Lack Of Full Practice May Affect Hawaii Select’s Showing

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Should the Hawaii Select girls traveling all-star basketball team win a third straight national tournament this weekend, it won’t be without a struggle.

In addition to the rugged Mainland competition that awaits, Hawaii Select coach Chico Furtado will field a team of players who are still getting to know each other.

“The pieces are all there,” said Furtado. “But with so many kids missing (at practice due to family vacations or trips related to other sports), it has been difficult to put those pieces together. That’s the challenge.

“We’re athletic enough to put things together. It’s just been difficult to get everyone on the same page as far as getting together for scrimmages and practices.”

The 12-member Hawaii Select team was to leave for Las Vegas on Monday in preparation for this weekend’s Vision Sports National Youth Basketball championships. The tournament begins on Thursday with the title game set for Sunday.

Despite the lack of practice time with a full roster, the return of six key performers from last summer’s successful run to the title gives Hawaii Select a solid nucleus to build around.

Back from last year are Shanadee Canon (Kalaheo High), Nicole Fu (Maryknoll), Chelsie Sato (McKinley), Kylie Sato (McKinley/Washington Intermediate), Ana Viena-Lota (Kamehameha) and Pualei Furtado (Kamehameha).

Canon was the leading scorer in the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s Eastern Division in the spring and is regarded as one of the top players in the state. She is entering her third summer with Hawaii-Select. Fu, Sato and Viena-Lota are also third-year Hawaii Select players while Furtado is one of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu’s up-and-coming players. She has three years of eligibility remaining at her home school, Kamehameha.

Newcomers include Diana Zane (Roosevelt), Ashley Medcalf (Christian Academy), Jamie Smith (Iolani), Rhianna Farm (Kamehameha) and sisters Britni and Jamie Ronolo of Moanalua.

Medcalf could be the state’s most under-rated player, while Smith is among the top players in the ILH Division I. Furtado envisions both players in the starting lineup in Thursday’s opener along with Fu, Canon and Sato.

The uptempo style that has become a trademark of Kalaheo basketball through the years will remain intact for Hawaii Select.

“We need to continue to push the ball up the floor for 32 minutes, and we’ll have to shoot the ball well from the perimeter,” said Furtado, whose team is being sponsored entirely by Puma this summer. “We’ve shown glimpses of shooting well so far.”

The Hawaii Select team tuned up for this weekend by capturing the four-team American Roundball Hawaiian Hoops Tournament earlier in the month, a three-game stretch that assisted the coaching staff in its evaluation.

“(Defensively), I don’t think we’re as good as we’ve been,” Furtado said. “With the lack of practice time, that part has been slower to come.

“We’ll have to depend on our athleticism as much as possible.”