Navigators Ready For First Shot At ILH Tournament Play
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usThe ILH post-season format wasn’t created with Island Pacific Academy in mind, but the Navigators are among the programs that like the idea of receiving new life when the regular-season runs its course.
Lest anyone forget, the Navigators are in their first year of varsity competition in the league and took a 4-9 record into their regular-season finale with Kamehameha over the weekend. IPA moves on next to this week’s ILH Tournament, where five schools will compete in a single-elimination Division II State Championships next week. Pairings for the ILH tournament, which runs at various sites on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, were to be finalized Sunday. Whoever the opponent, the Navigators are poised for the opportunity.
“I told the kids that it is just like college basketball and the NCAA Tournament,” IPA head varsity basketball coach Joe Payongayong said. “All we have to do is win three more games and we’re in.
That would be great for us as a new program. I like the format, and I’ve told the kids all season that it’s not how you play at the beginning of the season, it’s how you play at the end.”
While overwhelmed in games versus some of the bigger schools that have Division I and DII programs, like Punahou, the Navigators have been largely competitive, posting wins over Assets, Christian Academy, Le Jardin and Academy of the Pacific this season. A near-miss against Iolani last week, in which they came from 14 points down to pull within one in a four-point loss, also was a good sign, according to the coach.
“We had some tough breaks at the end of the game, but the first thing I wrote on the board when we got back to the locker room was the word ‘heart,’” said Payongayong, who is assisted by coaches Dennis Silva, Roy Burnett and Chris Veazie. “It was a good confidence-builder, and we’re hoping we can carry it over into next week. We found we could play with the bigger schools, and we’re looking forward to our game at Kamehameha (last Saturday).”
Among IPA’s challenges this season is that the relatively new school is without a gym, so teams practice on an outdoor court next to the Kapolei District Park pool. (A fund-raising campaign to raise $28 million is under way to help build a gym as well as several other state-of-the-art facilities).
“The last few weeks have been really tough,” he added.“There are a lot of distractions there, and the rain and wind haven’t helped.
“We’re very proud of the boys. Even after some tough losses, they’re out there working hard the next day. We’re out there at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and they do what they have to do to get what we need to get done.”
The team’s on-court prospects also appear solid with an experienced team expected back in the fold next season. Juniors Evan Fujimoto and London Amorin return next year as members of the school’s first graduating class, as does up-and-coming 6-foot-3 sophomore center Theo Durlechain.
Not that they are focused on anything other than this week’s ILH post-season tournament. “You never know what can happen in basketball,” Payongayong said.“They don’t want the season to end, and this gives them another chance to make something out of our program. They’re excited.”
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