Full Trojan Roster Faces Tough Play In Kapolei, Radford
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usScouting reports have taken a back seat to injury reports for Patrick Basilio and his Mililani girls basketball team these days.
All the more reason the Trojans’ game with Nanakuli last Thursday was cause for celebration. It represented the first time all season that Mililani had the full use of its roster after dressing only eight players in games with Kapolei,Aiea and defending Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West champion Radford. To hear Basilio tell it, the Trojans have been in “safe mode” the first three games, playing at a slower pace by design.
“It’s been tough,” admitted Basilio, whose team took a 1-2 record into the Nanakuli game.“We like to run our transition offense, but we’ve had to go out and change up our game and slow it down. Hopefully Nanakuli was our coming-out party. I like our chances now. The girls are coming around. In the past week, we’ve seen the light go on.”
With a full roster available, Basilio hopes the Trojans can use their balance to make a run during the second half of the OIA’s regular season and position themselves for the postseason.
“The best thing about our team is that we don’t have to rely on one player for scoring,“said Basilio, who is in his first year as the Trojans’ coach after spending seven years as Mililani’s JV coach.“On any given day, two or three can light it up.”
The starting lineup has included Joleen Realin, Chelsea Basilio, Chelsea Korodan, Sophie Chang and Mei Akiu of late, with junior guard Glenelle Nitta providing strong minutes as the first player off of the bench. She’s one of the team’s leading scorer.
“She’s been real consistent off the bench for us,” Basilio said.
Korodan, whose sister Christina was an all-league performer last year for the Trojans, made a very welcome return to the program this season. She was Most Valuable Player on the JV team as a sophomore before relocating to the West Coast for her junior year.
“She’s a good slasher who moves well without the ball,” Basilio said. “Our entire starting five have been playing good basketball. Against Aiea (in a 44-38 loss Dec. 21), we probably had our best effort by far of the season. We were up 11 in the third quarter before they made a nice run. With only eight players, I think we just got gassed in the second half.”
Realin,a four-year starter,remains the catalyst for the Trojans, he said. “She helps our offense go.She brings a lot of leadership, and her greatest strength is her driving to the basket. She’s quick on her feet, and she can distribute the ball a lot.”
With a lot of options on offense, Basilio believes the fate of the season may be bound to its defensive efforts.“We need to step it up there. We’re not acclimated yet to what we’re trying to do defensively. They’re used to playing a ‘helping’ defense, and we’d like to play more of a straight-up man-to-man.”
Wednesday’s game at home versus Kapolei will mark the first in the second round of the OIA season. The Trojans won their first meeting 39-37 Dec. 18, and Basilio is gearing up for another tough encounter with the Hurricanes.
“Their center (Leilani TuamiFifita) really took it to us, so we’ll have to do a much better job of taking her out of her comfort zone.” Tuami-Fifita had a game-high 17 points in the first game between the schools. “(Ashley) Dela Cruz can light it up, too. Those (defending the pair) are two keys.”
After Kapolei, the team has five days to prepare for their much-anticipated rematch Jan. 15 with Radford at home.
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