Lady Surfriders Putting Talent, Youth On Basketball Courts
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usTo the casual observer, there’s no mistaking Zsalei Kamaka’s all-consuming feeling for basketball when she’s on the court. On the inside, however, she’s the first to admit that she sometimes feels like the 14-year old that she is.
“The pressure is always on,” said Kamaka, Kailua’s freshman point guard. “There’s pressure to shoot well, to get to the basket, to handle the ball well ... I’m still learning. Being the point guard is like being the quarterback, the voice on the court, but I like it.”
Kamaka has been one of the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s top newcomers this spring, averaging 11.0 points per game for the Surfriders in her first year of varsity competition. She has started every game to date, lending stability to a team that has been unable to dress its full roster since only recently because of a rash of sickness.
“She’s been a constant, a warrior,” longtime Kailua coach Ramona Takahashi said of Kamaka. “This past Monday she was sick, but she hung in there and played through it. We’ve asked a lot of her and sometimes she’s overwhelmed, but she’s handled everything we’ve thrown at her. She plays hard and she absorbs a lot and plays within her abilities. She’s also an honors student.
“It’s been awhile since we put a freshman in this situation,“she continued. “In terms of minutes, she’s played the most as a freshman since (former Kailua and current Missouri Valley College player) Loke (Lastimosa).”
Kailua has two games remaining in its regular season - a road game with Kalani April 19 followed by their home finale (and Senior Night) against Castle on April 28. Kailua, which missed the OIA Division II playoffs last year by a game, took a 2-5 record into last Saturday’s game with Kaimuki. A heart-breaking 45-43 loss to league-leader Kalani last Wednesday may have sealed Kailua’s fate in the running for a post-season berth this year, but the Surfriders’ prospects for the future are bright, with Kamaka one of eight underclassman on the current roster. This year has been one of growing pains, however.
“Our youth has shown in the little things,“said Takahashi, who was the White Division’s Coach of the Year last season. “We have our breakdowns and sometimes at inopportune moments. We haven’t had good chemistry yet.”
The Surfriders have been solid in the talent department, however, with perhaps their most athletic incoming class in recent memory.
Only a year ago, Kamaka was an eighth-grader playing in the Kailua Basketball Association. She also plays softball, but basketball takes priority.
“Basketball is my favorite sport,” said Kamaka, who is a resident of Waimanalo. “I give everything I have to it.”
In Kamaka and sophomore Kristen Corrales, the Surfriders possess one of the White Division’s top back-courts. Corrales had 13 three-pointers through the Kalani game, having connected for two in all but one of Kailua’s seven league contests. She helped to ignite a late run in the Kalani game that gave the Surfriders a chance to tie in the closing seconds.
“They work well together,” Takahashi said of her guards. “Shooting is Kristen’s strength, while Zsalei is the penetrator. They can only get better in the next three years - especially after being together for a year.”
Depth in the back-court has been a plus for the Surfriders this season with freshman Ashley Jacobs and sophomore Aui Williams logging a lot of minutes.
“They both went on trips, so they missed some time, but they’ve been doing well. When we have everyone (in uniform), we can be real tough. Overall, our guard play has been good. We’ve had so many people out sick at different times we’ve been short on numbers and had to rotate. The other night was the first time we had all eleven in uniform since March 9.”
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