Hawaii Basketball

According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Kameron Steinhoff, a 6-4 forward for the Punahou Buffanblu, is recovering from surgery after having his spleen removed following last Friday night’s game against the St. Louis Crusaders. Also a standout wide receiver, Steinhoff suffered the injury on a hit taken during a Punahou pass play and was transported to the hospital prior to the end of the game.

While no specifics were given, the expected recovery time for a splenectomy is about 4-6 weeks, but for competitive athletes that time can be as long as 4-6 months (to return to competition). Following this type of surgery, patients are more susceptible to bacterial infections because without the spleen, the body loses some of its ability to filter blood (part of the immune response).

Chris Sims, a QB with the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, had a splenectomy around the same time last season and while he did miss the rest of the season, was able to return to the team this year to secure the backup role behind recently signed Jeff Garcia.

Steinhoff was expected to be among the top players in the ILH and the state this season after having a breakout performance in the 2006-07 State Tournament and helping the Buffanblu to the finals. While his family, friends, teammates and coaches, not to mention fans of high school basketball, would love to see him in uniform this year, let’s all join in and pray for his quick and healthy recovery first and worry about the sports part later…

[Photo: Jon B Photography]

The official start dates have been set for the 2007-08 Hawaii High School Basketball season and to alleviate some of the scheduling concerns with the newly added girls teams, the ILH will have a little jumpstart on the rest of the state.

2007-08 Start Dates:
• ILH Boys & Girls: All Levels - October 29th
• OIA Girls: JV/Varsity - November 5th
• OIA Boys: JV/Varsity - November 12th

2008 Hawaii Basketball State Tournament:
• Girls: February 12th - 15th
• Boys: February 20th - 23rd

It’ll be interesting to see how the OIA coaches feel about their competitors in the ILH receiving an extra couple of weeks of prep time (one week for girls)… It’ll also be interesting to see how the ILH teams deal with the added two week overlap with football. For schools like St. Louis, Punahou and Iolani, their basketball teams could be without key players (and a head coach in the case of St. Louis) for up to 5 weeks if their football teams are able to advance to the State Tournament Finals.

Former Iolani School standout Liloa Nobriga, who left the islands this summer to move with his family to Las Vegas, has reappeared at Palo Verde High School in Summerlin.

Currently, the 6-3, 220 lb. junior is a starting outside linebacker for the Panther Football Team. Later in the fall, he will compete for a spot on the basketball team which went 21-5 last season and was upset in the Sunset Region - Northwest Division tournament semifinals.

Considered a perennial contender, the Class 4A Panthers lost several players to graduation so Nobriga has the potential to make an immediate impact when he takes the court this fall.

[Photo: Star Bulletin]

With a strong performance at the 2007 Pan American Games, Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) has improved his draft status, being placed in the latter part of the second round as the 53rd pick of the Chicago Bulls in NBADraft.net’s most recent mock draft for 2008.

While the site has no actual bearing on when or by whom he will be drafted (if at all), his being mentioned does show that he’s at least “on the radar.” At 53rd, Low is listed behind several other point guards including Darren Collison of UCLA, Drew Neitzel of Michigan State, Ty Lawson of UNC and a few incoming freshman phenoms - Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo and Eric Gordon, though they are more shooting guards than point guards.

Low’s experience, toughness and shooting ability should draw some interest from NBA scouts who will be looking for a reliable player at the point who can handle the ball, defend and hit the open shot…

View the 2008 NBA Mock Draft »

Formerly known as “Big Time”, the “Reebok Championships” featured 224 total teams from 39 states, Washington D.C., Belgium and Canada and is widely considered one of the best and biggest open summer tournaments in the country.

Opening pool play on July 22nd, two teams from Hawaii competed in the tournament, but didn’t fare well, picking up just two wins in nine games.

Hawaii Raiders - Results: (0-4)
Pool Play
Illinois Bobcats 60, Hawaii Raiders 37
Hawaii Raiders 50, New Mexico Force 16U 64
Hawaii Raiders 56, Branch West Orange 74

“C” Tournament
Colorado Chaos 17’s Green 70, Hawaii Raiders 68

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Several of Hawaii’s top girls basketball players will be continuing the careers at the next level, though not all will be doing it in basketball.

2007 HawaiiHoops.com All-State selections and their college choices:

• Jazzmin Awa-Williams, Konawaena - Univeristy of Colorado at Colorado Springs
• Keisha Kanekoa, Honoka’a - University of Hawaii
• Ana Vienna-Lota, Kamehameha-Kapalama - Cal State Northridge
• Courtney Gaddis, Kalani - Whitworth University (WA)
• Nicole Fu, Maryknoll - Concordia University (CA)
• Chelsie Sato, McKinley - HPU (Soccer)
• Chelsea Deptula, Punahou - University of Hawaii (Soccer)
• Ashley Metcalf, Christian Academy - Rutgers University(Soccer)
• Alana Matayoshi, Iolani - Santa Clara University
• Shanadee Canon, Kalaheo - HPU
• Jamie Ronolo, Moanalua - Holy Names University
• C’ani Kealoha, Farrington - Holy Names University

If you have any further information on these or other recent graduates, please leave a comment below. Mahalo!

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]

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 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

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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