Oh yeah, don't pretend for a second that there's any point to the regular season when it comes to Oahu Interscholastic Association sports, at least in basketball. We teach (I once coached the game, from age group to JV level) that consistency matters. Respect matters. How you play and perform on the court and in the classroom on a day-in, day-out basis -- the foundation of commitment -- are supposed to count.

And yet, the OIA is the only league in the state that does not reward a regular-season champion with a state berth. The ILH, BIIF, MIL and KIF play a similar number of games as the OIA in the regular season and gives those first-place teams what's fair.

But what about teams that finish second, like Kahuku?

The rewards for Kahuku were these:

1. Their final regular-season home game against Kalaheo -- a team they lost to in Kalaheo's gym 50-48 early in the season -- was taken away. Instead of having senior night at home, the game was moved 25 miles to Mililani's gym. This was not the original schedule, of course. Kahuku had no choice but to go along with this. OC 16 executives give the command, the OIA bows down and the kids lose a home game against a key East rival.

2. The key quarterfinal playoff game for East 2 seed Kahuku was going to be on the road no matter what. However, the game was supposed to be on a neutral court -- West 1 Campbell's gym. However, OC 16 forced Kahuku to play the game at Mililani against West 3 Mililani. How weird is it that the "home" team, Kahuku is in their white uniforms while playing in Mililani's gym against the "visitors," Mililani.

How does a lower seed get the home court? It's all manuevering, politcking and bull crap. After seeing OC 16 manipulate the league all these years and seeing teams like Kahuku get the totally disrespected, I am OFFICIALLY SICK OF IT.

In the 2006-07 football season, OC 16 forced OIA East 2 seed Farrington out of home-field advantage. The Governors were forced to play AT West 3 Mililani. Again, nobody from OC 16 bothered to ask the kids how they felt about this, so Farrington coach Randall Okimoto told me that this was unfair to the kids, unfair to their fans, unfair to Farrington High School.

Go back a few more years and recall that the Kalaheo girls basketball team had to go on the road to play lower seed McKinley in the Tigers' gym. (McKinley won that game, but that's another chapter for later.)

As a coach, I'd be sick to my stomach about seeing all of my players' hard work get thrown under the bus just because a TV station has total control of my league. It boils down to cost factors since OC 16 has completely wired Mililani's gym. Of course, it doesn't help all other schools that OC 16 has a very direct tie to Mililani High School.

The director of OC 16 sports lives in the district and her children play sports there. Dave Vinton, who orchestrates the broadcasts, is a Trojan alum. Do they intentionally slant everything in favor of Mililani? I don't think so. But the close connection is absolutely undeniable, and the nobody seems willing to hold their feet to the fire.

When Kahuku questioned this whole process in the past, coach Nathan James was told to stop whining, complaining, etc. I wonder if the players would be told the same thing. Is there ANYBODY at OC 16 willing to tell the players, face to face, that their hard work and exemplary conduct would be stomped on in the name of TV?

Coach James has told me time and time again that the team would be fine with staying in their gym with no TV coverage rather than being forced to go on the road. All they wanted was fair treatment -- to play in a neutral gym as the OIA seeding dictates -- and they got the opposite last night. (I won't even go into detail about the cost of rental buses and the loss of valuable concession sales.)

It stings more, of course, because Mililani won last night's game, with a fourth-quarter rally. The Trojans have a fine team, always have had some talent, and last night was an indication that Coach Hiram Akina and his staff are doing things right in America's Best Suburb (circa 1987).

But you know what's funny? Not "ha ha" funny.

Hiram Akina is a born-and-raised Kahuku Red Raider, and his son Nehoa played there as a freshman before transferring to Mililani this school year.

Think about it: Mililani could finish sixth in the West, but still get home-court advantage through the playoffs. Kahuku could be the first seed and never play at home.

Something is completely wrong about that. I hate my theory about adults screwing almost everything up for kids. But it's true when I think of OC 16 brass and prep shenanigans.

Auwe.

My suggestion to OC 16? Ask the team that could lose home field, home court, neutral court a simple question: Are you willing to do this to be on TV? If they say yes, go for it. If they say no, then NO MEANS NO. Leave them alone and find another game to televise.

For all of the TV station's glorified past, some simple courtesy and respect would be the ultimate act of care. Courtesy and respect.

Those two words matter, at least to those of us who have played and coached. Wake up, OC 16. Talk to the coaches and kids face to face. Get the real feedback.

Let the kids get their reward. Their real reward.

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