Small-but-quick Mules Ready For OIA Basketball Season
By Jack Danilewicz
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For the Leilehua boys basketball team, the flip side to having a height disadvantage nearly every night out is that the Mules are usually enjoying an edge in the quickness department.
“They have to defend us, too,” coach Keith Spencer is quick to point out. “We have speed and quickness, and we can shoot the ball.”
What the Mules have most of all as they enter 2009 is the full complement of their roster, after having a handful of projected impact players finishing up football commitments through mid-December. The Leilehua preseason schedule has been unrelenting as expected, meanwhile, but Spencer wouldn’t have it any other way. In the Iolani Classic, the Mules met nationally ranked LeFlore High School of Mobile, Ala., and its 6-foot-11 center Demarcus Cousins, the top-ranked recruit in the country, according to recruiting services. Six members of LeFlore’s roster were 6-3 or taller. Last week, as part of its appearance in the Merv Lopes Classic, Leilehua faced De La Salle High of Concord, Calif., which featured a lineup of players stretching to 6-8, 6-7 and 6-6.
“We’ve held our own in spurts,” Spencer said of his team’s demanding preseason slate.“I told the kids to cherish the moment and have fun and try to execute the things we teach. We only had two days together before we played LeFlore, but we’ve seen progress.”
The Mules also recorded preseason wins over both Maryknoll and Kailua in the last 10 days, two teams that had handled Leilehua easily back in late November. For a team heavy with talented guards, the Mules’ hopes begin with point guard Hoku Kama, the lone senior in the starting lineup. A stand-out for the school’s high-profile football team, Kama rejoined the basketball team in mid-December after taking part in football all-star games and has been hitting his stride.
“It was tough for him in the beginning, but he’s been getting his basketball legs under him lately,” Spencer said. “I can see him getting there game by game. He has a little more confidence in his shot, and he’s been a great leader. He showed great leadership in the Kailua game.”
In addition to Kama and junior Andrew Manley, who also has been getting back into basketball shape after quarterbacking the football team in the fall, the Mules have been starting sophomores Dillon Pau, Brent Lemon and Xavier Ager. Spencer will likely go with the same lineup for this week’s games at Campbell on Thursday and at home versus Mililani on Saturday. As in the preseason, the emphasis for the undersized Mules is on rebounding, to hear their coach tell it.
“We have to rebound on every possession if possible,“said Spencer, whose team was to open OIA Red West play last Friday against Kapolei.“We all have to rebound. We don’t have the big bodies we’ve had in the past like Art Laurel. If we can do it on the rebound side, we have a chance every night.”
Among the bright spots for the Mules in preseason was the play of Ager, a 6-foot forward. He averaged 11 points in four games at the Iolani Classic to lead the Mules in scoring.
“He’s been a big surprise for us,” Spencer said. “He’s undersized at his position, but he’s been holding his own, and he already surpassed my expectations.”
Juniors Martin Hall and Phillip Legrier also have figured big in the rotation. Following this week’s games, Leilehua will play three of its next four Red West games at home with Radford Jan. 16, Aiea Jan. 22 and Campbell Jan. 28. A rematch with Mililani - the third meeting between the schools in less than a month - will happen at home Jan. 24.
“Every game will be a big game for us,” Spencer said. “We’ll have to do everything as a team.”
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