KAPA‘A — “How’s your shot?” Allan Silva queried the group of junior hoopsters gathered at the Bernice Hundley Gym Monday afternoon. If the answer to that question was not “Great!” and you were an aspiring basketball player, the Kapa‘a High
KAPA‘A — “How’s your shot?” Allan Silva queried the group of junior hoopsters gathered at the Bernice Hundley Gym Monday afternoon.
If the answer to that question was not “Great!” and you were an aspiring basketball player, the Kapa‘a High School gym was where you needed to be as Kaua‘i youngsters got to enjoy a side benefit of the Adult Friends for Youth’s 13th Annual Student Transition Convention.
Silva, one of the participants in the convention, is a resource teacher in the Department of Education’s Student Support Service, and drawing from his background as a basketball player for Chaminade under coach Merv Lopes, took time out to work with hoopsters at Kapa‘a.
“The way you think is the way you feel, and the way you feel becomes the way you act,” Silva told the group of girls who came from the KYBA’s 16 and 19 and Under girls program. Joining the group were also a second grader and a fourth grader who happened to be in the gym during the workout.
With ‘great’ ingrained in their minds, the girls set out to learn the ABC’s of shooting in the same manner Silva teaches his shooting clinics on O‘ahu — using the one step method, and the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
“The ring (hoop) is very large,” Silva explained. “You can fit three basketballs in it at the same time.”
Building from there, Silva works his magic allowing the shooters a chance to utilize the ABC’s (Aim, Balance, and Cylinder) starting one step away from the hoop and gradually working backwards, the fourth grader launching baskets from the half-court line.
Silva said that this is the same system he used to coach Iolani’s basketball standout Derrick Low who was named as one of the 12 Nissan Hawai‘i High School Hall of Honor inductees for his prowess in basketball
Also from Iolani, Silva said he coached Hennessy Okamura to the point where she is shooting from 3-pointland, a distance Silva had players admitting, “It’s not that far.”
Silva’s treat to Kaua‘i will return again, he promised. This time, as part of the Transition convention, and a DARE program, Silva was able to squeeze in an afternoon, but promised more advance notice the next time.
Silva’s trip to Kapa‘a was made possible through the efforts of the state DOE, the Radisson Kaua‘i Beach Resort, Cold Stone Creamery who showed up with free ice cream for the participants, and the DARE program.
