Berinobis Twins To Bolster Knights
By Jack Danilewicz
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For the Castle girls basketball team, the road to an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II title begins in its own back court.
“We have all six of our guards back, so our strength will be there,” said coach Jeff McKeown, whose team finished 7-6 last year,after leading Castle to a state tournament appearance in 2006.“They’re really fast and they shoot the ball well, so we’ll look to push the ball with our guards, especially early on, until our forwards can get more acclimated (to the Knights’ system). Defensively,our guards are solid,and they can pressure the ball.”
The Knights,whose public unveiling is Saturday at Leilehua, welcome back seniors Candyce Ames, Niki Kobashigawa and sisters Kori and Kelsea Berinobis in addition to sophomores Brandee Sasaki and Nicole Aberilla. All are guards, with senior Leesha Domingo the only returning player on the front line.
Indeed, how fast the Knights can bring along their post players could be a big factor in their season. “They (forwards) haven’t picked up the tempo yet, but when they do,” said McKeown, “we’ll be a solid team.”
The Knights figure to be ahead of the game in leadership with Ames, who is entering her fourth season as starting point guard and figures to be among the best in Division II at her position.
“Her experience in general (is her strength),” McKeown said. “She’s kind of my coach on the court. Obviously, she provides a lot of stability in the way that she handles the ball, and she’s a good passer. Offensively, she can score, which is a plus from the guard spot.”
With that in mind, offensive output should benefit greatly from the return of Kori Berinobis, who was the team’s leading scorer a year ago at 9.0 per game.
“She started at the No. 2 spot last year, but she could very easily be starting at the point if we wanted her there. She’s a very skilled point guard who can handle the ball.”
Twin sister Kelsea Berinobis could also see her role expand this season, in McKeown’s view. “She’s a good penetrator, and she provides quality shooting.”
McKeown labels Kobashigawa “our strongest defensive player.
“She had a great season last year, and we’re looking for a little more offense from her. We’re hoping she can build on the good offensive outings she had and carry them into this season.”
Although only sophomores, Sasaki and Aberilla played on the varsity as freshmen and have now had a year in McKeown’s system. “They’re ready,” he said. “Brandee is a really good defensive player for us and a good shooter.We definitely need her to step up this year. Nicole had a really good summer. At this point, she will play every position but point guard, so we’re expecting a lot from her.”
In the post,the Knights will count on Domingo in the early going.“She got a lot of playing time last year. We’re expecting good defense and rebounding from her,and she’s vastly improved her offensive game. Right now, the forwards are learning on the fly.”
The Knights open their regular season Dec. 18 versus Anuenue.
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