Tolentino Returns With A Mellower Approach On Court
By Jack Danilewicz
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Giving his team a day off of conditioning so close to the start of the season would have been unthinkable a decade ago, but that was the plan for Castle and girls volleyball coach Grant Tolentino as of last Friday.
Tolentino, who guided the Castle girls program from 1990-99, recently was hired to lead the Knights once again. Time away from the game has added some patience to his approach, he thinks.
“I’m known to have a hard, old-fashioned coaching style - drive them, drive them, drive them,” he said, “but kids are different than when I coached here before. We didn’t have cell phones, pagers, video games as much. Being away from coaching the last 10 years has made me rethink how I can be a more productive coach. I’ve started real slow with these girls. You have to have that old style with the understanding that kids have changed. At the end of practice every day, I let them know how much I appreciate them.”
A former standout for both the Knights and University of Hawaii, where he played in the early ‘90s, Tolentino and wife Becky have spent the last several years raising their children, son Sage, now 6, and daughter Shayla, 8. The couple lived in Mililani for five years, but Tolentino missed Kaneohe, so they soon moved back. He missed volleyball as well, although a crowded schedule lessened the impact.
“I focused a lot on the kids,” said Tolentino, who has worked for 16 years at Sears as district facilities manager. “My wife and I also did a lot of traveling in the three years before they were born. When we moved to Kaneohe, we were busy renovating a house.”
While away from the game, he still kept track of the Knights, not knowing that the job would be open in 2010. Castle athletic director Laynie Sueyasu approached him about applying for the position.
“I went to one of their games last year, and I was very, very impressed with the talent that they had,” he said. “Being that I’m an alum, I want the best for Castle, and I’ve received nothing but support from the parents and the school. I’ve been welcomed with open arms in the transition. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Tolentino’s resume also lists a few seasons assisting longtime Castle boys coach Pat Gomes.
Castle begins fall practice this week, along with fellow Windward schools Kalaheo, Kailua, Kahuku and Le Jardin. The Knights’ first test is a preseason tournament this weekend on Molokai, where they’ll play several games.
“It is more to get the girls together and help them jell,” he said. “It will be good to be able to focus on what we want to achieve.”
The Knights’ OIA season opener is set for Aug. 24, at McKinley.
Castle went 9-3 in the OIA White Conference last year under Brannon Bajet and went on to finish as the conference tournament runner-up to Kaiser. The Knights also finished sixth at the state volleyball tournament last October.
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