Hawaii Basketball

ESPN, in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granted the wish of one Honolulu youngster earlier this year when they sent Noa Ornellas to Chicago to meet Dwyane Wade in the first segment of the five-part Sportscenter series “My Wish”.

Ten year-old Noa, an avid basketball player and lifetime Miami Heat fan, was born with biliary atresia, a rare liver defect that primarily affects newborns. At birth, he was given very little chance of surviving, but finally made it out of the hosipital after receiving a new liver and fighting off a life-threating infection. To this day, Noa remains on anti-rejection medication and is kept out of high-contact sports (to protect his liver), but loves to play basketball where he tries his best to emulate his hero, Dwyane Wade.

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Former Kalaheo and University of Hawaii standout Alika Smith was named the first head coach of Hawaii’s only professional basketball team, the Hawaii Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are a new member of the American Basketball Association which features 50+ teams from cities around the country.

Smith, a two-year assistant coach with the University of Hawaii, has been interviewing for various coaching positions over the last few months since his was informed by new head coach Bob Nash that his contract would not be renewed for the upcoming season. Team owners hope the Hawaii-born product will help the team establish a strong local following after a standout career for the University of Hawaii where he is still the third-leading scorer in UH history.

What was most exciting about Smith’s hiring was his quote that he “want(s) local kids on the team, definitely.” Hopefully he’ll get the chance to sign a few when tryouts begin in August.

Since arriving in Japan on June 21st, Team Hawaii has played in one scrimmage and one game, earning two wins and making an impressive statement of consistency and strong inside play.

On June 23rd, the girls faced Hiroshima Minami School, the #1 high school team in Hiroshima, defeating them 54-33 in a 20 minute, two quarter scrimmage. The following day, Team Hawaii played against a combined “all-star” team comprised of college players from Hiroshima University and Hiroshima Bunkyojoshi University.

With a barrage of three-pointers, the team from Hiroshima opened up an early 18-1 lead, hitting six “threes” in the first quarter, but couldn’t hold on as Team Hawaii dominated the paint throughout the rest of the game to earn a 86-79 win. Team Hawaii was led by Iolani senior Jamie Smith, the 2007 ILH Player of the Year, who scored an impressive 37 points followed by recent graduates Ana Viena-Lota (Kamehameha) with 12 and Jazzmin Awa-Williams (Konawaena) with 11. The Hiroshima “all-stars” finished the game with 11 three-pointers and were led by Ikumi Matsumura (Hiroshima University) who scored 20 points with two three-pointers.

(Games are played under international rules which includes a four 10-minute quarters and a 24-second shot clock.)

Team Hawaii will travel next to Osaka and Kyoto where they’ll play four games against high school competition from the area.

** Information and photo provided from Team Hawaii assistant coach Brandon Flores

With the shift in the girls basketball season, Hawaii fans will have the opportunity to see the island’s best and brightest compete against top level teams from around the country when the nationally renowned Iolani Prep Classic adds a girls division to its highly successful boys tournament in December of this year.

Announced today, the 2007 Iolani Prep Classic will feature an 8-team girls division which will run a few days prior to the boys tournament from December 13-15. While the final field has yet to be set, tournament coordinator Glenn Young has already received commitments from three California schools, two of which are considered among the top teams in the state.

Here’s a quick rundown of the California teams:

Narbonne Gauchos (Harbor City, CA) - Narbonne finished their 2007 season with a record of 26-3, going undefeated in league play (12-0) and winning the Marine League Championship, but were banned from the playoffs as punishment for using an ineligible player during the ‘06 season.

The Gauchos are among California’s top teams year after year and have even contended nationally earning the top spot in USA Today’s Super 25 rankings for two consecutive years in 2000 and 2001. Next season, Narbonne will return 5-8 guard Reiko Thomas and 6-1 forward Gabrielle Clark who recently was named the MVP of the Watts Summer Games after leading the Gauchos to an upset of Division I state champion Long Beach Poly.

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First Team:
Jamie Smith, Iolani, Jr. *POY
Ana Viena-Lota, Kamehameha, Sr.
Alana Matayoshi, Iolani, Sr.
Chelsea Deptula, Punahou, Sr.
Nicole Fu, Maryknoll, Sr.
Johnnelle Kapua, Mid-Pacific, So.

Second Team:
Dara Tompkison, Punahou, Jr.
Lindsey Wong, Kamehameha, So.
Kristin Canencia, Maryknoll, So.
Melanie Feldman, Punahou, Sr.
Janelle Nomura, Punahou, So.

Player of the Year: Jamie Smith, Iolani, Jr.
Coach of the Year: Glenn Takara, Iolani

Note: Selections for the ILH All-Star team are made by league coaches at their post-season meeting. Individually, coaches nominate players from their respective teams and then vote collectively to determine the selections and placement.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

For the next two days (until June 15th), receive 30% off all orders at Eastbay.com. Some products are excluded from the promotions, so be sure to check the item description before purchasing.

Enter the EMEB76RT at checkout to receive the discount. Much like FootLocker.com, the discount will not show up immediately on your purchase confirmation. The discounted prices (of eligible items) are usually sent in a confirmation email once customer service has had a chance to review the order.

The Washington State Cougars closed out their six-game tour of New Zealand and Australia with a 73-65 win over the Cairns Marlins and will return home having won 4 of their 6 games against national and professional competition.

Senior guard Derrick Low led the team in scoring at 22.2 points per game over the 6-game stretch with highs of 35 and 30. His 35-point outburst came in a 102-101 loss to the 3-time National Basketball League Champion Sydney Kings, a game in which he hit 11 of 18 from 3-point range.

Players and coaches will visit the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow before returning home Friday.

Tour Scores and Statistics »

[Photo: GordonG.com]

With the backing of Island Movers’ chairman Don Takaki and the support of HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya, a group of Hawaii’s top female players known as Team Hawaii will travel to the “Land of the Rising Sun” to compete in six games against teams from Hiroshima and Osaka from June 20-30.

Five of the six games will be played against high schools from Japan who will be participating in the their postseason regional and national tournaments when Team Hawaii arrives. The exhibition matches have been inserted into the current tournament schedules with the Japanese teams making special accomodations to compete despite being in the final stretch of their seasons.

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The Seattle Times released the test results from the NBA Pre-Draft Camp held this past weekend in Orlando, Florida and, apparently, Kevin Durant, the 2005 Iolani Classic Most Oustanding Player and expected #2 pick in next month’s NBA draft, isn’t quite the physical speciman many expected him to be.

What was most astounding was the fact that the 6-9, 210 lb freshman phenom couldn’t manage to lift the 185 lb weight in the bench press. Not even once. Though he also performed below average in the vertical jump (33.5 max) and every other performance category, Durant did manage to show that he is extremely long, recording a wingspan of 7 feet 4.75 inches, a half inch longer than expected #1 pick Greg Oden (Oden didn’t attempt the bench press due to his previous wrist injury, but performed fairly well in other tests).

All players at the camp were measured, weighed, tested for body fat percentage, vertical leap and 185lb bench press, and timed in the lane agility drill and 3/4 court sprint. In the “Lane Agility Drill”, cones are setup on each block and at the elbows (4 cones total) and players timed as they sprint, slide, backpedal and slide to each cone in one direction and then back again in the other direction.

[Photo: The Washington Post]

Ever wonder what kind of athletes make the NBA?…

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The complete list of invites has been announced for the USA Team tryouts for the 2007 Pan-American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on July 25-29. As reported last month, Derrick Low and Washington State teammate Kyle Weaver are among the 30 top collegians who will be present at the trials which will be held July 12-14 at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Selections will be made by the USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Commitee, chaired by Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim.

List of 30 Team USA Invites for the 2007 Pan-Am Games:
Jon Brockman (Washington); Brian Butch (Wisconsin); Josh Carter (Texas A&M); Mario Chalmers (Kansas); Sherron Collins (Kansas); Brandan Costner (North Carolina State); Eric Devendorf (Syracuse); Joey Dorsey (Memphis); Wayne Ellington (North Carolina); Randal Falker (Southern Illinois); Shan Foster (Vanderbilt); Alonzo Gee (Alabama); James Gist (Maryland); Richard Hendrix (Alabama); Roy Hibbert (Georgetown); Maarty Leunen (Oregon); Chris Lofton (Tennessee); Derrick Low (Washington State); Wesley Matthews (Marquette); Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth); Jerel McNeal (Marquette); Tasmin Mitchell (LSU); Drew Neitzel (Michigan State); DeMarcus Nelson (Duke); Ahmad Nivins (Saint Joseph’s); Scottie Reynolds (Villanova); Jon Scheyer (Duke); Bryce Taylor (Oregon); Kyle Weaver (Washington State); D.J. White (Indiana)

Villanova’s Jay Wright has been named the head coach along with assistants Mark Gottfried of Alabama and James Jones of Yale.

[Photo: Washington State University]