Strong state contenders for the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association boys basketball program will tip off starting Thursday at the Kapa‘a High School gym as the Warriors host its Kapa‘a Warriors Basketball Tournament, Thursday through Saturday. Kapa‘a will be in
Strong state contenders for the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association boys basketball program will tip off starting Thursday at the Kapa‘a High School gym as the Warriors host its Kapa‘a Warriors Basketball Tournament, Thursday through Saturday.
Kapa‘a will be in action against some tough Outer Island competitors, including McKinley High School, last year’s tournament winner and the 2011 HHSAA Division II fifth place team.
“The Tigers, coached by Bob Morikuni, has won the Kapa‘a Warrior Tournament Championship for the past two years, including a buzzer-beater shot over Maui last year,” said Philip Baclayon, coach of the Kapa‘a Warriors.
Joining the field, Lahainaluna, a Division I team from the Maui Interscholastic League will be joined by the University High of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and the Moloka‘i Farmers, coached by Lester Delos Reyes and Rich Schonely.
“The Farmers of Moloka‘i will be a strong addition to our tournament,” Baclayon said. “They are a newcomer to the tournament, but not to the game of basketball.”
Delos Reyes is in his second year as head coach of the Farmers following his position as an assistant coach for six years, finishing the MIL, Division II as Coach of the Year in 2010.
During that time, Moloka‘i finished runner-up to Seabury Hall in 2010, the opportunity to advance to the HHSAA state DII championships just slipping away.
“The Moloka‘i Farmers have a solid history of good play in the MIL and have made appearances at the state tournaments,” Delos Reyes said in an email. “This year’s Farmers should contend for the MIL Division II title and have a goal to represent well at the state tournament.”
Baclayon said this is University High’s first visit to Kaua‘i, and like McKinley, has made several appearances at the state tournament including a 1-1 meeting with Kapa‘a over the past two years.
“University High School is an icon in state tournaments, having won the Division I tournament three times — in 1978, 1987 and 1988,” Baclayon said.
John Dudley coaches the Lahainaluna, MIL, Division 1 team, a winner of the state Division A tournament in 1982.
Dudley is starting his third year at the helm of Lahainaluna, spending three years at Seabury Hall before getting on board at Lahainaluna.
Lahainaluna captures the past two MIL league titles, dropping in the quarterfinals to Kahuku the past two years at the state tournament.
“We do not know what we really have,” Dudley said in an email. “We will be big and physical, but will find out at Kapa‘a what we can really do.”
Baclayon said the Kapa‘a Warriors are in a similar situation, the official Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation start date for tryouts taking place on Nov. 21 and the Green-and-White game on the floor, Monday.
“This is a rich collection of quality teams to Kaua‘i,” Baclayon said. “This will be the strongest field of teams to the 2011 Kapa‘a Warrior Tournament.”
He said sponsors are needed to help continue this tradition of bringing quality teams to the island.
Starting with a four-team tournament in 2006, the tourney developed into an eight-team presentation in 2008 with some of the best talent in the state.
Eventually, Baclayon said he wants to bring in a team from the Mainland, or Canada and already has a commitment from Pearl City to participate in next year’s tournament.
“Coach Phil and his staff do a great job running the tournament and the parents and people of Kapa‘a do an awesome job caring for our team,” Morikuni said. “We just love and look forward to coming to Kaua‘i every year.”
People interested in helping sponsor the tournament can call Baclayon at 652-0481.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
