Coaches With Windward Ties Spicing Up AOP Athletics

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Academy of the Pacific has an athletic plan firmly in place, and as of last week, the school also has the man it believes will lead the Dolphin basketball program’s progress in longtime Kailua resident Walter “Wally” Marciel Sr., whom it hired as head coach.

Marciel spent 20 years as an assistant under Pete Smith at Kalaheo and was an assistant this past season under Chico Furtado, who resigned from that post at season’s end. Marciel also won three OIA championships at the JV level in the late ‘90s and assisted Ryan Hogue with the Hawaii Select boys all-star team on its annual trip to Las Vegas back in July.

“Walt is one of the best coaches in the state,“said AOP athletic director Hogue, a former Mustang and UH-Hilo standout himself.“His understanding of the game is one reason. He spent 20 years with one of the best coaches in the history of the state, and he’s been around (former head coach Mark) “Doc” (Mugiishi) at Iolani for the five years he was out of coaching.

“His relationship with the kids is always solid. He’s given a lot back to the community. He understands what it’s like to be a local student-athlete. It’s not about him and definitely not about the paycheck. He has a great passion for it, and he’s great at getting the kids to play hard.”

Hogue reiterated that AOP’s immediate and long-term goal is to compete at the Division I level in the ILH in basketball. The Dolphins will know their fate for 2010-11 sometime this summer when divisions are decided by the league, but they already have an invitation to both the Iolani Classic and Moanalua’s Holiday Tournament for next season and will host both of those teams in a preseason tourney of their own.

“With the talent we have coming back and the kids we have coming up, we’re serious about going Division I, and we think we can compete there,” said Hogue, who will serve as an assistant to Marciel on the basketball staff along with former Kalaheo team-mate Levon Freeman, who was a three-time All-OIA pick in the 1990s.

AOP has maintained a pipeline to Kalaheo through Hogue, who served as the Dolphins’ head coach a season before bringing in former Mustang/UH star Alika Smith, who is now Punahou’s coach.

AOP was coached by Chic Hess last season, and he led the Dolphins to an 18-13 overall record as well as to the semifinals of the Division II state championships. Hess was named the new coach at Kalaheo, but resigned a short time later.

Marciel’s appointment will add even more of a Windward presence to AOP, whose team already includes Micah Dunhour (Kailua ), Sam Orcutt (Enchanted Lake) and Marshall Gourley (Maunawili) from the area.

Dunhour was runner-up for Player of the Year honors in Division II in the ILH last season and made the state tournament team. According to Hogue, word is getting out among recruiters regarding Dunhour, a 6-5 guard, who has received inquiries from San Diego, Central Arizona, Goshen College UH-Hilo and Western Oregon.

“He can play either the one or the two (guard spots), and he just tested at 11.4 in his vertical jump,” Hogue said.

Hogue also noted that German National Team member Moritz Krume, a 6-9 center, will enroll late summer at AOP and will have two seasons of prep eligibility remaining. Krume also will compete on Hogue’s Hawaii Select traveling all-star team this summer.

“He wants to come here and better his game,” Hogue said. With Krume in the fold, the Dolphins could have a starting lineup with four players over 6-foot-4.