The high school basketball season is just a few weeks away. Before the Kauai Interscholastic Federation season gets underway, however, Kauai’s teams will host a series of preseason games on island next week. Kapaa High School’s basketball program will host
The high school basketball season is just a few weeks away.
Before the Kauai Interscholastic Federation season gets underway, however, Kauai’s teams will host a series of preseason games on island next week.
Kapaa High School’s basketball program will host its annual Kapaa Goodwill Tournament, which begins Dec. 3. Games will be hosted at Kapaa, Kauai and Waimea High Schools’ gyms.
“This, actually, would be our 10th year,” said Kapaa head coach John Kaneholani. “Before that, it was called the Kapaa Warrior Tournament. Last year, we switched it to be the Goodwill Tournament because we don’t have any awards for first, second or third place.”
Rather than a traditional elimination tournament, the Kapaa event is just a schedule of games in which the KIF teams get the chance to compete against schools from off-island.
“There’s no places in the Goodwill Tournament. All we do is play basketball, we have fun and we associate our teams together by having a good dinner (afterwards),” Kaneholani said. “That has been one of the suggestions by previous coaches, because they didn’t want to play their own teams. The Oahu teams didn’t want to play (other) Oahu teams.”
Kaneholani added Hawaii Baptist Academy, of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, was a late addition this year.
“Hawaii Baptist Academy, they’re one of the strongholds in the tournament. They’re the ones that come to all the tournaments that we have,” he said. “This year, they were going to go to the Big Island to play. But because of the dengue fever, they decided to return back to Kauai. Two weeks ago, the coach called me. Then I switched the schedule around just to accommodate HBA.”
Through these games, Kaneholani hopes all the KIF teams will be better prepared for when the regular season begins. The KIF girls season begins Dec. 15, and the boys season begins Dec. 23.
“It’s good camaraderie between all the Kauai teams. We talk about it together, (Kauai head coach Ipo Yoshioka) and I, how they can benefit from the tournament and how (Waimea head coach Chris Acoba) can benefit,” he said. “All of us are going to benefit. Every little bit helps. That’s the goodwill part — where we can help each other out and support each other.
“When it comes to competition, it’s competition. But when we sit down and talk story, we have a great time,” Kaneholani added.
Thursday, Dec. 3
Hana (MIL) vs. Waimea B – boys, 4 p.m. at Waimea
Kauai vs. Hawaii Baptist Academy (ILH) – boys, 5:30 p.m. at Kapaa
Hanalani (ILH) vs. Waimea – girls, 6 p.m. at Waimea
Kapaa vs. King Kekaulike (MIL) – boys, 7 p.m. at Kapaa
Hanalani vs. Waimea A – boys, 8 p.m. at Waimea
Friday, Dec. 4
Hana vs. Kauai B – boys, 3:30 p.m. at Kauai High
Waimea A vs. King Kekaulike – boys, 5:30 p.m. at Kapaa
Hanalani vs. Kauai – girls, 5:30 p.m. at Kauai High
Kapaa vs. Hawaii Baptist Academy – boys, 7 p.m. at Kapaa
Hanalani vs. Kauai A – boys, 7:30 p.m. at Kauai High
Saturday, Dec. 5
Kapaa B vs. Hana – boys, 9 a.m. at Kapaa
Kapaa vs. Hanalani – girls, 10 a.m. at Kapaa
Kapaa A vs. Hanalani – boys, 11 a.m. at Kapaa
Kauai vs. King Kekaulike – boys, 12 p.m. at Kapaa
Waimea vs. Hawaii Baptist Academy – boys, 1 p.m. at Kapaa
