Ellison’s Girls Squad Keeps Good Track Of Basketball Team
By Jack Danilewicz
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As with most coaches, attention to detail is a given for Kapolei High’s Gary Ellison. When he went looking for a new group of student managers to help his varsity basketball team, prospects were quick to learn that they’d be living by much the same rules the athletes live by.
“They’re part of athletics, so there was an interview process,” said Ellison, a fourth-year head coach. “Grades were one thing.If they don’t have good grades, they can’t help us. We talked to them a lot about responsibility and commitment,and they’re required to dress like the coaches. We give them a polo, and they have to wear khakis. No slippers. We want them in dress shoes. We all dress professionally.
“They’re still teenage girls, of course,” he added with a laugh. “They come in with all kinds of brands and styles of khakis, but I’m OK with it as long as they’re khakis. I have the best statisticians and the best-dressed statisticians.”
Ellison’s current crop - senior Kimoli Thomas and juniors Kymberlly Doi, Beth Kettner, Gabrilyn Lee and Jessica Pacmaco - are perhaps the least visible of team entourage, but their contributions help everything run smoothly on game night.
“Most people don’t realize what an impact they have,” said Ellison, the OIA Red West Coach of the Year in 2007-08. In addition to taking care of the official book for that night’s game, the managers take statistics, charting assists, steals, rebounds and shot attempts, among other categories for the coaches, helping them to manage the team throughout the season.Gabrilyn Lee calls in the box scores to the two daily newspapers on game nights.
“Someone’s always doing something. They’re also going to help with videotaping now, but they don’t know that yet,” he added.
Being well-schooled in basketball isn’t necessarily an advantage when Ellison picks managers.“Basketball fans will get caught up in the game rather than keep stats,“he reasoned.
With that in mind, most of the girls are quick learners. “I thought it would be hard, but after doing it, it’s actually easy,” said Doi, who hopes to major in business at UH. “I like everything about it,and coach makes it fun. He’s not so serious. He likes to joke around with us.”
Added Kettner: “He always gets on my case. He thinks I’m slow, but I’m actually really smart.“She’s one of the few with a sports background, having been active in tennis and track and field when she enrolled at Kapolei.
“I always thought it would be fun to be a manager for a sport,” said Kettner, who hopes to attend a California college. “You get to meet a lot of new people. I knew all of the girls, but I wasn’t close friends with them then. After awhile, you really get into it, and I’m finally starting to understand the game.”
On that note, the game itself was a factor in Lee’s decision to volunteer. Although not active in sports growing up, she used to attend a lot of UH games. “I prefer watching basketball to other sports, and this is a good way to support your school. There’s always action.”
Not to mention a fast pace. “If you take your eyes off of the game for a moment,” Lee added, “you might miss something.”
“It used to be hard, but now that I’m in my second year it’s fun,” added Pacmaco. “Before, I didn’t know what a turnover or a rebound was. The best part is meeting new people, and Coach is outgoing - he’s a lot of fun, and he understands us.”
Ellison’s stat crew has grown from one in his first year to the current five, now in their second season.
“When I only had one, she couldn’t always make it because she played girls basketball, too. The next year, I had three, but they were all seniors, so I lost all three at the end of the season. Last year, I put an announcement out asking for interested freshmen, sophomores and juniors. I thought we should train some younger girls so they would be around.
“They made a lot of mistakes, but as I told them,‘I’m not going to yell or scream or anything. I’m a little more stringent this year since it’s their second year.”
All but Thomas, a senior, are expected to return for a third season together. Like players, however, the eligibility for managers also will run out someday.And what will Ellison do after the 2009-10 season, when four girls will move on to college?
“They’re going to be training a new group next year, although they don’t know that yet,” Ellison said.
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