Surfriders’ Key Goal: Be Cohesive
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.us
|
Though Kailua is already at 3-1, coach Tim Harrison has his eye on bigger things down the road.
With All-Conference forward Kenny Ellis healing from a major surgery that kept him out from August to early winter, and point guard Corey Lau returning this week after a soccer-related Mainland trip, the Kailua High basketball team’s greater challenge will be to develop and redevelop its cohesiveness, to hear their coach tell it.
“We’ve played better basketball at times in the preseason,” said Harrison, whose team nearly upset Division I Kamehameha in December. “We’re kind of getting by right now and playing just well enough to win. Hopefully, we’ll play better as the season goes along.
“It’s a fun group to coach. They love the game, and we probably have more basketball talent here than we’ve had. Hopefully, we’ll start playing together better.”
Kailua, which was to play at Waialua last Friday, reeled off wins over Roosevelt (72-61), Kalani (54-41) and Anuenue (89-31) in the first two weeks of the OIA White season. Its lone setback came Jan. 8 on the road versus rival Castle, 51-45. Following its game at Pearl City Tuesday, the team has an eight-day break before its next game, a much-anticipated rematch with Castle at home Jan. 28.
The outcome of that game could go a long way in determining the fate of both schools’ seasons, not to mention positioning for OIA tournament play next month.
“Castle, Pearl City, Roosevelt - none of them really belongs in Division II,” Harrison said. “They’re all tough.”
When able to call on his full roster, Harrison has a team that’s stocked with both athleticism and size, as the lineup usually consists of players covering 6-foot-4, 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 and 5-8. If Ellis can return to the form of his sophomore and junior seasons, Kailua also could have the league’s top player in its corner.
A First Team All-Star last season in Division I, Ellis was poised for a great senior year as football team quarterback when he suffered a serious leg injury in first scrimmage in August. He missed the entire season and only returned to the basketball court in December. His first “game action” came at the Punahou tournament in the middle of last month.
“Most kids couldn’t come back from an injury like that, but Kenny is a pretty tough kid,” Harrison said.“He played against Campbell last year in the playoffs with a badly sprained ankle, and we almost pulled it off. He can be a dominant player at times. His conditioning is still coming along.”
Ellis is the lone starter back from last year’s team, but the talent pool got a boost in the off-season with the arrival of three transfers - Dylan Farias (Damascus High, Md.), Kauila Miller (Kamehameha) and Lau, (Saint Louis School). All three are part of the starting lineup, in addition to Ellis and senior center Ali’i Kaiama.
“Corey is extremely quick - he’s a great ball-handler, and he also plays great on-the-ball defense. He’s an energetic kid who brings a spark to the team. Dylan is a good all-around player and a great shooter. He leads us in threes. Kauila is a good defender and a scorer. His strength is taking it to the basket.”
Kaiama played sparingly last season as a junior, but has been “a nice surprise, according to Harrison. “He worked hard during the year, and now he’s close to averaging in double figures in both scoring and rebounding.”
Harrison also expects freshman Isaiah Vasconcellos’ role to increase. He was expected to help fill in for Lau while he was away on a soccer trip, joining Farias in the back court, while Kalen Friel, Rhys Nakakura, Chevy Mikaele, Luis Valanezuela, Tesi Fisilau and Jordan Decorte round out the rotation.
As the Surfriders approach the midway point in their season, improved defensive play remains a focal point. “We have some strong individual defenders, but we’re not playing good defense as a team,” said the coach. “Our help-side defense and our (execution in) blocking out haven’t been as good as we need them to be. Our kids here usually come on at the end. Hopefully, we’ll start playing together as a unit.”
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
