Hawaii Preparatory Academy looks no different than any team from its past success, despite the departure of key personnel, including point guard Jonah Hurney and assistant Dave Huntington, who’s ventured to the cold of Alaska.
KJ Walker and his freshman brother Tre Walker are sharing the point guard role and will replace Hurney, who is off playing baseball at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
Besides Hurney, his Ka Makani teammate Finn Richmond and Konawaena graduates Stevie Texeira, Vohn Yamaguchi, and Kolu Alani also signed with the Lakers.
Huntington is now a vice principal at a high school in Alaska. He also coaches basketball in a place where temperatures drop into the 30-degree range. He and Ka Makani coach Fred Wawner talk, share practice drills and relive the good times of last year’s BIIF Division II title.
At the Waiakea/Keaau tournament on Wednesday, HPA easily dispatched Waimea 66-42, capitalizing on 18 Menehune turnovers and running a layup drill.
Michael Hughes, who fired from the elbow and banked in close-range shots, finished with 16 points. And fellow junior forward Valentinas Ulinas added 12 points on post moves. Javan Perez had seven points, Umi Kealoha six points, and KJ Walker dropped in five points.
The roster runs 15 deep with a subset of players. The Walker brothers and Perez are steady ball-handlers. Ulinas, Oliver Kettner, and Matija Vitorovic provide length at 6 feet 5, 6-5, and 6-4. Hughes and Kealoha are mid-range shooters and tough rebounders.
For four years, Hurney gave HPA a dependable ball-handler, an asset critical late in games. If you don’t turn the ball over, the other team has no choice but to foul if trailing. Ka Makani went 5 of 8 from the line against Waimea.
It looks like HPA is in good hands for the foreseeable future with KJ Walker only a sophomore and Tre just a freshman.
“Tre is a tough kid. He’s earned his way onto the varsity. He’ll help us,” Wawner said. “KJ gives us confidence and a steady hand. He’s a heady basketball player. He’s got a big void to fill.”
Perez can knock down shots. Against the Menehune, he came out looking for his shot early and hit a turnaround jumper and another mid-range shot. Then he let the offense flow to others.
Hurney, KJ Walker, Perez, and Vitorovic were named to the All-BIIF Division II first team last season. Walker and Perez are mainstays, but the depth in the post has improved.
Ulinas is a nice addition, who put a baseline drop-step on Waimea and scored to display his solid footwork. Others who were relegated to the bench have stepped up, including Kettner, 6-1 senior Keawe Strance, and 6-2 guard Ry Bleckel.
“Javan is a guy we’re expecting big things from with his energy, and he brings a lot of good stuff. We’re asking more leadership from him as a third-year varsity guy,” Wawner said. “It’s Matija’s fourth year in the program. It’s time for him to be an aggressive offensive player and guard as a defensive player. We’ve got a group of competitive guys. It’s good to have competition.”
Still, Vitorovic may take a while to warm up, but he’s a three-level scorer. He can score under the basket, shoot from mid-range and hit the occasional 3-ball. He finished with five points, nailing a 3 and scoring inside in the second half.
Kettner doesn’t have that type of game. But his role is equally valuable as a grinder. He’s the guy who battles under the boards for rebounds, and he sets screens to create shots for others.
“Oliver has earned his minutes,” Wawner said. “He’s worked hard this year. We’ve got a lot of guys, and they’re comfortable sharing minutes. They all bring something different.”
HPA is a veteran team and has been to states six of the last seven years. That doesn’t happen by accident. Everything is already second nature.
“We’ve got a lot of 10th and 11th graders who have been in the varsity a long time,” Wawner said. “They know the culture and system. We’re not starting at ground zero. We’ve got a lot of veterans in the program.”
