It’s a slam dunk for the girls. It took all of one second to figure out who the No. 1 BIIF girls basketball player since 2000 is.
By a landslide, by a mile, head and shoulders above everyone else, it was an easy call to pick Lia Galdeira, the Konawaena 2012 graduate, as the best, greatest, most dominant (pick an adjective) player to highlight the Top 10 list.
Galdeira was on the Wildcats squad that that started a 10-year unbeaten BIIF run, won three HHSAA Division I titles, and was the first BIIF player to be selected in the WNBA draft. She was the 19th pick by the Washington Mystics in 2016.
“She could do things most girls can’t do. She had basketball skills and was just tough,” former Honokaa and UH-Hilo coach Daphne Honma said. “Playing against all her brothers made her tough and competitive. She had the skills to go with her athleticism. That’s what put her head and shoulders above everybody else.”
Before you get ready to fire off an angry email to Trib sports editor Matt Gerhart, consider a few things: This writer is not related to any of the Wildcats or even coach Bobbie Awa, and players who have not completed college are not eligible.
So all the Waiakea diehards wondering where’s Kelsie Imai, she’s No. 11, like fellow Waiakea graduate Kiai Apele. They have a chance to move up after their college careers when the list gets revised in a decade.
2.) The second pick was another easy call. Konawaena’s Chanelle Molina was the most accomplished athlete in league history.
She was a three-time player of the year, won two state titles and four BIIF crowns. For her other sport, Molina was a two-time player of the year, won two state championships, and two BIIF crowns.
As a freshman, she revealed what fuels her fire.
“I hate losing more than I enjoy winning,” Molina said after a volleyball game, her second sport.
There are some things coaches can’t teach, and Molina was a Rhodes scholar in the competitive department.
“She’s a smart player and knows her strengths and weaknesses,” Honma said. “She played to her strengths. She used her teammates well.”
3.) Another easy call. Keisha Kanekoa is Miss Basketball in Honokaa and blessed the Big Island with four years of hoops for the Rainbow Wahine.
It was a relief for Honokaa fans to watch her in the comfort of home rather than struggle to find parking at the crowded Honokaa Armory.
Kanekoa left her mark in the UH record books: eighth in scoring, third in assists, fourth in minutes, seventh in games played and eighth in free-throw percentage.
Translated to elementary terms, she could score, set up others to score, and reliable to play and get you easy points.
“She was determined,” Honma said. “She hated to lose more than anything. Every loss weighed on her. Her goal was to get a free education, and that was part of her drive. She sacrificed her time to working out inside.”
4.) Nancy Hoist was the original Wildcat who started the greatest girls basketball dynasty, leading Konawaena to the state title in 2004 after losing in the quarterfinal the two previous years.
She was the first BIIF player to be a three-time POY winner. If there’s ever a Mount Rushmore of Wildcats, Hoist will be one of the four faces.
“We took her to the mainland for the first time in the eighth grade,” Honma said. “She was not used to playing physical. She got run over and started crying. I told her, ‘There’s no crying in basketball.’ She catches on super quick.”
If a picture is worth a thousand words, there’s one in the Ellison Onizuka trophy case after Konawaena’s first state championship in 2004.
It features Hoist, who is crying. But it’s tears of joy.
5.) and 6.) Jazzmin Awa-Williams and Mana Hopkins were the Wildcat title-producing twins for two programs.
They helped Konawaena win a state title, and sparked Hawaii Pacific to its first PacWest championship in 2010, setting the foundation for the Sharks.
They were the leaders on the second wave of Wildcats, taking the baton from Hoist and passing it to the third generation, Galdeira and Dawnyelle Awa, who left it for Molina and Co.
7.) Hina Kimitete was often seen as the third wheel on Konawaena’s original title team. However, there was no mistaking her role. She’s arguably the quickest catch-and-shoot gunner in the history of the BIIF.
Like Awa-Williams and Hopkins, Kimitete was partnered with Jessica Hanato and they played together at UH-Hilo.
In their senior seasons, Hanato retired because of bad knees, and Kimitete went from the role of Robin to Batman.
“There’s been more growth on my part. I’ve grown into my own person. When I went to college in California, nobody knew who I was. I had to figure out who I was and what I wanted to be,” she said. “I’m a lot more vocal now, mentally stronger. That comes with age, maturity, and experience. Now, if I don’t agree with something I’ll say something where before I wouldn’t say much. I don’t follow the crowd like before. I’ve been ‘Robin’ and I was fine with that.”
Well, she grew enough and played well enough to land in the Top 10.
8.) Another unsung star and lost in the shadows was Saundra Cariaga, who led Kealakehe to its first and only state appearance in 2003.
She played during the golden age with Hoist, Hanato, Kimitete, and Kanekoa, all college players.
In fact, during her senior season at UH-Manoa, Cariaga’s teammates included Kanekoa and Leilani Galdones, a 2006 Kamehameha graduate.
“She was just a great athlete,” Honma said “She stuck it out at Kealakehe and helped turn that program around. She helped that team get better. She was the driving force.
“I remember in seventh grade, and I had her in P.E. and she ran the mile and outran all the boys. She had a great personality. She was cool on the court and the glue for Kealakehe.”
9.) Alexis Pana was a well-skilled guard for Hilo, but unfortunately for her, she played during the era of Chanelle Molina.
She led the Vikings to four BIIF runner-up finishes and enjoyed another four years at Central Washington, where she played with her older sister Aliyah.
In her senior year at Central Washington, Pana led the conference in assists and was a first-team all-conference pick.
Even better, she was on the GNAC all-academic team.
10.) Taylor Wang was the dominant force for HPA’s hoops and volleyball teams and played at Lewis & Clark.
She was named to the All-Northwest Conference first team as a senior and was second in points and led the team in rebounds.
Her HPA volleyball team went to states for four years and so did the basketball team, which won the BIIF title in 2007.
Top 10
1. Lia Galdeira, Konawaena, 2012
2. Chanelle Molina, Konawaena, 2016
3. Keisha Kanekoa, Honokaa, 2007
4. Nancy Hoist, Konawaena, 2004
5. Jazzmin Awa-Williams, Konawaena, 2007
6. Mana Hopkins, Konawaena, 2008
7. Hina Kimitete, Konawaena, 2005
8. Saundra Cariaga, Kealakehe, 2004
9. Alexis Pana, Hilo, 2016
10. Taylor Wang, HPA, 2010