The University of Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans coaches Kaniela Aiona and Steve Kinder were planning to catch an Uber on Friday from the Lihue Airport to the Bernice Hundley Gym.
“They were going to Uber,” said James Kealalio of the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “They, the UH-Hilo Vulcans, are hosting the free clinic. We’re the Department of Parks and Recreation, supporting them. I borrowed a truck and picked them up from the airport.”
Aiona and Kinder hosted a free, sold-out basketball clinic for more than 50 keiki, including one female, at the Bernice Hundley Gym on Thursday afternoon to conclude a six-island tour promoting not just basketball but Vulcan Athletics.
“This was a last-minute thing by Coach Aiona,” Coach Kinder said. “He literally thought about this in the last three weeks, and we had to pull this off.”
Kealalio said that because of the short time to organize everything, the Parks people put up an online registration that filled up pretty quickly.
“There would’ve been more kids,” Kealalio said. “But they’re only two coaches, and they can only do so much before you start losing quality.”
Starting on May 17, the pair of Vulcan basketball coaches began on the west side of the Big Island in Kealakekua before moving to central Maui in Kahului, south Molokai in Kaunakakai, central Lanai in Lanai City, Honolulu, and then Kapaa.
“We are excited to touch down and connect with the youth basketball community across the state,” said Vulcans head basketball coach Aiona. Basketball has been a tool for positive living here in the Islands for several generations, and it is our turn to pay it forward and do what we can to help grow the game. As it turns to summer, we think the timing is right to help them kick off summer with words of encouragement and habits to incorporate in their daily lives.”
Open to boys and girls in grades 5 through 8, the pair of coaches worked with the youth on stretching exercises, basic skills fundamentals, drills, and hands-on skills development, dousing them liberally with words and actions of encouragement.
Aiona is a native of Waimea (on the Big Island) and an alumna of Honokaa High School. He recently wrapped up his fifth season as head coach of the Vulcans Men’s Basketball program, making a fourth consecutive trip to the six-team Pacific West Conference Championships postseason tournament.
Aiona started coaching shortly after completing a four-year playing career at Webster University, where he was inducted into the school’s 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame class.
He brings more than 20 years of experience as a collegiate coach and also served as head coach of Menlo College from 2014 to 2020 before joining the University of Hawaii-Hilo.
Kinder joined the Vulcans coaching staff when Aiona returned to the Big Island in 2020.
The San Diego native spent nearly 30 years at Cal Poly Humboldt, first as a student-athlete, then as an assistant and head coach. As head coach, Kinder captured three conference championships and was inducted into the Lumberjacks Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.
