By Paul Honda
paul@hondareport.com
Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2007

Due to space limitations, the OIA Red West girls basketball preview in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin was shortened immensely.

Below, the team capsules in full length.

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In the West, there is a reason why smaller teams are bubbling with delight.

Leilehua, a squad that had one of the best 1-2 combos in Brittaney Stafford and Marquesha McVay, was decimated by McVay's departure.

"Thank God she left," Pearl City coach Mike Morton said of the promising 6-foot shotblocker. McVay returned to Georgia with her family on a military transfer.

The bad news for the rest of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West is that Radford is not only unblemished, but empowered more than ever.

The arrival of freshman Ta Nitra Byrd separates Radford from the rest of the West even more, creating a canyon where there once was just a gap.

Aiea has a shot at the West title, at least in the eyes of Eric Nakabayashi. "It's gotta be Radford and Aiea.

Aiea didn't lose much," the Nanakuli coach said, noting the West's leading scorer, Natasha Helsham.

Mililani coach Scott DeSilva calls Nanakuli a potential surprise team.

"Nanakuli is the sleeper in the West. Keola (Mahelona) is legit. She's good," he said of the post scorer. "During the summer time, some of his girls played on our team, and whenever we needed a basket, we gave her the ball."

Still, DeSilva considers Radford the clear favorite. "They've got 10, 11 girls where there's no dropoff in talent. He literally could play 10 girls every game," he said of Radford coach David Lane.

"With the returnees and experience they've got, they just reloaded," Leilehua coach Elroy Dumlao said, not forgetting Kapolei.

"If Kapolei gets that post game going, they should be pretty balanced," he added.

Here's a look at the Red West.

Aiea Na Alii

Coach: Mike Yen.

On paper: Capri Holiona and Natalie Helsham are the vanguards of Na Alii once again, providing an inside-outside punch. Jennifer Yuen and Nohe Fonoti could also add some scoring punch.

The skinny: Aiea should compete well in the West, where they have as much balance as most teams. A big team, Lahainaluna, outscored Na Alii last week 60-45, and West favorite Radford has similar size.

X factor: Yen is a master scout who will need to incorporate all his years of experience to vault this team to a possible top-two finish in the West. A first- or second-place finish means a first-round bye in the OIA playoffs.

Kapolei Hurricanes

Coach: Jessie Baugh.

On paper: The Hurricanes have five returnees: Keisha Miller, Ashley Dela Cruz, Regina Simanu, Tamara Satcher and Jasmine Gibson. Dela Cruz is their best perimeter shooter. Gibson is recovering from a knee injury sustained last year.

The skinny: Kapolei, 4-6 in nonconference play, is ahead defensively. Offensively, there have been bouts of impatience.

"We had a hard time against Punahou's press and Roosevelt's press," Baugh said. "We gave Punahou a pretty good run, but when they put on the press, we broke apart. We have to be patient on offense and move that ball around."

X factor: Tani Foki, a junior, can handle the ball and post up. "She can also shoot the long-range jumper," Baugh said. "She should ease things up on Ashley. Last year, everyone focused on Ashley."

Leilehua Mules

Coach: Elroy Dumlao.

On paper: Leilehua went 5-3 in nonconference play, including losses to highly-ranked Kamehameha and Konawaena.

More than ever, the Mules are looking to gallop up and down the floor. That's because center Marquesha McVay, an athletic 6-footer, wound up transferring back to Georgia with her family.

That leaves the burden squarely on the shoulders of fourth-year starter Brittaney Stafford, who has led the Mules in scoring since arriving on campus. Stafford was named to the First Hawaiian Bank Lady Na Menehune Peek Tournament on Saturday.

The skinny: Dumlao is relying Cassie Borromeo, younger sister of last year's starting point guard Char Borromeo, has moved up from the JV. A sophomore, Ashley Gonsalves, will play on the wing. So will Stafford.

"I'm gonna need Brittaney closer to the ball," said Dumlao, now in his fifth year as head coach.

Dumlao had this team on the rise when they had some height to go with Stafford's stalwart play on the post and perimeter. Leilehua has enough to make the playoffs, but the search for consistent second and third scorers continues.

X factor: As the Mules run, they'll also look for sophomore guard Alaina Johnson. She is the most gifted athlete on the team, but isn't polished yet. "We're gonna push the ball in transition so we don't have to always go into sets," Dumlao said.

Mililani Trojans

Coach: Scott DeSilva.

On paper: Mililani is relatively small and battled through nonconference (4-10) with a host of new players.

Joleen Realin and Chantel Tanuvasa are playing the post, though Realin is a natural guard. "I've had to move her to the 4 because our other posts have struggled," DeSilva said.

Ashley Anthony, a starting power forward, transferred back to the mainland with her family. DeSilva set the nonconference schedule before Anthony's family was reassigned by the military.

"We knew where our weaknesses are," the coach said. "Because we had a tough preseason schedule, girls who might not have been ready had to step in."

The skinny: The Trojans are getting plenty of shot opportunities, but poor accuracy and turnover problems have plagued them.
"We've gotta control the clock and set the tempo," DeSilva said.

X factor: Courtney Senas, a softball standout, is bringing her raw talent to the hardwood. "She's just a natural athlete. She goes for rebounds and being aggressive, and we can work with the rest of her ability," DeSilva said of the freshman. "She's easily coachable."

Nanakuli Golden Hawks

Coach: Eric Nakabayashi.

On paper: Nanakuli went 6-4 in nonconference play, including a win over West rival Mililani at the King Kekaulike tourney. Talented junior Sasha Montez spearheads the Golden Hawk offense.

Chazmyne Morgan, the OIA White soccer player of the year, leads the fastbreak and is a solid defensive player. "Her speed is a real asset for us," Nakabayashi said.

Keola Mahelona, Britney Wolf and Violet Mao rotate on the post. Mahelona and Wolf are juniors, and Mao is only a sophomore.

The skinny: Nanakuli is searching for consistency. "Sometimes we come in unfocused before a game and by the time we focus, we've dug ourselves a hole," Nakabayashi said, referring to a loss to East power Roosevelt. "Then we panic and try to catch up right away."

X factor: Nakabayashi hopes Lahela Sylva-Kanagusuku has a breakout year. "She does a lot of things that don't go in the stat book. We've gotta get her to relax and shoot well in game time," he said.

Pearl City Chargers

Coach: Michael Morton.

On paper: The Chargers have no returning starters, with the exception of point guard Desiree Luis, who started a couple of games. Luis and fellow returnee Kaiona Auyoung keep the team stable.

Ariel Komomua and Patricia Langi are vital contributors up from the JV.

The skinny: Jazmin Pahukoa-Malia is back after sitting out her junior year to focus on volleyball.

"She committed herself, came out to our conditioning program every day in December," Morton said. "She's trying to lead these girls."

Pahukoa-Malia was rusty after a two-year layoff, but came on strong at the Konawaena tournament. "She's going to get there. Her shot is back on line, and she's more experienced and mature. Her and Desiree have the most experience," said Morton, now in his sixth year as head coach.

Pearl City went 1-8 in nonconference play, but with players back from academic probation and mainland trips, Morton is optimistic.

X factor: Freshman Kalei Adams is starting. The 5-5 guard is being thrown into the fire, Morton said, to get her as much experience as possible. A head injury to Kasie Kumishima opened the door for Adams.

Radford Rams

Coach: David Lane.

On paper: The defending West champions are physically imposing and play with an unmatched aggression out West. Chelsea Villanueva and Marlena Malepeai have the strength to bang underneath against any center, but are among the top wings in the division.

Lane's team went 9-2 in nonconference play and should be even better than last year's squad.

The skinny: Byrd, a 6-foot freshman with size and finesse, could dominate the West. Her mother played college basketball and the effect is obvious. Byrd has excellent footwork in the paint, but also loves to push the ball upcourt in transition. Byrd, who also has a solid mid-range shot, has the potential to average a double-double.

X factor: Guards Brittni Fuller, Itali Lindsay and Bui Baravilala make Radford's engine go. If they play well, the Lady Rams could be a sleeper for the OIA crown.

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