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Good Basketball Coaching Starts With Childhood Mentors

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Chico Furtado

When it comes to basketball, Kalaheo can practically sign its own figure to the OIA checkbook, having captured 12 of the last 16 league titles. As a longtime assistant to the late Pete Smith, Thomas “Chico” Furtado’s unmistakable imprint on the program was established long before he took over as head coach in 2004. Furtado had also resurrected the Lady Mustang program as head coach, leading Kalaheo to five straight OIA titles and nine state tournament appearances in 10 years before stepping down last summer to concentrate on boys basketball.A former standout at Iolani and Chaminade, he has been a fixture in the local basketball community since the mid-‘70s. Recently he took time from his busy schedule to talk with MidWeek.

What is your earliest basketball-related memory?

I was in the fifth grade playing for the Kahaluu Broncos Pop Warner team.We played our games at Palama gym. It was the first team I played on, and I loved it. I was on the team with older kids (eighth-graders), so I didn’t play much at first, but I enjoyed the game and learned a lot. I knew even then that basketball would be a special part of my life.

Who has had the biggest impact on your life?

So many people have been influential throughout my life, but I would have to say my parents have always guided and supported my efforts. They got me involved in all kinds of sports at a young age and sacrificed a lot to give me a private school education. They continue the support to this day, following my teams whether it be going to games here or accompanying us on our mainland trips.I have been truly blessed by their unwavering support. My wife Lynn has also been very supportive. She has always been willing to make sacrifices and assist with whatever it is I’m involved with. She’s behind the scenes making sure I stay grounded.

You were set to play for Jimmy Yagi at UH-Hilo coming out of high school,but ended up at Chaminade. How did that come about?

I called Coach Yagi to let him know I was coming to Hilo, and to be quite honest, he didn’t sound that excited. Hilo was the power in small college basketball at the time and was getting a lot of mainland recruits. I guess I didn’t fit into their plans. I decided to stay home and enroll at Chaminade. I had read that Chaminade had a lot of local players, and I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to play college basketball.

How much of an impact did playing for Merv Lopes at Chaminade have on your coaching career? Do you see any similarities in your styles?

Looking back at it, playing for Coach Lopes was a great experience, although at times it was difficult. I think Coach and I were mirror images of each other.We both were stubborn, intense, passionate about basketball, and competitive to a fault: We hated to lose. Being a point guard on a Merv Lopes team was no cake walk. His expectations sometimes seemed unrealistic, but I understand now why he operated that way. He was the master motivator. He made you believe that you were capable of anything. He stretched your body, mind and talents as far as they could be stretched.He did that through praise and criticism. Sometimes the criticism was harsh, but he made me a better and smarter player. I have great admiration for Coach Lopes, and I thank him for giving me the chance to play for him. In many ways, my style may resemble his - stubborn and brash on the outside but passionate and caring within. Coach Lopes would do anything for his players.

You had a great relationship with the late Pete Smith, whom you coached with at Chaminade and Kalaheo. In addition to him, who has influenced you in how you go about running your program?

Pete Smith gave me the opportunity to coach at Kalaheo. Many assistants don’t have the responsibility or leeway that I had from Pete. He was coaching me as well as his teams. That’s how good he was. If it wasn’t for Pete, I would not be in basketball right now. That being said, many people have influenced my love for basketball. Coach Lopes taught me about passion and motivation. My dad coached me in youth leagues,and he taught me that nothing replaces hard work. My first coach in the fifth grade, Howard Kim, made the game fun for me at an early age, whetting my appetite for more. He helped me get into Iolani. There are so many more. I think who I am is shaped by many relationships I’ve had throughout my life. I hope that I have and continue to influence my players the same way others have influenced me.

How would you describe your assistant coaching staff?

My assistants are great. The word I would use to describe them is loyal. They are on ship no matter what. No back biting, no bailing out when things go bad. My brother Dave has been with me since 1997. Kavin Denning has been with me for about five years. They are assistants second; they are good friends first and foremost. Good friends always look after each other. I can always count on these two guys no matter what the issues are, basketball or otherwise.

Your teams have been very successful in executing the flex-motion offense. What makes the scheme so difficult to defend and why has it been such a good fit for Kalaheo?

Like any other offense, the flex is difficult to defend when it is executed well. It’s constant movement, constant screening and constant cutting. Teams don’t like to have to play man defense for long periods of time if your opponent is constantly moving and running off screens. It also has a multitude of entries and options if you need a quick hitter to combat defenses that cheat and overplay. It has always been our bread-and-butter offense.

Man-to-man defense has always been Kalaheo’s forte.Who has been your best defensive player through the early stages of the pre-season?

Yes, man defense is primarily what we use. It’s something that I played under Coach Lopes, and Coach Pete used it 95 percent of the time. It’s a work in progress, but I am happy with our man defense thus far in the pre-season. Right now, I think our best on-the-ball defenders are Chase Moses and Bruce Andrews. They are both athletic and well-balanced. Both Clifton Pires and Tyler Caswell are defending the post very well, and Cheynne Lishman’s defense is improving all the time. I think the key to good man defense is having a five-against-the-ball mentality.All five players are working cohesively to defend the ball.

Who on the Kalaheo roster will surprise people in 2007?

Cheynne Lishman is really developing into a big time scorer. He didn’t play a whole lot last year but made great strides this summer and worked on his game in the fall. I am confident that Clifton Pires will have a good year. He is becoming more of a consistent offensive threat. I have two post players that I think will make an impact. Deaux Burns and Alika Kaanapu have given us good minutes in the post off the bench.

After holding out for years, Indiana finally went from one state tournament to four in 1999.Illinois is moving from a two-class system to a four-class system this year,amid much criticism. How do you feel about Hawaii crowning two state champions? Do you prefer one state tournament?

I don’t particularly mind the DII system in boys basketball this year. I realize that there are many small schools that cannot compete at the DI level. As for me, I would always want to compete at the highest possible level. The problem is not that we have adopted a DII, but more so how we determine who goes where. If a school truly cannot compete at the DI level,fine - then have them play DII. I would not want to see teams play DII just because it’s easier or to win a championship. The experience of the battle is sometimes worth more than the prize.

I know as a lifelong Notre Dame fan you are interested in college football. Who do you like in the Ohio State-Florida match-up next month?

I think Ohio State will win. Hopefully, it will be close. Notre Dame will beat LSU though. I’m sure of that.