Pili Chung was in San Diego, Calif., for the Nomad Coaches Showcase hosted by the National Soccer Academy. But her mind was in Kalaheo, Monday. Chung, a member of the Kamikaze White, a county 11 and Under girls basketball team,
Pili Chung was in San Diego, Calif., for the Nomad Coaches Showcase hosted by the National Soccer Academy.
But her mind was in Kalaheo, Monday.
Chung, a member of the Kamikaze White, a county 11 and Under girls basketball team, was savoring her accomplishment in California, but was wishing she was on the floor of the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center where her team was matching up against the Gee’s Angels.
Stephen Chung, Pili’s dad, said, “She really wanted to play basketball, but she had this tournament and her basketball coach, Kevin Hanano, gave his blessing so she could play in the tournament.”
Pili was one of four players selected to play in the tournament from Hawai‘i. She was the only one from Kaua‘i to be selected, Stephen said.
But her Hawai‘i teammates, Hoku Afong, Kayla Braunthal and Kameryn Jury are no stranger to the sixth grade student from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School.
“They all play for the same Ka‘oi Soccer Club team on O‘ahu,” Stephen said. Additionally, the four Hawai‘i girls were not alone as Rod Braunthal, the Ka‘oi’s Under 11 coach, accompanied the group to the tournament where he served as one of the tournament staff.
During the tournament which featured teams in the Girls Under 11 through Girls Under 15, Stephen said the team Pili played for included girls from California, Colorado, Nevada and Hawai‘i.
In the tournament, they won their first game 1-0, the second 4-0 and tied game three 1-1. They played that same last team in the finals and won out 1-0.
Pili’s mom was at the Monday night basketball game in Kalaheo when she got the call that her daughter’s team had earned the championship.
“Pili’s been playing since she was in the first grade,” the excited mom said. “Now, the coaches are trying to see if she can play in Europe since they said the team is so good, they can beat the boys team, a feat which is really big in Europe.”
Pili currently balances her time between basketball and soccer, playing for two Kaua‘i teams and traveling to O‘ahu where she is part of the Under 11 Ka‘oi team.
On Kaua‘i, Pili takes the field under the Kaua‘i Soccer Association league, playing in the Under 13 team of GIFC coached by Kevin Devitt and Karl Ubongen, and also for the Under 11 Hawaiian Heat coached by Dennis Chan.
“The combination of basketball and soccer compliment each other,” Stephen said. “What Pili learns in basketball, she carries over to the soccer field, and what she learns on the soccer field, she brings to the court. It’s a good combination.”
Other members of the U11 Nomads championship team include Mikayla Emery (CA), Anna Gregg (CA), Natasha Jordan (CO), Andrea Martinez (CA), Jessica Raybe (CA), Megan Rescigno (NV), Casey Rowzee (CA), Makenzie Vasquez (NV), and Marissa Wolford (CA).
Returning home with her gold medal, Pili will be back in action Saturday when KSA hosts its regular season games, and on Monday, she’ll be dressed as a Kamikaze White during the playoffs for the county’s 11 and Under girls basketball league.
