Na Ali’i, Hurricanes & Sabers Vie For B-ball Tourney Seat
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usKapolei head basketball coach Gary Ellison and his counterpart at Aiea, Wyatt Tau, needn’t complain about their teams being left out of the discussion regarding the favorites for this week’s OIA Division I Boys Basketball Tournament. That their teams are part of the field is what really matters, after all.
Coming into post-season with a low profile can have its advantages, lest anyone forget, as the 2007 Leilehua football team proved by entering as a mere fourth seed before running the table en route to winning OIA and state titles.While both Kapolei and Aiea were in the rebuilding mode this season - or “regrouping mode,” as Tau likes to say - Na Ali’i and the Hurricanes can hardly be taken lightly, even in a field that also features East powers Kalaheo, Kahuku and Kaimuki as well as defending champion Mililani and surging Campbell out of the West.
Aiea was the Division II OIA champion in both 2007 and 2008 before moving up to Division I in December.With the departure of all five starters from those teams, Na Ali’i struggled to a 2-9 record in league play, and was projected as the No. 6 seed out of the West heading into last Friday’s regular-season final against Kapolei.The Hurricanes had finished 7-5 last season, earning Ellison Coach of the Year honors in the West, but they also were hit with heavy losses to graduation and were 4-7 (projected fourth or fifth seed) heading into the weekend.
What this week’s OIA Tournament will provide is new life for a pair of teams that will have much of their rosters back next season. Moreover, West teams always have much to prove on the hard-wood, having lived largely in the shadow of the East teams until Mililani’s breakthrough last year in Division I and Aiea’s back-to-back titles in DII under Tau. Before the OIA split into two divisions prior to the 2007 season, East teams had won 17 straight overall OIA titles and 24 of the previous 26.
“Whether or not we’re more balanced (throughout the OIA), I can’t say; but,especially after last year,West teams know they can compete with the East teams and win games,” Ellison said.
Kapolei’s signature win to date came Jan. 28 when the Hurricanes shocked Mililani 54-51 at home.The Trojans had entered the game with a 6-1 record in the West and were tied for first with Campbell entering their final regular-season game over the weekend.
“Our win over Mililani was huge for our boys as far as confidence goes,“said Ellison, whose team had only four in the first half of that game. “They went in believing they belong and can compete with good teams. When we control our turnovers, we feel like we can beat anybody.”
The Hurricanes have received a boost of late from a pair of freshmen, 6-4 center Luke Kaumautule and 6-3 Austin Gaskin, who plays multiple positions. Junior Nate Osada and seniors Jordan Ferriera and Magic Halmos also have been mainstays.
Aiea, which graduated 11 players from last year’s team, is led by senior guard Kory Naeole, who is averaging 9.1 points per game.
The West’s best bet to win the OIA title may be Campbell,which is seeking a fifth straight state tournament berth. The Sabers feature a veteran cast led by Zach Manuel, Nick Daniels and Patrick Ward,whose 25-point effort against Kapolei last week represented one of the top individual performances in the West this season. He also tallied 21 in a win over Aiea recently.
Pairings and sites for the OIA tournament were to be finalized over the weekend. The top five finishers receive the league’s berths for next month’s state tournament.
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