Starting Jobs Open For Bulldogs

Wednesday - November 07, 2007
By Jack Danilewicz
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Kaimuki coach Kelly Grant
Kaimuki coach Kelly Grant. Photo by Nathalie Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The afterglow that comes from winning a state basketball title is a permanent thing. Rosters and lineups, however, are not.

With eight seniors having completed their eligibility after Kaimuki’s riveting postseason run last winter, the Bulldogs will have a very different look when they open their 2007-08 preseason later this month.

“This is a new team,” said head coach Kelly Grant, who led the Bulldogs to their first state title since 1994 last February. “I’ve been out in the community and have had a few people mention to me that this will be a ‘rebuilding year,’ and I just tell them, ‘well, we’ll see.’ But I’ll never use the term ‘rebuilding year.’ That wouldn’t be fair to this team. I’m sure they’re not looking at having a rebuilding year.”


Indeed, Bulldog fans might well remember that Grant had to replace a pair of starters last year after Kaimuki had won an OIA title in 2006. Among those departed from the team are three of the best players to ever compete at the school: Keone Reyes, Daniel Colon and Beau Albrechtson. Grant will build his current team largely around veteran holdovers Makali’i Nahinu, Chauncey Nicola and Chezz Diaz, as well as a sophomore class that he rates as “one of the most talented we’ve had.”

Kaimuki could field as many as eight sophomores when the Bulldogs host Maryknoll Nov. 22 in their public unveiling. Also back will be Ryan Kakitani, who started two-thirds of last season, and up-and-coming center Desmond Tautofi, who moved up to varsity at the end of last season and had a big fourth quarter in the win over Punahou in the state title game. Grant envisions the Bulldogs finalizing their roster Nov. 14 after three days of tryouts. Hawaii’s prep teams begin practice Nov. 12.

Unlike a year ago, all starting jobs are definitely open as camp begins, according to Grant. “We’ll give everyone an opportunity to showcase their skills in preseason. This year it’s wide open, and I don’t think this group would want it otherwise. Our practices should be fierce and competitive.”

Kaimuki, which will play a total of 13 preseason games, including appearances in the Moanalua, McKinley and Hilo tourneys, will be short-handed early on: A broken arm will keep Nicola, a 6-foot, 260-pound center, out until the beginning of the regular season in January.

“He’s bummed,” Grant said, “but he’s a bright boy, and he’ll use the (rehab) time to his advantage. It’s a big blow to us because, of all the kids, he had the best summer.”

With Nicola’s injury, more responsibility will likely fall to Diaz, Nahinu and Kakitani.

“Chezz has a big upside. He’s a very polished shooter, and he has good ball-handling skills. He comes from a family of good athletes - his older brother (Shadrack) was on our first OIA championship team (in 2006) - and hopefully, he’ll be a solid contributor for us.


“(Nahinu) does all the dirty work for us. He’s aggressive on the boards, and he doesn’t make many mistakes.You can always count on him - he was consistent last year in what he did.”

Because of his busy basketball schedule year round, Grant sees Kakitani as one of the team’s most seasoned players.

“He had a good summer, and we’ll be counting on him heavily to take on more responsibility for us with some guys missing because of football.”

As for his talented sophomores, Grant sees a lot of them having an immediate impact. “A lot of those kids will see playing time. They’re extremely quick.”

KAIMUKI BASKETBALL NOTES: Although a handful of Bulldogs will miss the first couple of weeks because of an overlap with football, you won’t find a bigger fan of Darren Johnson’s football program than Grant.“I was a football player first and a basketball player second,” said Grant, who played his high school football for Pac-Five ... Kaimuki’s fall conditioning sessions have been well-attended. “We used to get 15 or 16, and now we have 30 to 40 coming out. The kids at our feeder schools in the community have gotten word that we have a good program.” ... That Kaimuki will begin preseason having had few practices is by design. “There’s no substitute for live play,” Grant said ... Former Kaimuki assistant Richard Miyasaka, who was the head coach at Kalani last season, has re-joined Grant’s staff.

 

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