HondaReport.com - State hoops overview: Days 1 & 2

Some thoughts off the top of my head, the vision of which may seem downright spooky if you're a fan of Heroes.

Kalaheo 47, Honokaa 37. Enough has been said about the officiating in this game. None of it has been said by me since I wasn't there. I know Honokaa fans aren't happy. It is, as I wrote earlier, a possible byproduct of the ILH officials rift, a split that sent a large number of the league's top referees to the OIA in a dispute that hasn't ever been clearly documented nor resolved. Bottom line to this game is Honokaa's unusually low shooting percentage from the field: 24 percent for the game. Especially odd because McKinley is a shooter's gym. The walls are pretty close behind the backboards — nothing like the old "barns" at Ka‘u or Pahoa — but far better than some of the newer, more spacious gyms. Honokaa is a young team — most of their key players are underclassmen — that will be strong again, but it's not like the Dragons hadn't been to Oahu. In fact, they've been to the Jim Alegre Invitational every year, including this past December. Chalk it up to one of those tough shooting nights. Everyone has 'em.

Moanalua 73, Radford 71, OT. Menes rally from 10 down in the final minute of regulation. An instant classic, though finding any video footage will be tough since it wasn't televised. As Billy Hull told me after the game by cellphone, "This is the greatest high school basketball game I have ever seen!" Ballhandling issues and missed free throws plagued the hard-luck Rams down the stretch, which caused that old question to echo in my cranium.

Rykin starred at Kamehameha, which finished fourth in the tough ILH and didn't qualify for states. Had he played at Radford, his outstanding skills as a ballhandler, penetrator and 3-point shooter would have been HUGE for the Rams. He was, in every respect, the Missing Link.

It's easy, perhaps even cruel, of me to have this line of thinking and hindsight. But I'm not alone. After the quarterfinals last night at Radford, I walked up to Kai Enos, Rykin's dad. I asked him if he knew who the perfect addition to his team would have been.

"Rykin," he said. Kai didn't even pause, no hesitation. "I thought the same thing, too."

Of course, dad never asked Rykin, never even joked about the possibility of his son transferring to Radford. Nobody forsakes a Kamehameha diploma. I wonder, though, if the thought ever crossed his mind. I don't dare ask. Maybe.

Saint Louis 50, Campbell 30. You know, it is impossible not to root for Bobby Samson after he put his foot down and enforced disciplinary action. It's one thing to cut someone before the state tourney, but your leading scorer? Samson stuck to his principles as a teacher, coach and parent. He would never tolerate certain things in those roles, and he doesn't tolerate certain behavior in his role.

His decision to give Mike Makinano genuine tough love sets the tone for next season. Maybe Mike will return. It would be a waste if he stops playing, and it would speak well of his character if he returned to play for Samson.

Iolani 70, Baldwin 45. Close for 7 minutes. I thought this might end up in the 80s. Instead, Baldwin's young point guards struggled for the rest of the game against Iolani's traps. Worse yet, Baldwin's steadiest PG, Micah Shibano, sprained his ankle at practice the day before the game. He played only 14 minutes and was a non-factor.

No huge surprises, not even AOP beating Kauai. I thought, and still think, that Kauai should have been seeded, not Seabury Hall. It matters not, of course, now that Kauai has lost two games and Seabury was routed in its quarterfinal. But AOP is definitely talented enough to beat a bigger school like Kauai. Losing Tri Bourne to graduation will hurt, though. How often does a tiny school have a 6-5 leaper on campus?

Farrington over Pahoa 56-46, McKinley over St. Joe 63-48, Molokai over HBA in overtime 52-49. No surprise, no surprise, and Molokai had the size advantage.

Division I
Punahou 73, Moanalua 63. A tight game (3-point margin) after three quarters. Moanalua deserves a lot of credit for its comeback against Radford, and for hanging tough with No. 1 Punahou. Breakout game for Kameron Steinhoff (26 points, 13 boards).

Kalaheo 68, Kamehameha-Maui 39. KS-Maui may have been the best team in the MIL, but the lack of travel in the past two seasons is a factor. There's a reason why Honokaa, Kamehameha-Hawaii, Keaau, Baldwin are among the best Neighbor Island programs. They know that off-island tournaments are invaluable to their players and coaches. Hopefully, KS-Maui can keep its momentum going for many years to come. I wonder where they'll play in December.

Kaimuki 53, Saint Louis 51. Instant classic, no doubt. Both quarters at Radford were fantastic. Despite the low score, the tempo was up. Just so happens both teams made a lot of stellar defensive plays both in transition and halfcourt. Keone Reyes stepped up and handled the ball against Saint Louis' strong on-ball pressure after Daniel Colon fouled out.

Beau Albrechtson had 22 points and 8 boards, a recipient of many nice passes on the break from Brandon Madamba and Reyes. Madamba may be a bit wild at times, but there are few PGs as fast and unstoppable off the dribble.

Kaimuki coach Kelly Grant's triangle-and-two defense did the job. Scott Smith's touches were very limited, and though other Crusaders found open lanes to the basket, Saint Louis never got into a consistent rhythm offensively, and that's all Kaimuki needed.

It's annoying as heck that the D-II games are at other gyms, even in the semifinals. That's me, the fan, speaking. McKinley, Farrington, Aiea and Kohala advanced. Farrington's 58-56 win over University is not a shock. The Govs have played well and have some of the better athletes in D-II, while UHS hasn't had consistently tough competition in ILH D-II, and coach Walt Quitan was concerned about the inactivity (nearly two weeks without a game).

I'd love to see the Aiea-Kohala track meet ... but it'll be at Farrington, where I won't be. Anybody shooting video? This game could end up in the 90s. Ryan Bautista, Bill O'Rear insists, is a terrific PG. I guess I'll get to see Kohala on Friday, either in the D-II title game or the third-place game.

The art of heckling: As it was in the '90s when I worked on the Big Island, not much has changed about Honokaa fans. They are still, without any close comparison, the most effective hecklers in the state. More often than not, they will stay on top of their own team from the start.

Just a few blurbs from this morning's consolation game between Honokaa and Radford.

The first two came from moms. It doesn't matter if it's a title game or nonconference game. Honokaa fans, whether large or small, make their presence felt. They certainly don't hesitate to get on a ref once, twice, 20 times in a game.

Well, there were a lot more comments, but I'll leave them out. Let me just say, some of them were mean, and some of them were funny, and most of them were a combination of both.

Maybe all games should be an exercise in silent meditation. I'd rather have the heckling as long as it's got some humor and not too much viciousness.

And the games roll on: We're finally in Stan Sheriff Center. I'm not a spoiled, pampered journalist who needs to be catered to, but the HHSAA sure knows how to spoil a guy. I love keeping my own stats, but the HHSAA printed out boxscores at Radford on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here at SSC, Honokaa and Radford started at 10:45 a.m., so any hoops junkie who likes air-conditioning, cushioned seats and a marathon of games is going to be here today and tomorrow. I'm talking about people who don't have to work in the daytime, by the way.

Technically, this isn't work for me. My assignment is tonight, the semifinals. But as a prep beat sportswriter who wants thorough, comprehensive knowledge of these players and teams, being here at SCC is a must. I don't want any doubts when I fill out my All-State/Fab 15 ballot after the tourney. I like knowing that a little-seen, high-scoring player also plays superior defense from start to finish. Or that he doesn't. I like knowing that the little-known kid from a Neighbor Island team isn't a big scorer because he's dishing out great passes to his teammates all game long, and that he rarely turns the ball over. I like knowing that the big scorer on a team is actually selfish and forces up horrible shots to get his stats.

The stuff you don't see in print is what I want to see when I'm watching hours and hours of basketball. As a basketball fan, sportswriter and hoops junkie, it rarely gets better than this.

Paul,

I like your little blurb on heckling. I agree that heckling can be fun, as long as it is done in good taste...(hmmm, good taste heckling? Possible?)

There is one thing I don't agree with is when fans start calling a referee by first name. This happened at Radford during the St.Louis/Campbell game. That's just me...what's your take?

Posted by: Rudy Tulonghari at February 23, 2007 12:11 AM

I actually don't mind hearing fans call officials by their first name as long as the heckler begins his/her comment by introducing his/her first and last name.

Kind of like the forums on this site ;)

Posted by: hrc paul at March 1, 2007 2:19 PM