It was a quick turnaround for the Kamehameha Schools – Hawai‘i girls basketball teams, but nothing they couldn’t handle.
With prominent varsity starters playing for KSH’s volleyball team in the state championship two weeks ago, the Warriors’ hoops squad had roughly a week to finish tryouts, get organized and head back to O‘ahu for an invitational tournament last weekend.
“(Tuesday, Nov. 21) and Monday were really the only two days I had both of my whole squads together,” second-year head coach Donald Yamada said. “We went into O‘ahu with one, maybe two days of practice with everyone who was flying there, and that was it.”
Especially when considering the circumstances, it was a success — as the Warriors went 2-1, beating Kalani High and Pearl City High before losing to Waimea High.
“The leadership was a big part of that,” Yamada said. “(Keanu) Huihui was a big part in that O‘ahu tournament.
“Kacie (Febo-Santiago), (Huihui) and Baeleigh (Lukzen) were all a big part of the leadership in that tournament.”
Huihui was the top scorer for the Warriors’ basketball team last season, averaging 25.1 points per game and winning BIIF Division II Player of the Year as well as a ScoringLive All-Hawaii DII First Team nod.
The UH-Hilo commit is setting her sights even higher this season.
“I want to be state player of the year,” Huihui said. “That’s been my goal for the past four years.”
Huihui and classmate Maela Honma both played volleyball this school year for KSH.
“I’ve known (Huihui) for a very long time,” Honma said. “She also played volleyball with me, which was amazing. Volleyball’s my first sport, and basketball’s her first sport — I think we kinda play the sports for each other.”
Last season, Honma was the KSH basketball team’s No. 2 scorer (16.1 ppg) — receiving nods on the All-BIIF DII and All-Hawaii DII First Teams.
This past volleyball season, she was the isle’s top hitter — notching a gargantuan 169 kills. Despite the marathon autumn of BIIF games, invitational tourneys and state playoffs — Honma is unperturbed and energetic heading into hoops season.
“I’m used to it,” Honma said. “I did it last year and the year before. It keeps me in shape and keeps me feeling young.”
Alongside Huihui and Honma on the starting lineup are Lukzen, a senior, and Febo-Santiago, a junior.
“(Lukzen) comes in with a good defensive stance for us,” Yamada said. “Even being maybe five feet tall, she comes in playing like she’s six feet playing on defense. She also comes in with a few buckets when we need it.”
“(Febo-Santiago) is basically the heart of our defense,” Yamada added. “She’s our hustler, go-getter. She has improved drastically from playing over the summer. She’s gaining confidence on offense. Last year we had a little set-back, she wasn’t too confident on offense — now she’s shown that she’s gotten out of her shell.”
The Warriors had an excellent season last year — going undefeated at 7-0 in regular season BIIF DII play and 9-2 overall in BIIF, suffering a 46-42 loss to Waiakea High and a 48-34 loss to DI state runner-up Konawaena High.
After routing Honoka‘a 61-31 in the BIIF DII title game, KSH got off to a good start at the state championship — crushing Sacred Hearts 56-32 in their opening game. However, the Warriors fell from the final four as Hanalani School rode an early lead to win 37-35. In the consolation bracket, KSH downed Hawaii Baptist 55-43 to claim third place.
“At first, we came out hot,” Huihui said. “We did really good, actually. In the (final four), our energy kind of went down. There were some bad calls, but you can’t really blame the refs — you can only look in the mirror, honestly. I do wish we played harder, I really wanted that win — but hopefully this year we can win it.”
It’s not just the players who have state title aspirations.
“I think we actually can win it this year,” Yamada said. “We have the pieces, and we have a better mentality than we did last year — meaning that I think they bought in. Last year was my first year as head coach, and I think I brought in a different mindest and a different way of coaching than the previous coach — which nothing was wrong about. I feel like the team is a little bit more settled into what I’m asking this year.”
Yamada also believes that, because of his team’s playing style, the Warriors will adapt well to the new rule changes — namely, the shot clock that is being introduced this season.
“They put the shot clock into play this year, which I love,” he said, “but it’s gonna change the mindset of all the coaches. I think it’s gonna play in our favor, because we’re gonna be more of a run-and-gun, shoot kind of team. I do not like to set up in half-court offenses. My goal is to get that shot up in 12 seconds.”
The Warriors played their first local game Wednesday, away against Kea‘au. KSH will open BIIF DII play 6 p.m. Tuesday at home against Christian Liberty Academy.
