after watching this team in the moanalua tourney, the iolani classic, and their game against iolani, i believe that they have a chance to go to states. however, what is holding them back is their lack of depth and coaching.
depth is something that is developed by the coaches demonstrating confidence in their players by playing them. i noticed that mid pacific has a big lineup with their tallest player at 6'4" which is respectable in hawaii. there are at least 5 guys 6ft. and up but they only play about 7-8 guys each game. as a result their starters are exhausted by the time the fourth quarter kicks in. no doubt the starters are one of the best in the state but they lack the superhuman energy which the coach expects of them.
i have a gut feeling that mid pac's coach kevin oconnell doesnt have confidence in most of his players. if he doesnt play them then he is wasting their time and heart which they put into practice.
mid pacifics coaching lacks the full respect of their starters whom they entrust their success to. i noticed that the coaches would try to call plays and the starters would just ad lib a play.
i believe that mid pacific has what it takes to be a great team but they NEED to develop their bench to become not a second string but to become as strong as their starters. i also believe that mid pacific's coaching needs to change what it is doing. mid pacific s talent makes up for its bad coaching.
all mid pacific needs to do is develop its team as a whole EQUALLY and have faith in everyone on the team. if this is done then i believe that they could possibly win states.
Hawaii High School Basketball Forum
Hawaii Hoops - Forum » High School Boys
mid pacific boys basketball
(38 posts)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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Those are some real good points. But one thing that I have heard through people and witnessed first hand at their games is that they only listen to their club team coach. I have heard through some of their own parents that their other coach is too involved. I don't know how true this is, but it is what I have heard. I do know the guy and he does talk behind the coach's back to some of the parents. This might be the reason that the starters dont listen to the Midpac coach. I do believe that most of them play for the outside coach on the same team. But I do agree that they have a lot of people on the bench that they don't use. Maybe the coach feels that his starters tired are better than his bench players fresh. Who knows. Its going to be interesting to see how their season plays out.
Posted 4 years ago # -
69, you hit it right on the head...until the players and the parents buy into what the head coach is selling, mid-pac will not have success. if they want to continue listening to their club coach, or look into the stands at him for guidance, they will win only 2-4 games this season. they should just keep playing club ball if they want to keep knocking the mpi coach.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Good points everyone.
Mid Pac's first unit can run with just about any team in the ILH and the state. Developing your bench players is highly important if a team is looking to succeed in their respective league. You're team is only as strong as your weakest player(s) and these are the guys that need to push the first unit in practice.
Its intriguing how these Mid Pac players can dominate during club ball, but just cannot seem to reciprocate this same success during regular season.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I think that part of the reason that they dont have the same success is that defense isnt really stressed in club ball. I have watched a lot of games and there is not a lot of defense being played. It's just like the summer NCAA league, all offense-no defense. Don't get me wrong, some of the coaches work on defense, but not all of them.
Posted 4 years ago # -
you both are right. these boys dominate during club ball. but not all the best players play club ball. also, defense, especially team defense is not stressed during club ball. i know its frustrating for the midpac kids and their families. but they have to realize that club ball success does not guarantee ILH success.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Other than Clayton Soriyama's club team (Farrington) and Jeff Won's club team (Mid Pac), I cannot think of another club that specifically carry the majority of one's schools basketball players. Most other ones I can think of is pretty much a mish mash of players from various schools.
For those of you that are tuned into the club ball scene, who do you think are the better club teams and who are the not-so-better club teams. Personally, I always felt that the Sharks are one of the worst coached teams. Sure, they win games but all the coach does is put together teams, sometimes at the last minute, that are filled with talented basketball players. I rather have a club coach that will develop basketball players and stick with those players no matter what.
Posted 4 years ago # -
BasketballJones,
Can you explain a little more on why you think the Shark's coach is so bad??
Have you seen a decline in his kids skills after they have played for him??
Just curious????
Posted 4 years ago # -
Don't all the Maryknoll kids play together in NJB also?
Posted 4 years ago # -
they did this past njb season, that wrapped up in october. they finished 3rd in the regular season, but lost their first playoff game i believe.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Regarding BBall Jones -- this guy doesn't know jack. He is just envious cause he cannot coach with any predictable results. He is worried about next Saturday's results and singing Kumbya with all the old timers instead of really developing kids academically, morally and with a new skill set of mainalnd b-balls skills. He is bitching on a forum board anomyously. What a frickin joke this guy is.
As an outsider seeing the Sharks, they peak in Vegas each year and use the club scene to get in shape and practice plays that can be translated into the high school and eventually into division 1-a prospects.
Most b-ball coaches in Hawaii have Island mentality and cannot see beyond the next Saturday.
BTW -- any of you know where his stupid moniker came from? Remember the song, "I ogt a basketball jones from the 1970's?????? That's his sorry peak in life.
Mop it up b-ball Jones.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Oh boy...here we go again!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Darrin? is that you?
Posted 4 years ago # -
wow Jones. Beefing with somebody and its not me. This has got to be a mistake. I am staying out of this one.
Posted 4 years ago # -
BBall Jones - I dunno whatz youre beef with coach D but my nephew played for him at Punahou. His team won the ILH championship and went undefeated and I heard his team this year went undefeated again and won the ILH championshiop.
When my nephew traveled to Vegas with Coach D they came in 2nd place and the older team that also went came in 3rd place.
The mans also an attorney and spends so much time helping the kids so quit youre hatin.
Posted 4 years ago # -
winning championships 2 years in a row at the intermediate level at punahou with all the scholarship athletes that he recruits...yeah that's pretty impressive!
brag to everyone about how he gets kids into punahou and 1 kid into Iolani...yeah, good character trait
assemble the best available kids for club ball...and when that's not good enough, grab the best kids from other peoples teams...yeah, i see how its easy to confuse him with Mike Krzyzewski!!!
Posted 4 years ago # -
mopitup...we're all bitching on this fourum anonymously!!!
which one is your kid...iolani,punahou???
Posted 4 years ago # -
AuntieJ..I don't have a beef with Darrin. None at all. Matter of fact, we are pretty cordial with each other even after I tell him that I don't think that he is a good basketball coach. We usually have a good laugh after that though. Also, it looks like that other people here share the same sentiment as I do.
Oh and by the way, he isn't a practicing attorney anymore. He sells insurance now. Apparently, better moeny. Go ahead and ask him. I did. Just before I told him that he isn't that good a coach. We both laughed after is said that. You should too.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Oh and by the way Auntie J, regarding your comments on these championships that the INTERMEDIATE teams win at Punahou. Congratulations! Question: Why doesn't these equate to state championships? Just wondering...Same players. Same program.
Posted 4 years ago # -
they dont equate to championships for a bunch of reasosns:
1) parents who cant manage their expectations
2) boosters who donate obscen amounts of money telling coaches and administrators who should be playing and who shouldnt be
3) got rid of one of the best coaches in the state in Tacon
4) poor coachingi mean really, with all the talent that punahou has and they cant win a state championship...gimme a break!!!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Shaka,
how many championship (ILH or State) did Coach Tacon win at Punahou??
Moanalua has a lot of talent this year but still has a lot of Losses in a so so division.
What makes a good coach??
You sound like a hater.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Jones,
Time will tell if Intermediate championships will translate to ILH and State Championships. Coach Hale and his staff have only been in place for 1 1/2 seasons.
Give them a chance and don't be a hater!
Posted 4 years ago # -
darren,
i'm not a hater...just a realist.
how many coaches won states during tacon's tenure at punahou??? just one. it's not tacon's fault he didn't win...nobody else won!!!
moanalua may have a lot of talent...but they dont have a lot of skills...specifically basketball skills!!! when you were busy playing coach of the year, i was watching tournaments...moanalua's personnel is subpar at best. also, austin blew his hamstring out 2 games ago...but i'm sure you knew that already.
i dont have enough time to get into what makes a good coach...but a lot of it has to do with player development and a lot less time tooting your horn!
know what i mean???
Posted 4 years ago # -
BBallSuperfan - You can ask rhetorical questions and call someone a hater, but what do you think about Punahou's coaching situation?
Please let us know... Do you think Hale is a better coach than Tacon? He does have one ILH Championship over Tacon, but does that make him better?
Posted 4 years ago # -
As for me, I really don't know yet. I think Tacon is a better coach than some give him credit for and as for Hale, its hard to tell with just a season and a half under his belt, so I'll reserve judgment until the end of February.
From what I've seen over the last few years, Tacon appears to be a really good organizer... A very good "program builder".
Hale seems as though he does a good job of "letting the kids play" without over-complicating things. Yeah, that kind of sounds like a back-handed comment, but its really not. I'm sure many of you have seen coaches "over-coach"...
Posted 4 years ago #
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