Everyone is gone from the Kamehameha boys volleyball team that captured the BIIF title in 2019, the last year the state tournament was held.
Even the coach, Sam Thomas, has stepped down. Daryl Masanda, an assistant on the team, is the new interim coach.
His son, setter Davin Masanda, was a member of the 2019 Warriors along with Kamau Makaike, Chase Bridges-Hunter, brothers Blake and Blane Baclig, Chyston Loa and Kamahao Kawelu.
Makaike, an outside hitter, and Kawelu, a libero, were named to the All-BIIF first team while Bridges-Hunter, Masanda, the Baclig brothers and Loa received honorable mention.
Kamehameha opens defense of its BIIF Division I championship against Waiakea at 6 p.m. Friday.
“I told Sam as long as you’re here, I’ll stay,” Masanda said. “Everything happened super fast. By the end of January, I got the job, and the athletic department has been so busy.”
Masanda acknowledges it’s been a rush from the start.
“We picked the team last Friday and have had three practices,” he said. “We’re still missing some kids who are in band and in academics. It’s been fun but very busy. I can’t believe how fast two hours can go in the gym.”
Kamehameha’s culture has always been heavy on ball-control, started when Guy Enriques was the coach. He’s since become the girls coach. The Warriors produced four college liberos in the Enriques brothers: Evan (Stanford), Emmett (Cal State Northridge), Addison (Concordia), and Avery (Grand Canyon/UH-Manoa).
But the Warriors have a few with limited experience including junior setter/libero Micah Mahuna, whose sister is Makenna, a 2018 graduate and setter at Pacific University, senior middle blocker/opposite Khayden Kahihikolo, junior hitter Micah Wana and senior hitter Kaimi Kealoha.
“They learned from the older players and are carrying that to the younger guys,” Masanda said. “It goes back to the culture from Sam and Guy. They’re able to carry that on.
“It’s a new system, and they’ve bought into it on day one. I like our effort and attitude.”
Masanda also got a free gift when 6-foot-4 Christian Saiki decided to try out for the team. Saiki was on the basketball team.
“I wish I had known him the last three years,” Masanda said. “He’s very raw, but you can’t teach someone to be 6-4. He’s an empty cup, learning every day. But you can’t teach experience, and that sums up the whole team.”
Masanda remembered Bridges-Hunter when he spoke of Saiki. Bridges-Hunter was a hoopster until he met volleyball and fell in love. He’s at the University of Windsor, a Division I school in Canada.
“He’s learning a lot and biding his time. He came over from basketball and never went back,” Masanda said of the 6-5 opposite.
The Warriors played a very short schedule during the private school and club team league during last year. Several Warriors stood out, including Mahuna.
“He’s very versatile, a quick learner and loves to attack,” Masanda said. He broke through the lineup last year as a libero. He could set or play libero. He grew up around the game. He’s helping people understand the system.
“Kaimi is pushing 6-3. He’s played club volleyball as long as I can remember. This can be his year to shine. Hopefully, he’ll be our big gun. Khayden is a great athlete. He’s got the biggest jump on the team. He’s very hungry. He’s the silent type but never stops playing or hustling. It’s from the past culture that has been set.”
Asked who’s going to pass the ball in serve-receive, something that has been Kamehameha’s bread-and-butter forever, Masanda had a practical answer.
“We’ll find out,” he said. “Volleyball is based on serving and passing. With any of our teams, they’ve spent a lot of time with ball-control. We’ve worked at it. It’s part of everything and has to jell. But like any new team, there needs to be more communication. That’s the key. We’re getting better and better every day, so we’ll see where we go with it.”
