Pearl City Finds A Leader In Ahakuelo
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.usUpon further review, having a guard as your leading returning rebounder can only be a good thing, Pearl City head girls basketball coach Mike Morton figures. Especially when the girl - in this case, Chargers senior point guard Jordan Ahakuelo - is pulling in nearly 10 rebounds per outing.
“I was happy with that and I wasn’t happy with that, since we’d like our bigger girls to be getting them,” Morton said. “That’s how hard Jordan works. Her strength is her tenacity, and her work ethic is unbelievable. She’d work out seven days a week if she could. We have to remind her to take a break.”
Ahakuelo’s greater challenge this year is to become Morton’s coach on the floor.
“She’s talked to me about being a leader. We haven’t had that here in awhile, so we’ll see. I’m optimistic.”
Pearl City finished 7-5 last year in the West behind Aiea and Mililani, and hopes are high again with a veteran cast to work with. Morton and the Chargers have been conditioning three days a week in preparation for the official starting date next Monday.
Defense has been their forte during the Morton era, and he sees good things for his team on that end of the floor. “We’re way ahead of where we were (in previous years at this time),” he said. “This year, we can do a lot more things. We’ll throw in a lot more stuff. We’re deep in the back court, and we’ll be deep at center.” And experienced.
Ahakuelo is one of three Chargers projected to be a a key contributor, as she’s been since her sophomore year, joining veterans Glacen Florita and Markeshia Manning. Talented senior Leina Vasquez also is in the fold for a second straight season after having played at Lanai her first two years. She’s a projected starter along with fellow returnee Shanise Gabriel-Yomes.
“Leina was our most improved player last year, and we’re looking for big things from her,” Morton said of Vasquez.
Florita sets the pace for the team, meanwhile, having been a steady performer at point guard. “She’s very quick, and she can defend well on the ball,” Morton said.“When she got hurt before our game with Moanalua, we missed her big-time. It brought our offense to a halt.”
On that note, Morton is excited about relative newcomers A.J. Sylvia and twin sisters Sabrina and Shauna Angle. The trio are all sophomores who had solid JV seasons last year. “They’ll play and give us minutes,” he said.
In the middle, he has a lot of options with the return of Manning, Alana Kaili and Teraina Meyer. “Defensively, as a rebounder, Markesiha is tenacious. We look for her to get 10-rebounds- plus a game, and she scored a little bit more in the summer.
“We like Alana’s outside shooting. She has a nice touch. She can shoot with the best of them. She’s stepped out to shoot a three, and we’ve given her the green light to do that.”
Meyer tore her ACL during the summer of her sophomore season and was limited last year, but Morton sees her return as a big boost. “She’s been really working hard, and she had a great summer. She’ll be a force if we can get her into good condition. She’s a sleeper.”
The Chargers open their OIA slate Dec. 15 on the road versus Campbell and will play in three preseason tournaments for a total of nine games. Their public unveiling is Nov. 25-27 at the Leilehua Thanksgiving Tournament. From Dec. 3-5, they will be on the Big Island for the Waiakea Tournament before finishing up their preseason at the Dec. 12-13 Moanalua Tournament.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
