Kapolei Boys Basketball Catches The Winning Fever
By Jack Danilewicz
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Throughout a competitive pre-season schedule, Kapolei boys basketball coach Gary Ellison saw his team making strides. All the program needed was a signature win. Last Wednesday night, the Hurricanes got that, too, when they edged defending Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West champion Mililani 66-65 in the regular-season opener for both teams.
“We want to keep up the momentum we have,” said Ellison, whose team went 8-4 during pre-season. “Preseason gave them a taste, and they want to keep on winning now. They know what it takes, and that’s the most important thing.”
The team finished just 1-11 last year, so their win over Mililani got the attention of everyone else in the league, ensuring Kapolei will get the opposition’s best effort every night out. The schedule remains demanding with a game against Campbell over the weekend and Leilehua on Tuesday.
While the break-through win over the Trojans looks surprising on paper, the Hurricanes were in fact one of the West’s most improved teams over the last half of the 2006-07 season, albeit with little to show for it in the won-lost column.
“We played everyone a lot tougher the second time around,” Ellison recalled. “We’re ready now. Anything can happen with us. If we show up to play, we can give teams a tough time. Our main focus is to take it one game at a time.”
He credited progress to their overall cohesiveness. “Our trip to Kauai really helped us come together - it made a big difference. It’s not like last year when kids just showed up for practice. They hang out together now, and it shows on the court. They understand each other’s games better.”
On the court, their best offense remains its defense. “Our half-court offense hasn’t been bad, but our defense usually makes our offense. A lot of our points have come off of our defense.”
Ellison experimented with a lot of lineups during preseason before settling on Nate Dixon, Mason Koa, D’Shaun Dubois, Lawrence Olive and Keanu Montez as a starting five for the season opener. Montez, Koa and Dixon have been stellar in the back court for Kapolei to date, and both figured big in the win over Mililani, setting the tone with their defensive play. Koa also had 15 points against the Trojans, three less than Dubois, the team’s leading scorer.
“Mason gives us toughness on the court and the attitude that we need,” Ellison said.“He hustles and works hard on the court. Nate can take anyone off of the dribble. He’s been coming into his own.”
Martez is only a sophomore, meanwhile, having transferred from Thompson Academy in the off-season. “He’s a good kid all-around, who has worked really hard. He’s been a huge surprise. He brings the defense. He’s averaging three or four steals a game - he puts a lot of pressure on the opposing team’s point guard.”
Juniors Jordan Ferreira and Magic Halmos have also figured big in the rotation. Ferreira had 11 points versus Mililani, while Halmos’ quickness is a good fit for the Hurricanes’ opportunistic fast-breaking style.
“Jordan brings us stability,” Ellison said, “and Magic brings a lot of athleticism. Both will give us a lot of minutes. We’ll need our bench to step up. Because of the way we play, fatigue comes around.”
The Hurricanes hope to continue their winning ways this week with a pair of road games at Radford Thursday and at Pearl City Saturday. The Radford game will come only 11 days after the two teams met in the Moanalua Pre-Season Tournament Dec. 30. The Rams won that encounter 48-47.
“I think the kids were tired in that game, and we didn’t use our bench very well,” Ellison said.“We have to rebound the ball better and limit their second shots. If we do that, we’ll fare well against them.”
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