Kailua Playing 14 Preseason Games
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.us
|
Kailua head boys basketball coach Tim Harrison could get used to low-scoring games - especially if the Surfriders end up on the positive side of the ledger.
A recent 36-33 loss to Pearl City won’t register on the radar this season as it was a preseason game, but it typifies the approach Kailua will take in the next few months.
“We’ve been working real hard on our defense,“said Harrison, who is in his eighth season at Kailua, following a noteworthy stint at Radford. “The other night we played a great defensive game. Pearl City is also good (defensively), so it was nice to see us play with them. We have a lot of kids back who didn’t play a lot last year, so we’re young in the area of experience, except for Billy (Oden) and Kenny (Ellis).”
Kailua is coming off one of its best seasons on the hardwood in years, having finished second in the OIA Red East behind Kalaheo in 2006-07, and missing the state tournament by one game. They finished 9-6 overall, and actually had a better OIA seeding than eventual Division I state champion Kaimuki.
Should they stay in the mix in the Red East this season, they will likely count on big seasons from Oden and Ellis. Oden enters his third year as a starter in the back court, while Ellis is in his second season as a starter with two years of eligibility yet to play.
“Defensively, he can play - he’s a physical kid who was a linebacker on the football team,“Harrison said of Oden,“and he’s our best shooter. He’s been at the top of the league in 3-pointers each of the last two years. The big question for us is whether he’ll be our point guard or at the two (spot), where we’re trying to move him.We also have (senior guard) Jackie Uemoto, who will probably start, too.”
Inside, the Surfriders will lean on Ellis, who is 6-feet-5 and very athletic.“He’s not our typical post player here (in terms of size),“Harrison said.“He’s very quick and agile for a big guy. He’s our inside strength. He can also play on the perimeter if we need him to. He has a nice jump shot.”
Elsewhere, the lineup has been a revolving door through the first two preseason games, although Harrison expects seniors Bubu Naki and Mike Flynn to log large minutes.
“Bubu knows our system, and he’s a shooter and a good rebounder. Mike has probably worked harder than anyone. His confidence is up right now, and he’s been a pleasure to watch. He’s going to help us this year.”
Even with much emphasis on their defensive play, the fate of the season could come down to the ability to score. Harrison is confident his team will catch up on the offensive end.“Right now, we’re not in sync, offensively their ability to score. Harrison is confident his team will catch up on the offensive end. “Right now, we’re not in sync, offensively, but I think that will come in the next few weeks. We lost a lot of scoring (to graduation),and we have a lot of new kids, but we have some scorers.
“We’re still a work in progress as far as learning to play as a team.
We’re still trying to find our identity, but it’s a close group of kids, and they have fun playing the game, which is what I like most about them. This group also has a high (cumulative) GPA. They’re all A and B students.”
Building cohesiveness was a goal last weekend when they flew to Maui for the Baldwin Pre-Season Tournament. They will host Waipahu Wednesday and visit Kamehameha Friday (both at 6:30 p.m.) with appearances in the Punahou and Merv Lopes tournaments set for later this month. All told, Harrison expects them to have played 14 preseason games by their season opener Jan. 2 at Castle.
He didn’t have to look far for a Red East favorite: “It’s definitely Kalaheo; they’re very good again. Moanalua has good players back, and Kahuku is going to be good.”
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
