Hogue’s Lady Mustangs Toughening Up For Basketball
By Jack Danilewicz
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Kalaheo’s Delicia Wilson. Photo by Leah Ball.
In an Oahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division race where there will likely be little margin for error, Kalaheo girls basketball coach Ryan Hogue doesn’t mind his Lady Mustangs having to take the workmanlike route to reaching their goals.
“Talent-wise, we’re not (going to have an edge always), but there’s not a team we can’t beat if we come to battle,” said Hogue. “I’ve been so busy that I haven’t seen all of the teams we will play yet,but the biggest thing for us is that it’s not about the other team, but about ourselves.We just have to come out with a tough mind-set and fight every night.
“I don’t think any one team is going to go 10-0,“he added.“I think teams are going to beat up on each other. We’re going to see a lot of teams at 7-3, 6-4, 5-5, and we can find ourselves in the mix.”
Kalaheo was to begin East play Tuesday with a road game at defending OIA champion Roosevelt before playing their next three games at home. A quick start could go a long way in setting the tone for what Hogue hopes will be a successful first season as the team’s head coach. He took over the program last summer from Chico Furtado, who had been performing double-duty as boys and girls coach.
“Going to Roosevelt will be tough,” Hogue admitted.“They’re going to come in with a lot of confidence, and they’ll be looking to repeat as (OIA) champions, but I think it (a schedule heavy with home games early) will help us.”
As expected, the Lady Mustangs have been counting heavily on their back court to date. Senior guards Shanadee Canon and Delicia Wilson should rate among the better tandems in the league after playing alongside each other during 2006. Wilson had originally been enrolled at Kahuku before transferring in time for last season and quickly had an impact, settling into the lineup. Canon, a 5-foot-9 forward who can play any position, is in her fourth year as a starter and has been one of the league’s top players since the day she arrived on campus. She has also started for Furtado’s Hawaii-Select traveling all-star team each of the last two summers.
“She’s one of the smoother players I’ve seen before, especially in the open court,” said Hogue, whose team was to travel to the Big Island over the weekend for the Viking Pre-Season Tournament. “She’s very athletic. We need her leadership in addition to her basketball abilities.
“Delicia has been a steady force for us at point guard,” he added. “She’s developed into our second threat on offense. We need leadership from her, too. She’s naturally quiet, but she has a great passion for the game.”
The pair’s supporting cast has centered around Kailua transfer Aui Williams and younger sister Sola Williams, a 5-foot-8 freshman, in addition to sophomore forward Caira Pires.
How quickly the underclassmen come together could impact their season. After Canon and Williams, the only other senior on the roster is forward Nova Bird. But Hogue is seeing good things from his younger players.
“I’ve been impressed with how hard our young girls come to play. Defensively,we still need to improve. We’ve been constantly teaching.”
Kalaheo hosts Kahuku Saturday with home dates against Kaimuki March 20 and Moanalua March 28. All games begin at around 6:30 p.m.
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