On the Mainland: Liloa Nobriga
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]
Posted in: High School, Iolani
islandstyl said,
September 11, 2007
Iolani will sure miss him. If Liloa were at Iolani this year, they would have had a very good mix of veterans and rookies that would definitely have been a top 3 team in the state…easily. Now, without him the Raiders are not a shoe-in for top 3 in the ILH. Still one of the better teams but not a lock for states.
Observer said,
September 11, 2007
Agreed. Despite being without him, the Raiders should still be a contender. The state as a whole isn’t incredibly strong this year and they should be among a number of teams that all have a shot at the title.
With regards to Nobriga, its good to hear that he’s playing football. With his size and athleticism, he’s sure to get a least a few looks on potential alone.
islandstyl said,
September 11, 2007
Actually, I think Nobriga’s meal ticket is football. I was able to watch him play football when he was a freshman and the kid can really lay some hat. I think he can grow into a good size defensive end or even a tight end with his athleticism.
eastside pride said,
September 11, 2007
The kid was a beast in intermediate. I was looking for him on the varsity level last year but didn’t see him so I figured he was done with football. The Iolani football team sure could use his size.
Observer said,
September 12, 2007
It’ll be interesting to see how Nobriga’s game transitions to mainland ball. It always looked at though he had a lot of versatility, but it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll be able to adjust to a less forward, more guard role playing against bigger players.
ILH Fan said,
September 14, 2007
Iolani will definitely lose a lot of size without Nobriga which means guys like Taylor Mounts and Pablo Warner will need to make much bigger contributions on defense and on the boards… especially against teams like Punahou and a monstrous St. Louis team.
We’ll see how those two do now that they’ll be probably be starters and major contributers.
Punahou looks like the favorite to me (though not by much).
islandstyl said,
September 16, 2007
On paper Punahou is the best team in the league, but I also agree with ILH fan that its not by much. I think St.Louis could be right behind them and Iolani and Kamehameha also closely behind. Mid Pac may play the role of spoilers as I don’t see them being top 3 but could “steal” a game from one of the top 4 teams.
My early pick for player of the year out of the ILH is Cole Shidaki.
ILH Fan said,
September 16, 2007
Much like Rykin Enos last year, it seems like Cole Shidaki has been in the league forever. I think he will have a good year, but I don’t think his game is consistent enough to earn him the player of the year.
Steinhoff is my frontrunner right now. With his height and athleticism, he looks like he could average a double-double for the Puns.
Also, with Holyfield and Takenaka, Mid Pac has a chance to do some good things this year They have the chance to be more than spoilers if they can put their act together.
islandstyl said,
September 17, 2007
I also wrestled with the idea of Steinhoff winning the ILH POY. It seems sometimes that Cole would be a non-factor when he could score when he wanted to.
Since there is no one dominant player this upcoming year, I guess the POY will probably come from the team that wins the championship.
Mid Pac’s biggest problem has got to be their bench and size. Holyfield, Takenaka and Sampson Won without a doubt can keep up with the better teams and athletes of the ILH.