Hawaii Select Girls All-Stars Headed To Elite Tourney
By Jack Danilewicz
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Chico Furtado wanted his Hawaii Select girls’ all-star team to play in the most demanding national tournament he could find. In settling on this week’s 32-team Reebok Summer Challenge in Las Vegas, where his team will be among the “Elite” field, he found what he was looking for.
“When we won back-to-back championships (Roundball Classic and Vision Sports Tournament in 2004 and 2005, respectively) there were always two or three teams that you could kind of skate on by (in earlier rounds),” said Furtado, who was deciding between three tournaments. “There aren’t any teams you can skate on by in this tournament. In the elite bracket of a 32-team tournament, every team will have substantial talent.
“We will definitely get five good games, so it should be a great experience for the kids - hopefully, we won’t go 0-5,” he added with a laugh.
For Hawaii Select’s part, they will also see some familiar foes from recent years, including Tree of Hope (Club) of Washington, which has defeated Furtado’s team each of the last two years. East Bay Explosives of California is perhaps the most high-profile of the teams in the field, with a handful of its former players currently on WNBA rosters, according to Furtado.
“There’s some monsters in there,” he added.
Hawaii Select meets the Colorado Hoopsters in their first round game on Wednesday with the rest of their schedule to be determined. The level of competition is much on Furtado’s mind, given the relative ease Hawaii Select breezed through Kalaheo’s Summer League this summer, with a 10-0 record heading into last Saturday’s championship game.
Most of Hawaii Select’s games were runaway victories, so the team was not involved in the close games that help to season teams.
“That’s a big concern,” Furtado said of his team’s light schedule over the last several weeks.“We had some good scrimmages with college kids earlier in the summer, but none lately. I’m hoping to get one more in this weekend before we leave. The competition hasn’t been that good since those scrimmages, so hopefully we won’t get complacent because we’ll be playing with the best (in Las Vegas). This is probably as competitive a tournament as we’ve been in.”
Furtado was also concerned late last week over the status of Hailey Maeda, a key post player for Hawaii Select, who had suffered a “slight” injury, according to Furtado.
“She’ll rest until we go up there, and then we’ll see what her mobility is like at Tuesday’s practice,” Furtado said.
If able to play, Maeda, who is a Kailua resident and student at Punahou, will likely be in the starting lineup for Hawaii Select. Along with fellow post-players Mikela Thoemmes (Roosevelt) and Kirsten Liana (Farrington), she’s helped to give Furtado’s team an inside presence that’s been missing in recent years.
Veteran leadership also can be found on Hawaii Select’s rosters, with eight returnees back from last year’s summer season and trip to Las Vegas, including Pua Furtado (Kamehameha), Kylie Sato (McKinley), Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo (Farrington), Kamie Imai (Waiakea), Kourtni Thomas (Kalaheo) and Jordan Kealoha (Mid-Pacific). Newcomers include Kaua Cale (Kalaheo), Dejah Faasoa (Kaimuki) and Angie Yoshizu (University High).
Sato is entering her fifth year with Hawaii Select, having played first as an eighth-grader, while Pualei Furtado is the first in the team’s history to play after having completed her high school eligibility. She was one of the top 3-point shooters in the state during her time at Kamehameha. Imai has missed some time going back and forth between Oahu and the Big Island, and will likely come off of the bench.
“She’s a little behind, but she’s so athletic, she’ll pick up fast,” Furtado said of Imai. “We’re also expecting good things from Jordan. She’s played really well this summer.”
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