COMMUNITY > East > Sports

Cool Head Main Thing For Title-holding Kaimuki Bulldogs

Del.icio.us

Kaimuki off guard Daniel Colon makes a
shot. Photo by Byron Lee,
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Entering the season as the defending Oahu Interscholastic Association champion is like having an asterisk beside your name on every opponent’s respective schedule.

This is unfamiliar ground for Kaimuki High head basketball coach Kelly Grant, whose program has flourished over the past two seasons with his low-key approach.

“I like to be the dark horse - that’s the term I like -so it will be different this year,” laughed Grant. “We’re not used to all of the attention. We don’t want them to become big-headed and think things will just fall into place. We won’t sneak up on anyone this year, but I think the kids understand that everyone will be coming after us.”

Last year’s OIA title was the school’s first since 1993 and marked the second straight year that the Bulldogs made the league’s Final Four. Kaimuki followed up its OIA run by advancing all the way to the title game of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA State Tournament, where they were defeated by Iolani. With that in mind, perhaps no Bulldog team in the school’s proud history has entered a campaign with as lofty expectations. Early-season optimism centers around four key holdovers from last season - forward Keone Reyes, forward Beau Albrechtson, off guard Daniel Colon and point guard Brandon Madamba.

Reyes, who helped lead the Bulldogs to a Division II OIA football championship this fall, figured big in Kaimuki’s late-season run last winter and is one of the top athletes in the state. He had only participated in one organized workout as of last week, having been training with the East squad for last Saturday’s HUB Goodwill Senior Bowl All-Star football game, but was expected to rejoin the basketball program this week.

“He knows the system, so it should be an easy transition for him (from football to basketball),” Grant said of Reyes. “He’s an all-around talent who has great instincts for the game (of basketball). He’s naturally gifted. He has guard skills in a big man’s body.”

Albrechtson, who stands 6-feet-5-inches tall, is also coming off a strong finish to the 2005-06 season and will move from the three spot to the four spot this season, according to Grant.

“He’s worked hard on his game since summer,” Grant said of Albrechtson. “He’s tried to improve his ability to attack the basket from all parts of the floor, and he’s worked on his leadership and dribbling skills, too.”

In the back-court, quickness will be the prevailing theme with Colon and Madamba forming what should be one of the better guard tandems in the OIA.

“Daniel is the key ingredient to our team - if he’s good, we’ll be good,” Grant said. “He’s a slasher who is capable of creating plays for himself when we need him to.

“And Anthony brings tons of speed, and he understands our system,” he added. “He’s a left-handed dribbler, just like Beau, which makes him awkward to defend (off of the dribble).”

Chezz Ramos-Dias, Craig Cabudol, Bryan Lim, Chauncey Nicola, David Taulung, Kamahoi Cookman, Makalii Nahinu, Ryan Kakitani and Tyler FessendenBatis round out the Kaimuki roster.

Unlike last season when the Bulldogs had as much size as anyone on their schedule, they’ll have a different look this year as they set their sights on a sixth consecutive state tournament appearance.

“We could have gone with 6-2 (kids) across the board last year,” said Grant. “We slowed everything down, but this year we’ll pick up the tempo. Speed is definitely our strength. We’ll play a lot of pressure defense and mix things up. We’ll have to change up to keep other teams off balance.

“Our attacking style will make us vulnerable in the area of rebounding,” he added. “We’ll give up rebounds for steals. We’ll either win by a lot or lose by a lot, but it will be exciting. The kids enjoy playing this type of basketball, and we have a lot of kids who can handle the ball.”

Grant is hoping his team will be free of academic-related issues as it was last year, noting that “four or five of them need to take care of that right now.”

“There are a couple who have been going to study hall instead of practice lately,” he added.

The Bulldogs will be in Hilo on Thursday to begin play in the eight-team Big Island Candies Pre-Season Tournament, where they’re guaranteed of playing three games. The Bulldogs were the runner-up last year to host Hilo, recording a monumental win over Hilltop High School of San Diego in the semifinal round along the way.

“It was the turning point of our season,” Grant said of the encounter with Hilltop. “It gave our kids a lot of confidence.”

Kaimuki opens its regular season on Jan. 2 at home against Roosevelt.