Young Chargers Roster Is Inexperienced, But Motivated
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usIt is by design that defense has always been the Pearl City girls basketball team’s forte during the Mike Morton era. The Chargers don’t mind low-scoring games, especially if such encounters mean securing a win.
“I’m more defensive-minded - that’s just me - it always concerns me more than offense,” explained Morton. “We expect a lot there. I think we’re a little bit ahead of where we were last year at this time.”
Not that the Chargers mind starting where they left off. Pearl City finished an impressive 8-4 season last spring, prompting even higher expectations for their 2007-08 season. The team, which was to play a pair of games last weekend, return to preseason action at 5 p.m. Saturday on the road against Waipahu. Followers of the program can expect to see a new-look Charger team this time around. Standouts Jazmin Pahukoa-Malia, Desiree Luis and Tiffany Gadingan completed their eligibility last spring, making for a roster that will be dominated by underclassmen.
“It looks like we’ll have a mix of sophomores and seniors playing the majority of the minutes,” Morton said. “There’s a lack of game experience, but their effort has been tremendous, and they have a lot of potential.”
Morton envisioned having no less than three sophomores in the starting lineup Saturday, pending last-minute fine-tuning.
“It’s also possible we could start four sophomores and one senior,” he added.
Guard Kalei Adams leads the way. While she missed the team’s summer league at Kalaheo in order to compete on an all-star traveling softball team, she’s had a solid preseason, in Morton’s view, and her athleticism is ideally suited to his new up-tempo style.
“She really gets the break going, and we want to run a little more,” Morton said of Adams, who played varsity last year. “She picks everyone up. Running the floor and her leadership are her strengths. Playing on the varsity as a freshman helped her a lot. She’s actually stepped into a leadership role.”
Fourth-year varsity player Kaiona Auyong also figures big in Morton’s plans after leading the team in scoring last year at 10 points per game. A power forward the past three years, she made the transition this summer to the back court.
“She brings the most experience,” Morton said. “I told her at the end of summer that she’d finally caught on. She’s expanded her game, and we’re looking for a break-out year from her.”
The Chargers’ offense could get an added boost with the arrival of Jordan Ahakuelo, who was the leading scorer on the junior varsity last spring as a freshman.
“I’ve seen her play since she was about 6, and she’s gotten better and better,” Morton said. “She’s an all-around threat. She’s a great slasher to the basket, and she has a good medium-range jump shot. She carried the load for the JV, scoring three quarters of their points, so we’re looking at her to score in double figures every game.”
Sophomore Glacen Florita (“She’s really good on the break”) also will start on Saturday, with senior Patricia Langi and sophomore Markeshia Manning still locked in a battle at center.
“It’s good that we have both of them,” Morton said of Langi and Manning.“Markeshia has stepped up big time, so she’ll have major minutes if she doesn’t (start).”
Morton also noted that sophomore Tearaina Meyer will miss the 2007-08 season with a torn ACL suffered at a basketball clinic in August. “She had a good summer, so it’s a big loss for us. We’re hoping she can re-join us in time for the summer (league season).”
On the heels of the Waipahu game, Morton and the Chargers will turn their attention to the Pearl City Hoop-It-Up Pre-Season Tournament Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1 when they will play Campbell, Castle and Saint Francis. Pearl City opens its regular season Dec. 18 at Nanakuli.
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