HondaReport.com - All-State stuff and now what?

Aah. Nothing like the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee, the feel of a wooden floor, and the mild chill of air conditioning. Can I please share some thoughts about prep sports with you?

No, life hasn't been so horrible, not by a long shot. It's just that, now, with our All-State selections done with — softball, boys soccer, girls soccer and boys basketball — I'm now in post-obsessive state. That's a fake term I've created for the aftermath of continuous focus on one (or more) projects.

Kinda like still being wired on caffeine, like 10 cups worth, a couple of days after you last had a sip. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the All-State process, more so if I am a big fan of that particular sport. In between, the coaches are usually helpful, sometimes incredibly helpful.

These are the men and women who sink their time, energy and heart into coaching kids. It's not about getting paid, unless you consider the equivalent of a buck an hour to be a big friggin deal. Nope.

When the focus is on the kids, then the coaches and schools, everything else falls into place. Then I can feel content about this wired feeling, all this energy and nowhere to put it. Sure, there are still the polls, the game stories, and even a feature now and then. (I'm finally back to writing a feature this week.)

So now, as the sun falls and gentle trade winds wisp through Honolulu, I sit here in a new coffee shop in a renovated old space, right in the neighborhood. The music is soft and delicate, occasionally jazzy, nothing we hear on FM stations here (not counting KTUH). The service is polite and quick. The hot chocolate is rich, a work of art in a glass cup that looks like the one I have at home.

A dozen or so people sit at small tables, mostly college students. No comfy leather couches. Bummer. But I'll survive.

About the game: The end of All-State work also means that I'm back to covering a lot of games, which is nice. I saw three overtime girls basketball games in the span of two nights. That was cool. It would be even cooler if coaches would let their players run and gun, but that ain't about to happen, especially in the ILH.

Control is first and foremost in that league, understandably so. Me? I'd let my kids run. We give up 70 points? Fine. We'll score 80. I'd be comfortable with that. Always was when I coached youth league and JV hoops. That wouldn't change.

Unfortunately, there are pressures in the ILH on all coaches, and a lead must be protected. A win must be preserved. I'm all for preservation and clock management. It's just the first 28 minutes of a game that would and should be far more enthralling, even enlightening, for all players, maybe even the fans.

There's a reason why scoring is down significantly today than it was in the 1970s and '80s. Some of it has to do with skill level and the priorities of kids. Some of it also has to do with coaching styles and philosophies.

But, I digress, and my battery is down to 81 percent, so I'll stop babbling. Here's a look at the stories that made the Star-Bulletin.

Headline: "No. 1 Raiders throttle Buffanblu"
I've already received one complaint about this headline. I cannot stress this point more clearly: I have nothing to do with headline writing, at least not in the Star-Bulletin. That task is handled by our layout and copy editors. I send in stories via wireless Internet (yes, capital "I" is AP Stylebook rule), and the rest is out of my hands.

I would not have written a headline like that. Not a chance. Not after Punahou pulled within five points of Iolani in the final minutes — a Herculean achievement after falling behind 15-0. I have too much respect for the game than to use the verb 'throttle' in any story. In fact, one of my pet peeves is seeing sportswriters use those type of verbs in any story unless it has to do with pro wrestling, grappling and/or a DC/Marvel Comic superhero.

We have enough to deal with as writers, as coaches, as parents and student-athletes every single day. We don't need to read that our team was "pulverized" or "mauled" in a game.

If you do see another headline that makes you scratch your head, just e-mail me at phonda@starbulletin.com and I'll be glad to hear you out.

Northern Colorado reportedly to play UH
I am so past this thing already. It's kind of like the ex-girlfriend who calls a year later trying to stir things up, get back together maybe, even though you had practically forgotten about that Jerry Springerish debacle. Except now, instead of frothing and fuming in complete white-hot anger, there is nothing. Not a single iota, not a drop of adrenaline. Just apathy.

As I wrote last month, the best thing we can all do at this point is just move on. Accept the truth about this fall's UH football schedule, and hope that UH administration moves forward at warp speed to secure GREAT schedules for the next five years. That's the only way the school's higher-ups will get back the trust of UH fans who have been kicked to the curb in recent years.

Corporate UH Athletics is taking a major hit, and for their own sake, it needs to reverse. Quick. More on that stuff another time.

It's just ironic that the boys hoops team from Radford had a similar stat in a nonconference game a year ago. Is there something going on at Radford that causes perfectly healthy, fine young basketball players to forget how to shoot free throws?

I can remember competing in free-throw contests in eighth grade, winning a couple of them. How does that happen? Easy. Practice. Good instruction, and then repetition to no end. And I liked it. Maybe I should challenge some of the free-throw challenged teams to a contest. I'll think a little more about this.

Year of the 'Dog
The release of the All-State boys basketball team was anti-climactic for me. One thing I like about the process is giving many, many coaches the opportunity to vote for their Top 15 players, top coaches, even an all-defensive team. (The latter will be in Wednesday's prep notebook in the Star-Bulletin.)

Of course, it's not a process without flaw. I would love to have added 10 or 12 more players who had not received a vote, and therefore did not make the Honorable Mention list. But there's something to be said for consistency, and I trust the coaches. If and when I ever pick the team alone, no input from coaches, then I'll also choose the honorable-mention players. Otherwise, to the good players who weren't mentioned, I'm sorry.

Kelly Grant was truly the Dog Whisperer this season. There are less than a handful of coaches who could have done the work he did this season. Being a true Kaimuki boy — he grew up a block away on Date Street — and possessing the technical and innate knowledge of the game (as learned from Tony Sellitto) is a tremendous combination.

I wasn't surprised when he was voted Coach of the Year, nor was I surprised by the selection of Keone Reyes as Player of the Year. Keone is a great kid with great potential, emphasis on "kid." He's young, and his potential as a leader is amazing. Was he an easy player to coach? Nobody from Kaimuki will really say it out loud, but it's not a shock to Bulldog fans that he has the charisma and magnetism to affect the team in many ways. Fortunately, he picked up the tempo and focus when Kaimuki needed him most.

He has a rare combination of traits. I hope he can step it up further as his college football career begins, and fulfill his potential.

Viena Lota's effort...
Don't ask me why this headline went on and on. I don't really care. They got the spelling right, bottom line, and the word "throttled" was not used.

Though Punahou lost its second game in four nights, I don't know how Buffanblu fans can be discouraged. This is a young team that showed amazing resolve in both losses. This is just the first round of three. I expect Punahou to mature, develop and find its identity by playoff time.

It was a neat treat to see Janelle Nomura blossom. She turned into a playmaker that the Buffs needed badly, scoring 25 points mostly by attacking the basket with complete aggression. It was nice to see, and I'd like to see more players statewide play with her passion.

There are only so many 29-26 games I can take, where players are afraid to shoot, coaches are afraid to run, and fans are yawning before halftime.