Mules Go From Gridiron To Hoops
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usThe boys prep basketball post-season may still be a few months away, but the Leilehua boys team is already preparing with a sense of urgency normally associated with the playoffs.
If anything, the Mules are trying to make up for lost time, having only recently acquired the use of their full roster, as several notables were still involved in the football team’s state title run.
“It seems like everyone has played four or five games already, but we won’t make excuses,” head coach Keith Spencer said.“We’re just trying to move on. We have a great bunch of kids who are working their butts off. We’re real proud of them. I told the kids we aren’t going to win any championships in the month of December. We want to get better every day and peak in February.”
The Mules, who finished 6-6 last season in the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s West Conference, opened preseason play last Wednesday against Punahou in the James Allegre Radford Tournament, dropping a 64-37 decision to the Buffanblu, who were the state tournament runner-up in February. Leilehua trailed by 25 points in that game before rallying to within 10.
“The score was not indicative of how the game went,” said Spencer, whose team returns to action on Thursday at home versus Division II Aiea. “We played better (than it looks). Our football guys had only been back with us for two days, and they all played well considering that they’re not in basketball shape yet.”
Senior forward and three-year varsity player Kolwin Dixon remains the Mules’ undisputed team leader - especially in the absence of Art Laurel, who is rounding back into shape after competing in the Goodwill Senior Bowl all-star football game over the weekend. Laurel, who is 6-foot-2, was a first team All Conference selection in the West last season as a junior.
“Kolwin was our most consistent player against Punahou,” said Spencer, whose team will participate in the prestigious Iolani Classic Dec. 18-22. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in him from his sophomore year to his senior year.When he first came to us, he knew he’d be a role player for us. It was great to see him compete - and compete well - against one of the better teams in the state.”
Andrew Manley, Hoku Kama, Chase Acohido and Tavana Alailima are among the Mules who joined the team Dec. 3 after their football season ended. Spencer expects all four to play big roles for his team this season, in addition to up-and-coming freshman point guard Dillion Pauu, who will likely begin the regular season as a backup to Kama.
“When we started him in Las Vegas, he did excellent - he opened some eyes, especially mine,” Spencer recently said of Pauu, whose older brother Dustin played for Spencer at Leilehua. “He’ll play a lot. He has great vision and tremendous dribbling skills. He’s just a basketball player. I’ve followed him since he was in seventh grade. He grew up with our program.”
As was the case against Punahou, when the Mules played all 12 players that dressed, Spencer’s entire roster can expect to log heavy minutes in the coming weeks as he looks for the right combination.
“We have a lot of kids going in and out of the lineup. I told them, we’ll have to approach some of these preseason games as practices. We’ll be doing a lot of teaching.”
On the heels of the Iolani Classic, the Mules also will make an appearance in the Merv Lopes Classic, which is set for the end of the month. Leilehua opens its regular season Jan. 2 against Campbell.
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