KEAAU — The early returns are in, and Kamehameha’s girls basketball team spent its offseason wisely.
Considering their diverse group of senior athletes — Saydee Aganus is a track speedster and Taylor Sullivan a softball slugger — that can be an issue for the Warriors, but it’s never a concern for Jordyn Mantz, the self-proclaimed gym rat of the team.
Asked how she’s spent her time since Kamehameha lost in the state Division II basketball championship game for the second consecutive year, without hesitation she said, “I don’t have an offseason.
“I’m always playing, 12 months a year, every day, all the time. I only break for holidays.”
The 2018 state final, of course, isn’t scheduled for a holiday, but if it was, rest assured, Mantz would be playing.
In her eyes, the Warriors’ seniors need to make up for lost time.
“We have something to prove because we’ve been late,” she said. “We should have won since our freshmen year.”
While the 2016 state final loss to Hawaii Baptist was drip, drip, drip, drip — defeat by 1,000 cuts — the 2017 setback against Mid-Pacific was quick and painful. The Owls buried the Warriors early, and in each instance coach Weston Willard told his girls they didn’t play to their full potential when it mattered most.
Kamehameha can’t get those games back, but its preseason was nothing short of a confidence builder. The Warriors beat Mid-Pacific at an Oahu tournament and they defeated HBA at home.
Kamehameha opens the BIIF season Monday at Ka’u.
State titles aren’t won in December, but “the seniors came back as seniors and they are ready to compete,” Willard said.
“They made a commitment to each other come back this season and be better.”
It’s evident, he said, that Mantz has spent the past 10 months shooting because she’s now a complete offensive player after finally giving the Warriors the versatility they needed last season by wrestling the scoring lead away from Aganus, the two-time BIIF Player of the Year.
“We kind of tease her about that, because she’s always in the gym,” senior Makenzie Kalawaia said. “It pays off.”
Mantz was also the only true basketball player of the group until recently. Kalawaia has focused more on the hardwood and less on volleyball recently, and her commitment has helped he become more of a complete player as well.
“I was really surprised that (Makenzie) came in at such a high level,” Willard said. “She’s doing all the intangibles that you want out of that senior leader that allows all of the other players to do what they want to do.”
Willard compares Kalawaia’s role to that of the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green — minus all the negatives.
“She’s really the glue,” Willard said. “You need one of those players that everybody likes and works hard. She has a good skill-set and attitude. She takes a charge, and the whole team goes nuts.”
For all the battle-tested seniors and their individual improvements, the most important development might be that of 5-foot-1 sophomore Dominique Pacheco, who is ready to take over the point guard duties, pushing Aganus, 5-7, to the off-guard.
The 5-7 Mantz is the No. 1 scoring option on the wing, and Kalawaia (5-8) and Sullivan (5-8) are the team’s post players, with Sullivan guarding opposing team’s centers. Senior Camille Poe (5-7) is the primary player coming off the bench for depth-deprived Kamehameha, though Hera Salmeron returned to the team after a year away and hit six 3-pointers in a preseason win.
“Being able to move (Dominique) to the full-time one is great for us,” Willard said. “Frees Saydee up, and she’s been amazing.
“With Jordyn, Makenzie and (Dominique) now we can stretch the floor, and we don’t need Saydee to do that. Saydee can go at speed, use her athleticism and attack the basket. She is not fatigued by having to get the ball up the court, so when we get into our offense, she’s that much more explosive.”
Willard is certainly not looking past trips to Honokaa, which is back in Division II, and Kohala this season, but the Warriors are the huge favorite for a third consecutive BIIF title, and seeing that they’ve reached the state finals six of the past seven seasons — this group of seniors lost in the semifinals as freshman — anything less than another championship appearance would be a surprise.
Kamehameha also hasn’t been able to break through against the BIIF Division I elite, though this season the schedule-maker gets a high-five as far as the Warriors are concerned. They finish the regular season at home against Hilo and Konawaena.
“We’re not a program that preaches championships,” Willard said. “We’re an input program. We want to do things the right way so the outcomes take care of themselves.
“It’s not just a good group of basketball players, it’s a good group of women.”
A new woman in the fold is assistant coach Trixy Miller, a former point guard at Kamehameha-Kapalama. If the Warriors ever get tired of hearing from Willard, Miller is happy to preach: This is how we do it at Kamehameha.
The early returns are positive, 2017-18 beckons for the Warriors.
“Now we know we can beat (Mid-Pac and HBA), but we can’t take it for granted,” Kalawaia said. “We have to prove we deserve this championship.”