Hawaii Select Prepares For Vegas

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Kahaluu athlete Pualei Furtado, shown on last year’s Hawaii Select all-stars, is a key to the 2008 effort, according to her coach. Photo by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Among the staples of Chico Furtado’s Kalaheo teams through the years has been solid defensive play. And when his Hawaii Select all-star girls team makes its annual visit to Las Vegas next week for the Main Event National Basketball Tournament, the veteran coach is once again counting on his team’s defensive play to set the tone.

“If we don’t have defensive intensity, we’ll struggle,” said Furtado. “We’ll have to create a lot of energy. We will be out-sized, obviously, and don’t think we have the kind of scoring in the post we had last year with Jamie (Smith).”

What Furtado’s ‘08 Hawaii Select team lacks in size it may make up for in athleticism. As in past years, he has assembled a team of some of the state’s top players, highlighted by his niece, Pualei Furtado, a Kahaluu resident and standout from Kamehameha, and Natasha Helsham of Aiea. Both players are among six returnees from last year.

Also back in the fold are Lindsey Wong (Kamehameha), Kylle Roy (Kamehameha), Tanisha Bello (Kamehameha-Big Island) and Kylie Sato, a fourth-year player from McKinley. Violet Alama (Kalani), Keely Batanga (Roosevelt), Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo (Farrington), Kamie Imai (Waiakea), Kourtni Thomas (Kalaheo/Kailua), Jordan Kealoha (Mid-Pacific) and Mikela Thoemmes (Roosevelt) round out the 12-player roster.

Although the team lost Alama to a torn ACL recently, depth figures to be one of Hawaii Select’s strong suits. “We’ll look at playing a lot of people,” said Furtado, who is assisted by brother Dave, also a Kalaheo boys assistant coach. “We usually do a good job of recycling people during a game.

“Our main issue this summer has been that we haven’t been able to have everyone together that much. Kids are real busy in the summer. We just had three come back from trips, and three more are leaving, so the cohesiveness is not there yet, but we like the energy the kids are playing with.”

Hawaii Select has found Las Vegas a hospitable place in recent years on the court and off. In 2004 and 2005, Furtado’s teams won the Main Event, while finishing as runner-up in 2006 before being eliminated in the quarter-finals of last year’s tournament. A return to that kind of success will likely begin with its back court play and the aforementioned tandem of Helsham and Pualei Furtado. Both are big reasons why Hawaii Select is still undefeated (7-0) in Kalaheo’s Summer League.

“Pualei has been resting her ankle the last few games, but when she’s been able to play, she’s played well,” Furtado said of his niece, who is one of the top 3-point shooters in the state. “She gives us good perimeter play.

“Natasha is very good at attacking the bucket. She has good vision, and she gives us that energy. Right now, everyone else has to catch up to speed. One of our battles has been getting consistent play in the post, but that will come.”

He envisions starting Roy and Imai in the post (alongside Sato, Furtado and Helsham), but expects to call on several players to help compensate for the loss of Smith, who will be playing for UNLV next season.

“Kamie is with us now, and she’ll give us scoring,” he said of Imai, who plays for Waiakea during the school year. “She’s a slasher type, a 5-10 kid who has a good medium-range game and a good jump shot off of the dribble. We’re hoping that Kyllie and Kamie, Bridget and Mikela will be able to handle those responsibilities.”

Hawaii Select, which leaves for Las Vegas Sunday, opens tournament play at 9:20 a.m. (Hawaii time) Tuesday versus Northwest Elite of Oregon. On Wednesday, Furtado and Co. meet WVBA Select-White (OR) with a matchup set for Thursday against Las Vegas Blue Chips.

Hawaii Select’s opponents for Friday and Saturday will be determined by the results of their earlier games.