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State's Top 10 Coaches

  (14 posts)
  • Started 3 months ago by HIFan
  • Latest reply from HoopFanatic

  1. HIFan
    Member

    IMO...

    1. Mark "Doc" Mugiishi (Iolani) - 5 consecutive titles from 2002-2006 is a dynasty although they did have some talent. Doc identifies his team's strengths and weaknesses and plays to both. There are 6-7 assistants on the bench, most former players, others have been with Doc for over 15 years. Not many other programs state wide has the type of continuity.

    2. Kelly Grant (Kaimuki) - When the Bulldogs won their state title in 2007, it solidified Grant what most have thought for years, Coach Grant not only can motivate but he is a very good gametime coach. Players love this guy.

    3. Chico Furtado (Kalaheo) - When Coach Smith passed away it was a logical choice for longtime assistant, Coach Furtado to step in. The Mustangs did not miss a beat. Intense and driven, he gets the most out of his players every year. Players don't just transfer to Kalaheo to take French.

    4. Nelson Wong (Kamehameha-Hawaii) - Consistant. Consistant on sideline, consistant teaching of his system. In an 'one and done' tournament, such as states, consistancy pays off. Coach Wong's teams aren't the most talented but they are able to compete with anyone.

    5. Greg Tacon (Moanalua) - A few seasons ago, Coach Tacon was let go from Punahou and replaced with an alum. Since his former employer seems to be focused more on winning..sorry I mean competing..their loss in Moanalua's gain. (Now hear me out..if you recruit..wait said the 'r' word..I mean if athletes just so happen to go to your school..which academically is one of the top college prep schools in the nation but for some strange reason can't qualify to play in their freshmen year of college..that's just competing right?!) Coach Tacon is a solid teacher and tactician. He also excels at making gametime decisions. There is now more to OIA basketball then just Kalaheo.

    6. Dan Hale (Punahou) - All I hear are negatives regarding Coach Hale's decision making, coaching style but how can you argue with a state title. As an observer, he does an good job managing his talent. There are always expectations and pressure, fair or unfair, at Punahou. Its state title or bust. How many coaches could coach under that type of pressure?

    7. Harry Scanlan-Leite (St. Joseph) - If you want a clinic on how to get the most out of your roster, head over to this small campus in Hilo. No one does a better job with less talent in the state. His teams are always competitive and are the best at running the disciplined Princeton-style offense.

    8. Hiram Akina (Mililani) - Whether its an 1-3-1 zone, 3 point barrage, run-and-gun or full court trap, Coach Akina has seen and implemented it all. A veteran coach who has adapted to today's game and today's athletes. The Trojans are lucky to have him.

    9. Jesse Nakanishi (Kamehameha-Kapalama) - The knock on Coach Nakanishi has always been the lack of maturity in games. However, I have seen tremendous growth in the past couple of seasons. Players respect him which isn't always an easy thing for a young coach. His X's/O's have vastly improved as well.

    10. Bob Morikuni (McKinley) - Not only one of the nice guys in high school basketball but he can coach as well. He takes raw athletes, simplifies the game and makes them good basketball players. Players play and respect him which has been difficult for former coaches at this school.

    Others of note -

    Donald Awa (Konawaena)
    Don Fernandez (Kohala)
    Allan Silva (Farrington)

    Posted 3 months ago #

  2. BBaLLr4LIFE
    Member

    * URGENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES *

    ** MUCH HELP WANTED & MUCH HELP NEEDED **

    Looking for any one of these more than qualified thirteen basketball coaches and/or their staff members to commit and volunteer to some non-profit, charitable, and humanitarian efforts to help the poor, desperate, and desolate basketball programs at Saint Louis School of Honolulu. The Crusader basketball team is in much need of a TRUE BASKETBALL COACH who knows how to teach and inspire young minds. NO PAST SAINT LOUIS SCHOOL "STUPERSTAR BOOTCAMP DRILL SARGENTS" NEED APPLY... SL had it's unfair share already. It's time for a mature and knowledgable winner to convincingly lead the Crusaders to a state title and dynasty (think I'm going alittle too far??). And this otta be the year they have the majority, the raw talent, the athleticism, the toughness, and the variety of skilled personnel to make it happen. These young and willing student athletes just need to be taught the correct way to do things, and to use their bb brains on the fly by a mature player's coach, not some bootcamp drill sargent instructor.

    HAS ANYONE HEARD ANYTHING YET? SL BETTER STOP DRAGGING THEIR TAILS. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, IT'LL ALREADY BE BASKETBALL SEASON!!

    Posted 3 months ago #

  3. hoopsitiz
    Veteran

    BB4L, you couldn't have said it any better. GOOD JOB!!!

    Posted 3 months ago #

  4. BBaLLr4LIFE
    Member

    hoopsitiz, check out the new topic - New St. Louis Coach. Maybe you might of heard of this guy or know somethang somethang about him and his basketball backround. Does anyone know?

    Posted 3 months ago #

  5. BasketballJones
    Veteran

    BBaLLr4LIFE...A+

    Posted 3 months ago #

  6. HoopFanatic
    Member

    I think Coach Grant is too high. I would put Furtado over him. Yes Grant does have that elusive title that Furtado has been chasing. But, if I recall, didn't Grant coach at Kalani before Kaimuki where he didn't do very well? I may be wrong.

    I would also put Tacon above Wong.

    Posted 3 months ago #

  7. BasketballJones
    Veteran

    Hi HoopFanatic...Mike Kzryzewski wouldn't do any better at Kalani.

    Posted 3 months ago #

  8. HoopFanatic
    Member

    Well when they had Everett he might have, haha.

    Do you see Coach Grant as the #2 coach in Hawaii?

    Posted 3 months ago #

  9. ILHFan2
    Member

    Everett Frye... that guy was a stud.

    Posted 3 months ago #

  10. BasketballJones
    Veteran

    HoopFanatic...not sure if I would place him second. Its a toss up between him and Tacon.

    Posted 3 months ago #

  11. bballfan69
    Veteran

    I would put Doc as 1a and Tacon as 1b. You put Tacon at Iolani and he would have won all of those titles as well. He did very well with a team the last couple of years that didnt match up well talent wise with the big schools. The problems that he had at Punahou had nothing to do with basketball. Grant would be 3 and Furtado would be 4. I would put Nelson Wong at 5 even though he might be closing in on coach Furtado.

    Posted 2 months ago #

  12. backpick
    Member

    There will never be an argument over who's number 1. 5 straight, 7 overall says it all. Ask any coach who's had a talanted team in the past, not as easy as it looks. Keeping all of the egos on the same page is just as important as your zone offense. Hope rumors of Doc steping down are false.

    Number 2 is not as easy to define. On the Div I level there are only 2 other active coaches that have a State Title on thier resume; Grant and Hale, so you can make arguments for both. The downside for Hale will be the implosion two years ago when they had the best team and that Moanalua was garbage when he was there. Grant on the ohter hand had a team last year that killed by injuries but still had one of the best players on it and they got knocked out the OIA tournament in the 2nd round. He's also 0-8 vs Kalaheo and Moanalua over the past two years. But his win over Punahou was huge and carries alot weight.

    Furtado is the best at one thing, nobody, repeat nobody can control the performance of officials the way he can. He starts when he shakes hands before the game and doesn't let up till they get in thier cars. To say he doens't influence games would be naive.

    Wong is no longer coaching at KHS Hawaii, he stepped down to spend more time with his family. Too bad because he has done a very good job in a league that is much more competitive than people realize. Plus over the past two years he wins over Iolani, Kalaheo and Moanalua in the State Tournament.

    Tacon has proved his worth at Moanalua, Austin was great, but he really had some average players on the court over the past two years. teriffice X's and O's and gets his teams to play well in big games vs better teams. All that said, why no titles when he was at Punahou? D-Low, Pape and Shoji may have a hand in that. His Punahou team broke Iolani's 100 plus win streak 3 years ago and is team last year knocked off two #1's in one week (Kalaheo and Iolani) and then he had the grade problem. Needs to get a title to be higher on the list.

    Nakanishi is a good coach. Coaching any sport at Kamehameha is hard to do. 3 years ago he lost all three of his big men a week before the season started. Who knows what would of happened if he had them. Still took his team to states. Has made it every year since he took over. Best defensive coach in the state. Man or Zone, his kids get after it. You can tell he scouts team (some coaches don't!) and prepares his teams for them. Like Tacon, needs a title.

    Seen St. Joes play a couple of times and I agree, nobody gets more out of less than Scanlan. Don't be surpised if he wins a Div II title someday.

    Overated:

    Akina, has no control over his teams. the Super Man Shirt was little league at best. OIA champ, two and out at the state tournanment.

    Silva, yeah he won last year, but let's see how he does in the Red when Kalaheo, Kahuku, Kaimuki and Moanalua come to town.

    Posted 2 months ago #

  13. bballfan69
    Veteran

    Very nice backpick. I might even put you in our top bloggers category he he. Nah you always have good points.

    Posted 2 months ago #

  14. HoopFanatic
    Member

    1-Doc: He was consistent up through the late 90's winning state titles with the Anderson's and the Christenson's. But he really didn't have an identity for his program and he seemed to win because he had the most talent.

    However, he brought a new philosophy with the arrival with D. Low and a new attitude. His program bought into his theory of suffocating defenses, using multiple looks, off-season conditioning, and outstanding fundamentals. Anyone who saw the Iolani-Montross Christian game where Ito (I think) hit the buzzer beater knew that Iolani was able to complete due to their dedication on defense and solid footwark/high bball IQ. Later one with less talent, Doc kept winning. Case closed.

    2-Tacon: I think it took Coach Tacon a few years to get situated to the culture of Hawaii. He obviously knew his X's and O's, but I feel he needed some time to understand the kind of kids that played in Hawaii.

    As time grew, his teams, with less talent, overachieved. I believe his team last year, would have given Punahou the most run for their money if everything was status quo.

    Tacon runs the most open sets which allows his players to make reads instead of using methodical movements based on continuity. If his kid's didn't have the trust of the coach, and good basketball IQ, his style wouldn't work. His players overachieve because he is a man of his word.

    3-Furtado: His mastery of the flex offense has amazed me. He runs both the traditional and high version of the flex offense. He has a few variations and a few counters. But, most teams know what sets he will run, and it still is effective.

    He gets his players to play physical and hard-nosed on defense. His is a master of working the refs.

    4-Grant: His offense is not that complicated and doesn't have much variation. But, he knows what his players can do, and they buy into what he is selling. He makes few adjustments during the game, but that could be seen as a confidence in what his philosophy is and what his kids can accomplish during the entire 32 minutes.

    He gets into the kid's mugs when they need it, and he is also willing to give them a hug when they need it. He lets his kids play and they play hard and physical.

    5-Nakanishi: His teams often overachieve. He has not has a dominant or tall/physical post in forever. But he gets the kids to pay hard and he is a master of game-planning.

    I haven't seen a coach try so many different sets both offensively and defensively to create match-up problems and confusion for the other teams. He has used man, traps, box and 1, triangle and 2, and multiple zones to take away the opponent's best players.

    Offensively, his teams could be the most methodical. His teams often demonstrate the most patience and the best ability to share the ball due to the lack of a go-to player.

    I think after these 5 guys there is a drop off. But that's just my opinion.

    Posted 2 months ago #

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