LIHU‘E — Kapa‘a High School senior Olivia Malafu, of the state Division II third place team, will be participating in the 30th Mufi Hannemann Basketball Jamboree that will be held at the ‘Iolani School gyms starting on Monday.
LIHU‘E — Kapa‘a High School senior Olivia Malafu, of the state Division II third place team, will be participating in the 30th Mufi Hannemann Basketball Jamboree that will be held at the ‘Iolani School gyms starting on Monday.
Malafu, the sole Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation All-Star from the state girls basketball tournament, will be joining the entire Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association all-tournament team as part 84 athletes representing girls basketball teams from across the state.
The participating athletes will be divided into six squads, each coached by a female high school coach. A new feature of this year’s Jamboree will be a 3-point shooting contest that will spotlight two players from each of the six teams.
“These young women represent the best basketball from across our islands,” Hannemann said.
“Starting in 1994, the Jamboree has been an exceptional showcase for girls basketball in Hawai‘i for three decades — a testament to the popularity of the sport, and to the influence of gender equity in expanding opportunities for our young women. What started as a small step forward has, in the years since, featured just about every All-Star high school female player in Hawai‘i at one time or another.”
There is no admission to view the full day’s slate of games. Donations are welcome.
“Besides promoting women’s sports, the Jamboree will give us an opportunity to identify players for Team Aloha,” Hannemann said.
“To date, we’ve fielded teams more than 15 years that have competed very successfully in NCAA-sanctioned spring tournaments in California and Arizona where the girls have been able to showcase their talents to college coaches and scouts. This exposure has been invaluable as it’s enabled our talented players to compete against seasoned club teams from the western United States where we have won championships or placed second in many of these events.”
This year, in deference to the hardships created by the Maui wildfires, all players from the Valley Isle will be flown to Honolulu compliments of Southwest Airlines.
