While the OIA and ILH have made appearances on TV, Kona has managed to stay “under-the-radar”, choosing to play most of their games on-island rather than travel to Oahu to face other local teams during the preseason. The Wildcats generally employ an uptempo style that overwhelms teams with pressure and transition baskets, but who really knows what they’ll bring when they get to Honolulu…

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Former University of Hawaii basketball standouts and Hawaii high school stars, Nani Cockett and Brittney Aiwohi, were the featured models on the cover of Midweek in their yearly swimsuit edition. Renowned photographer Russell Tanoue shot the photos in the areas surrounding the newly developed Waikiki Beach Walk Project.

Other models included former men’s basketball team members Lance Takaki and Oa McGee as well as volleyball players Sarah Mason, Lauren Duggins (Chun), Mellissa Villaroman and Ryan Woodward and football players Matt Wright and Jeff Rhode.

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According to a report by ESPN, the NCAA rules committee has decided to move the men’s 3-point line back one foot to 20 feet, 9 inches. The women’s line will remain at the current distance of 19 feet, 9 inches.

Should the measure be approved on May 25 by the Playing Rules Oversight Committee, the new line will be implemented in the 2008-09 season.

3-point Distances by Comparison: (closest to farthest)
High School: 19 feet, 9 inches
Current College: 19 feet, 9 inches
International: 20 feet, 6 inches
New College: 20 feet, 9 inches
NBA: 23 feet, 9 inches (Top); 22 feet, 6 inches (baseline)

Read the ESPN report »

Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) and Washington State teammate Kyle Weaver are among the 35 players invited to tryout for the 2007 Pan-American Games USA Basketball Team. Tryouts will be held in Philadelphia on July 12 and the 12-member team will remain in the area until they leave for Brazil later in the month.

The 2007 Pan American Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro from July 13-29. The basketball portion runs July 25-29 and will feature teams from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Panama, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In their most recent appearance in 2003, the USA finished 4th behind Brazil (1st), the Dominican Republic (2nd) and Puerto Rico (3rd). The last time they captured the title was in 1983 on a team that included Michael Jordan, Mark Price, Sam Perkins, Wayman Tisdale and Chris Mullin.

Unlike the Olympic Team, the Pan-American Team consists solely of college players (no pros). In 2003, the roster included current NBA players Josh Childress, Ike Diogu, Ben Gordan, Luke Jackson and Emeka Okafor.

[Photo: Washington State University]