If all goes according to plan for Honokaa’s boys basketball team, it will lace up its shoes 34 to 35 times this season before all is said and done.
That long and winding road would include two games at the BIIF championships, the Dragons were Division II runner-up last season, and three more at the state tournament, where they are coming off a fourth-place finish.
The first step on that journey comes Friday and Saturday at the Honokaa Boys Basketball Turkey Classic, and like all the steps that are to follow, the fun-and-run Dragons don’t intend to tread lightly.
“We want to see them scratching and fighting,” coach Jayme Carvalho said. “I’m looking for hustle and who wants to put in the hard work.
“We want to get them exposed and keep them on their toes.”
In some respects, Carvalho, a Honokaa boy through and through and a 1993 graduate of the high school, has been preparing for this season for more than half his life. He crossed a few items off his to-do last season in his third season at the helm as the Dragons secured their first winning season since 2008 and ended a nine-year state appearance drought.
One of the most intriguing games Friday at Honokaa Parks and Recreation Gym is the nightcap between Honokaa and St Joseph.
Carvalho is 11-1 against St. Joseph but it’s the “1” that leaves a mark.
The Dragons, led by senior Jonathan Charbonneau, were leading the Cardinals comfortably in the 2016 BIIF final and had their sights on their first title since 2001 when the walls caved in, Honokaa missed its free throws and, just like that, St. Joe stormed back from an 18-point deficit.
But enough about last season. The Dragons, after all, have a busy schedule to get to.
“Moving forward we have higher expectations than last year, and we’re not afraid to talk about winning a championship,” Carvalho said. “Practices have been very intense because there is a lot of competition for playing time.”
He can afford to put Honokaa through a grinding schedule because of how many quality players he feels he can shuffle in and out of his lineup, estimating that he can go at least 11 deep.
“I like to think our third team could win the title,” Carvalho said.
The roster features three players who are listed at 6-foot-3 in brothers Kea and Koa Callihan, both seniors, and post player Kamuela Spencer‐Herring.
The depth starts at point guard, where Honokaa is at least four deep: senior Jerome Quines, juniors Gene Ansagay and Micah Lorenzo and even Koa Callihan, who got playing time at the position during the summer with Carvalho’s club team.
The coach can envision a tall-guard lineup pairing Callihan and 5-11 senior Kelvin Falk, the Dragons’ best shooter.
“Koa can be a big matchup problem, and you don’t see many guards his size here,” Carvalho said. “We moved a lot of guys around last year, but Kelvin started every one.”
The wing players include Kea Callihan and a pair of defense-first players, junior Sheltyn Carvalho and senior Kainalu Lau.
The Dragons’ uptempo style wasn’t always conducive to sound defense and low-scoring games last season, but Carvalho is quick to point out Honokaa eked out a 40-37 victory against Roosevelt in the state quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion University in the semifinals.
“It’s all about getting players to recover and get back down court,” Carvalho said. “If they don’t recover, I’m going to be like what the hell.”
Spencer‐Herring, a junior, offers a strong body inside, as does stretch four Bong Pancho, a senior who shoots well and can play inside or outside. In addition, Carvalho said 5-10 junior Ocean Guerpo-Beamer, the quarterback on the football team, can push his way inside as well.
“We can play at any pace, but we want to play our style,” Carvalho said. “We didn’t finish like we wanted last year, but I told the kids, let’s go out and do better.”
Sounds like a long-term plan.
Honokaa Boys Basketball Turkey Classic
At Honokaa Parks and Recreation Gym
Friday
JV: Laupahoehoe at Honokaa, 9 a.m.
V: Hilo at Honokaa, 10:30 a.m.
JV: Keaau vs. Hilo, noon
V: Keaau vs. Hilo, 1:30 p.m.
JV: Kamehameha vs. Kealakehe, 3 p.m.
JV: St. Joseph at Honokaa, 4:30 p.m.
V: Kamehameha vs. Kealakehe, 6 p.m.
V: St. Joseph at Honokaa, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
JV: Keaau at Honokaa, 9 a.m.
JV: St. Joseph vs. Hilo, 10:30 a.m.
V: Keaau at Honokaa, noon
V: St. Joseph vs. Hilo, 1:30 p.m.
JV: Kamehameha vs. Laupahoehoe, 3 p.m.
JV: Kealakehe at Honokaa, 4:30 p.m.
V: Kamehameha vs. St. Joseph, 6 p.m.
V: Kealakehe at Honokaa, 7:30 p.m.
