Sunday funday

Good workout this afternoon at Makiki Park with Tanielu, Kyle and Chris. Lot of 3-point shooting, low post, high post and wing work. Mahalo to Coach Roy for providing so much transportation for the boys, and also for shooting game video yesterday. I still owe Brent and Tanielu some cash for shooting video, also. Thanks gentlemen.

Video: The Big Run (update)

Update 10:15 pm: Here's another version of the same video with some music. I cut the "Hana Hou!" section a little more and adjusted in some slow-motion for fun. Enjoy!


3:00 pm: Sorry this video (below) is so quiet. I tried loading it with some music, but YouTube rejected it three times. I finally removed the 28 seconds of music (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and it sailed through. Never had that problem with RHCP before. That's about 6-7 hours wasted. But it's just as good without music. What a run!

Thank you! Now head for the hills

That was fun. Coach Larry and I had to work in the afternoon, but I know he had as much fun as I did in our last two games at the OTB tournament. The first two games, from what Coach Moe and Coach Roy said, our boys played hard and were competitive against Kapolei and Mid-Pacific. Then we beat Open Court, a solid team with some talented players, before losing to OTB in the finale.

I enjoyed it. Those were our final games of the season, a blessing since OTB put it all together in just a few days. I'm thankful that they invited us and the cost was reasonable ($200). Thanks to those you who chipped in $10 each to help me with the cost.

It was surreal to hear Civil Defense sirens blowing after our game with Open Court. Those of us who live a long ways from Palolo gym in low-lying areas like Ewa and Hawaii Kai left immediately. The rest of us stayed and played and had more fun. As a group, our 17U is young: only one true senior today (Bryson). But as you guys showed in the Open Court game, you understand the importance of staying focused, loose and fast. Nailing those 3-point bombs in transition, hustling to trap and get steals, it's all Thunder Basketball. All heart!

Congratulations to Isaiah, named to the All-Tournament Team.

Now that everyone's home and with family, I hope everyone's made the move to higher ground. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY. That includes me. I live in Mo‘ili‘ili and it's so-so safe. If this tsunami is a biggie, the ocean could theoretically reach here, all the way to UH's baseball stadium. Eons ago, that area was actually ocean. There are fossils of sea creatures in this area. I remember that from fifth-grade science class.

Get your emergency supplies and go. Once this is over and things are back to normal — no tsunami, God willing — we'll meet for shooting drills, offensive drills, on-ball defensive drills and maybe scrimmage tomorrow (Sunday), 3:00 pm at Makiki Park. And pizza. Pizzaaaaa...

Monday, same thing, 4:30 pm. The rest of the week, I'll be working (state volleyball tournament, OIA football playoffs). But come down and keep working. It's only three weeks until the varsity and JV seasons begin. Now's the time to sharpen your tools.

Final note: Our younger guys feed off the leadership of our older guys. It's just natural. And our younger guys played well today, played hard and got a lot of plays made. Even when shots were missed, guys were hustling out there. Coach Tes (OTB) had no idea that our 12-year-olds (Tani and Kyle) and 11-year-old (Chris) were that young.

I hope we keep everything rolling at a high-quality level, high-intensity level and love this game the way it is meant to be loved. It is the one game that gives you back what put into it. It isn't about having money or the fanciest shoes. It's about what's inside your heart. I like what we have a lot.

Tourney Update

UPDATE: Wilson and Felix are riding with Brent (mom). Coach Roy is picking up Isaiah and Bryson (Mick too?), and also Tani and Chris. I haven't heard from Tani and Chris so I'm guessing they're riding with Coach Roy. 

I am dropping off the basketballs, cooler/cups, coach's drawing board, jerseys (two) at Palolo gym behind the scorer's table on the bleachers. I'm giving the entry fee check to Coach Tes (OTB). I'll be there until 1:15 at the latest, then I go to work. I'll be back around 6 pm. Coach Roy and Coach Moe are in charge. Have fun, Thunder!

Saturday, Oct. 27, Palolo gym
1:45 pm Warmups. Teach the new guys the plays (especially inbounds/BOX) and pressbreakers.
2:45 pm vs. Kapolei
4:15 pm vs. Mid-Pacific
6:30 pm vs. Open Court
8:00 pm vs. OTB

Need a video cameraman today at the tourney. Four games x $10 = $40. Any volunteers?

Saturday tournament (15-17 age group)

8:30 pm: HEADS UP! Just got word that OTB is inviting us to play in their one-day tournament on Saturday, 1:00-9:00 pm at Palolo Gym. Age group 15-17. At first, we were just going to play a single game (to fill in, free). But now we could play in their round-robin format, about 4 or 5 games (in one day), $150. Who's ready for some basketball? Teams so far are OTB, Open Court, Mid-Pac, maybe Lanakila and us. There's another team (forget already). I NEED A HEAD COUNT so we have enough guys to play a lot of games. Gonna need more than just seven or eight.

Update, 9:45 pm: It's official, we're in OTB's tournament. Here's our schedule:

2:45 pm vs. Kapolei
4:15 pm vs. Mid-Pacific
6:30 pm vs. Open Court
8:00 pm vs. OTB

Team fee is $200. He had to raise the price to add another game, he said. It's a fair price. If you do the math, the cost of a game for a team is $50 (expenses for rental of the gym, two referees). If you are playing, please bring $10 to help defray the cost. I don't want to go broke, but I don't mind paying half the cost. If 10 guys bring $10 each, that's $100.

Though Coach Tes (OTB) has a 15-17 age group rule, he said we can bring our younger players as long as they're up to snuff. In other words, they better be able to hang. I assured him that they are.

Again, I need a head count. Who's coming Saturday? 

I have to work until 5:30. Coach Larry's busy working all day. So, Coach Roy will be there (hopefully) and Coach Moe (Max's dad) is stepping up to coach you guys. This is working out pretty sweet. I LUB THIS GAME.

Thank God it's Monday!

Solid workout Monday. Chase, Kyle, Kekai, all working the basics. Low post drills. High post drills. Wing. On-ball defense, 1-on-1. It was a good hour of work. Then 2-on-2 for another hour. Nothing beats reps and basics, strong competition, no rest time. Proud of our Thunder!

Sunday fun day

We had a solid workout today (low post, high post, wing/on-ball defense, 1-on-1 drills, and 3-on-3. Chris, Tanielu, Sifo, Wilson and Kyle. Good work! And pizza at Beretania Pizza Hut.

Monday 4:30 pm - Let me know if you guys want to work out at Makiki Park. I'm busy the rest of the week with work. Lots of volleyball and football. Probably won't practice again until next Sunday.

200+

Nice day at Makiki Park. The court resurfacing is done. Expecting Coach Roy, Kyle, Chris and Tanielu shortly. Everybody welcome. Time to sharpen up for the next 25 or so days before tryouts!

Shooting practice Thursday

Drove past Makiki Park tonight and there were people shooting baskets in the dark. That means the court is no longer locked, probably playable now. WOOOOHOOOOOO!! Shooting practice tomorrow (Thur) 3:30 pm. See ya there. I LUB DIS GAME.

I'm working Friday and Saturday, but we can meet Sunday, 3 pm for more shooting. If we have enough guys, scrimmage, too. But if some of you guys want to meet earlier for pickup ball, we can go to McCully Gym (1:00-5:00).

Tourney in Hilo

Anyone interested?

By the date of this tournament — it's an annual tourney that a lot of Oahu teams travel to — our former 12U will have two guys too old to play in the 11-12 Boys Division. Kyle and Tanielu will be 13 by then. So, if we travel to this tourney, we have to decide whether we'll still play in 11-12 with Chris, Micah, Jared, Walter, Kodee (maybe?) and add more players ... or just play in the 13-14 Boys Division.

That's if they allow 12-year-olds to play in the 13-14. I have to ask about that.

So, what do you guys think? It would be a cool preamble to the CAL. (If we go, we need to fundraise ASAP.) League that starts in January. If we don't go, that's fine, too. But share your thoughts and let's talk it out.

I LUB THIS GAME!

 > > > HI-PAL basketball tourney Dec. 26 in Hilo

Police Activities League will hold its 28th annual Winter Basketball Classic Dec. 26-29 in Hilo.

The tournament will feature three boys age divisions (9-10, 11-12, 13-14) and three girls age divisions (10-and-under, 12-and-under, 14-and-under). The tournament does not have an entry fee, and the registration deadline is Dec. 12. To enter, call East Hawaii HI-PAL officer Joseph Botelho Jr. at 961-2220 or 896-9710, or Randy Morrris at 326-4646, ext. 258.

Thumbs Up!

Thumbs up to Tanielu, who raised his Science grade from failing to a B in the past week. Doing homework is what it's about! Chris has also raised his grades to B's across the board.

More academic achievement news as I receive them.

Video to refs association, NJB

This is the video I'm submitting to NJB All-Net and the referees association that oversees assignments for the league. Video has a power of its own. The only other time I've done something like this was when our 12U played in Aiea's tournament in May or June.

Tanielu got clotheslined and the referees refused to make a call. I turned in that video and later the head referee apologized to me. Didn't do our team or Tanielu much good, but it helps to have proof whenever any referee is obnoxious enough to claim he might be perfect. Nobody's perfect, and all we can hope for is that referees work together to get calls right, and treat coaches and players respectfully.

That didn't exactly happen when Tanielu got hurt. I got teed up by the head ref that day for questioning the non-call. And yesterday, when the ref called Isaiah for an offensive foul when there was no contact, especially in the final seconds with the score tied, was just incredibly immature on the ref's part.

Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda

First off, it was a great year for the Thunder.

I didn't know what to expect, starting in March, adding a 13U team, staying busy all the way through fall. There's not a thing I regret, even with the ups and downs. We learn as we go. Our 17U stayed busy and got better. Our 13U did so much and grew tremendously in just a few months together. Our 15U doesn't look quite the same during fall — football season — without Max and Haka. Felix, Yong and Wilson dropped off the face of the earth and didn't show up much in the late summer and fall, but what can we do? As coaches, we give everyone opportunities, and some guys step up, some guys fade.

All in all, though, we learned a lot. We had fundraisers. We played 119 games (I think) as a whole. We practiced almost every day, especially in the summer. And now, with one month until high school season starts, we've completed our last game. I'm still going to be at the park on certain days (when I'm not working) for you guys who want to work out and scrimmage. (The court at Makiki Park is still being resurfaced, so we'll have to practice at Cartwright or elsewhere.)

As for today's game, it was a good, gradual comeback against FSU. We overcame a lot of lethargic play early and rallied to take a 40-38 lead. Then we simply gave the game away. Turnovers. Unforced errors in our spread set in the final 2 minutes. The spread was one of our strengths back in 15U a year and two years ago. But with our current 17U, there's not a lot of experience and familiarity with the spread.

We dribbled too deep, got in trouble, turnover. Our corner guys didn't flash to the high post at all. Not helpful. But more than anything, we just didn't have consistent intensity and energy from the start, and that's how we fell behind by 12 points when we really should've been running past FSU, which had just five players.

We had a chance to win with the score tied and 8 seconds or so left. Then one of the officials called Isaiah for an offensive foul when there was absolutely no contact. Isaiah did a crossover dribble, the defender buckled and stepped backwards, and the official — Matt Ho (?) — blew his whistle. It was an incredibly bad call.

FSU got the ball back with 1.4 seconds left, and their best player hit a halfcourt shot with Isaiah right on him, to win the game.

I spent at least 30 minutes talking with the officials after the game. I had to make sure about a few things.

1. Matt Ho has been making horrendous calls against the Thunder since we first began three years ago in the KAC League. Things were so bad that season — he teched one of our guys twice in a game and kept picking on him the rest of that year — that he cost us three or four wins. I've reffed a lot in the past, and I always try to give these men and women a fair shake. But Matt has continued to rule borderline calls against us so often in the three years since, I have to finally realize that he has some kind of issue with us.

So I asked him point blank, 'Why do you call everything against us when it's a borderline call?' He denied it, even though I've got three years worth of game video that would easily prove him wrong. I asked him, face to face, to just be honest and tell me what we've done to deserve his bias against us. He refused to admit anything.

2. I showed the game video to both Matt and the other official, Gerald. I showed it to them twice, three times, four times, five times. They finally realized that Matt had screwed up so royally, they couldn't doubt me anymore. I asked Matt how he could call Isaiah for an offensive foul?

He said, "I saw the defensive guy fall backwards."

Did you see Isaiah's arm on the defensive player?

"No," he said.

So you didn't actually see a foul, but you blew the whistle and assumed there had been a foul. You were guessing.

"No, I wasn't guessing."

We went back and forth on this for minutes. He wasn't sure what had happened. It was a guess, and with all his guesses in Thunder games, he rules against the Thunder.

So what happens now? NJB All-Net's 17U director, Stephen Chong, said there's nothing he can do. That's no surprise. But he and Gerald (the other ref) recommended that I send my complaint to the 50th State Basketball Officials Association. So I'll do that, even though it's almost meaningless. Gerald said the association can make sure that Matt never refs another one of our games again. I don't think that's true, but I also believe now that I should've made this request three years ago.

I do believe in the power of video. When Tanielu got clotheslined in a tournament at Aiea in June, I sent the video to the tournament director, who sent it to the officials association. A few weeks later, the head ref apologized to me. The same guy who gave me a technical foul for asking why no foul had been called. After seeing the video, he and the ref who totally missed the call (a college ref, they told me) realized they had screwed up.

The thing is, some officials can be so immature that they refuse to listen to reason and facts. That's all I can offer as a coach, and rather than get wild and loud, I try to talk with them. It usually helps, but it doesn't necessarily change anything when a ref is stubborn and inflexible.

I asked Gerald why he didn't confer with Matt to make sure they had the call right. But Gerald refused to take responsibility. To him, he won't discuss any call with another ref. It's really chicken of him, to back off rather than do the right thing for kids playing basketball.

In the end, two adults took the game out of the hands of basketball players. Kids. And their stubbornness cost our kids a chance to finish a game properly. That's what pisses me off most about our last game of the year.

But, for now, it's out in the open. I said my piece to the refs. I have the video. I have three years of dealing with Matt Ho, the referee. And I'm going to deal with it in an open and transparent way. I'll go through their protocol. I'll edit the video and show it to the association and the league. I don't know yet if I'll post it publicly, but I'm leaning that way. There are a LOT of people who have warned me about Matt Ho, and if showing the video in public helps other teams and kids avoid having their games stolen from them, I'm for that.

I'm just sad that it had to be us. In a perfect world, we would've won despite the terrible officiating. We'd be playing one more game next week. But we had our chances, we hit some big shots and made a lot of hustle plays. We just didn't make enough of them today.

It was a great season. We're moving forward. We'll have, hopefully, some 13U scrimmages in the next month against ILH intermediate teams. By January, we'll start playing again (CAL middle school division). There will be a bunch of ILH intermediate teams in that league, I'm told, so the competition will be great.

By March, we'll be rolling with 17U, 15U and 13U. By July, we'll be playing in mainland tournaments, God willing, as well as summer leagues (varsity, JV, NJB, Aiea?, CAL). Another 119 games or so. That's a lot of fun to look forward to.

All in all, I'll always lub this game. You should, too.

Next up: Season Pau Hana party.

17U game is at Palama Gym

HEAD'S UP! Today's 17U game is at PALAMA GYM. Originally was at Kilauea. GO TO PALAMA GYM, game time 4 pm. Warmups 3 pm.

They changed the site a few days ago and e-mailed me, but I didn't check our team e-mail address until now.

Schedule update: 17U plays Sunday

Wednesday, 5:25 pm: Hung out at Makiki Park for awhile, left around 5:00. Nobody there. Sierra just called, but no practice for today already. If Coach Roy is available Thursday and Friday we'll meet at Cartwright Park. I stopped by there and there was nobody around 5. Sierra and her dad said they were starting to play some pickup fullcourt games just now (5:25). I want us to stay loose and sharp for the game on Sunday. Winner moves on. Loser is pau.

Wednesday, 3:55 pm: Just got the e-mail. 17U plays on Sunday, 4 pm, Kaimuki Park gym against FSU in a consolation bracket semifinal. If we win, we play in the consolation final on the following Sunday (Oct. 21), again at Kaimuki Park gym.

Warmups Sunday 3 pm at the outside court at Kaimuki Park. I LUB THIS GAME.

Wednesday, 10:36 am: No word yet from NJB All-Net on the 17U schedule. For now, we'll practice today (Wednesday). Today, meet at Makiki Park 4:30 pm, then we'll walk over to Cartwright Park or ... do conditioning on the volleyball court and grass field.

Thursday, I have to work (Kalani-Kaiser football game). Same on Friday. So, if Coach Roy can make it Thursday and Friday, we'll meet (without me) and work out. Site to be determined, probably Cartwright.

Stay tuned.

Video: 15U vs Kupaa

Game highlights

Video: 13U vs Makakilo

Game highlights

Video: 17U vs Owls, Game Winner

Final :15 


Game highlights

No practice Tuesday

Makiki Park court is being resurfaced. Finally. The tennis courts (extra large) took 3 weeks. Volleyball court (small) took 1 week. My guess, basketball courts take 2 weeks. They were working on the VB court on Sunday, which means they're in a rush. NO PRACTICE Tuesday. Wednesday practice is on, site to be determined.

Monday workout

Just back from the Leeward side. Heading to practice now. I'll be there by 5:00 after I get ice for the cooler. 200+ shots baby!

Good season, 13U!

Nice work today, Thunder 13U. Having Kodee and Ryan helped a lot. Guys were tired today, probably because of the weird, humid weather lately. But it was a good team win over Makakilo. Micah, Kyle, Tanielu, Chris and Walter worked hard on defense.

Our press got us a lot of opportunities, even though we missed a lot of easy layups. 13U season is over. A good season, third in CAL, and I still think — I know — we should've been playing for the championship if we could've had our full lineup. But the past two leagues for 13U have been almost all UPS and hardly any downs. We grew as a team, even when we were playing in the Aiea 14U tourney in June and our entire team was 12U. All of us should feel ... satisfied!

In the meantime, until CAL begins its league in January, I'm going to search for games with Intermediate and JV teams. ILH Intermediate teams start practicing next week, so they might be interested in playing a team like us (13U). When November arrives, there might be opportunities for our 15U to play against OIA JV teams. We'll see.

17U still active. NJB All-Net playoffs coming up. I LUB THIS GAME.

15U wins, 13U up next

Good work, Thunder 15U. A close win over Kupaa (on Saturday) for the third time this fall. They wanted us and we gave them another solid game. We have lots of room to improve, but we played hard, did good work on the press and halfcourt defense. Next up: 13U vs. Makakilo, Sunday, 2:30 pm. Need a video cameraman for that. Isaiah? Mick?

Today, Thunder 13U plays Makakilo. Game time is 2:30, so be there by 1:30 for warmups outside. 

Lineup is Tanielu, Chris, Kyle, Micah, Walter. Hopefully, Bill is not sick anymore. Hopefully, I can find Jerson at Sand Island where his family is camping over the weekend. 

Sierra has Kalakaua clinic and isn't playing on Sunday afternoons with us. Hopefully, Ryan and Kodee can make it. It's been another good 13U season. I know if we'd had a full lineup, we'd be playing for the championship. I believe we would've taken it because lack of depth (subs) is what cost us against the Tar Heels and Boom. As soon we have a solid, always-reliable group of at least eight players in 13U, we have a chance to do something special. 

For now, let's get to work against Makakilo. I LUB THIS GAME.

TEAM FIRST

Observations from the game video, 17U vs Da Rebelz: 

It's about TEAM. When the game is tied, time is running out and we're in a zone, that means staying home and being responsible. Not going to halfcourt in the final seconds with the score tied, chasing their PG and getting burned on the game-winning shot. TEAM means being smart and protecting a 13-point lead by taking high-percentage shots in the final 5 minutes, especially when there's no shot clock.

TEAM means you don't jack up miss after miss on low-percentage shots, especially if you're one of our key rebounders. TEAM means when we're winning by a few points and the other team drives to the basket, we stop him from scoring an easy layup. But Da Rebelz drove five, six times in a row right to the basket for easy baskets. Nobody stopped them. 

TEAM? What happened? Soft. Pushovers. Selfish. Sloppy. We played fairly well for 25 minutes, then gave the game away in the final 5 minutes of regulation, then overtime. 

TEAM. We play for a team. Not for ourselves. The sooner everyone gets that, the better we will close out games. 

8 is gr8

Should have enough for tonight's 17U game at Kilauea. Bryson, Chase, Cody, John, Kaelen, Kyle, Mike and Sierra. That's eight. Roosevelt boys have to work the concession stand (football game). Tanielu and Chris will be visiting their grandpa (hospital). Coach Roy in charge tonight. Have fun, Thunder!

Tomorrow, 17U plays the Owls at 11 am, Palama Gym.

Then 15U plays Kupaa, 3:20 pm at Kilauea Gym. We need all hands on deck! Felix, where are you? Yong? We kept 15U going through the fall for your benefit. Show up.

Schedule update: 17U play Friday

Got the call just now. The 17U game on Friday is on. So all the hubbub about a different date and site is history. Original schedule stands. I'll be working, as usual, on Friday night, so hopefully Coach Larry and Coach Roy can fill in.

Practice this afternoon. Time to work!

Thursday, Oct. 4

3:30 Shooting practice

4:30 Regular practice

Friday, Oct. 5

No practice

6:00 pm 17U warmups, Kilauea gym outside court

7:00 pm 17U vs Tong, Kilauea gym (Coach Larry, Coach Roy) (NJB All-Net)

Saturday, Oct. 6

10:00 am 17U warmups, Palama gym outside court

11:00 am 17U vs. Owls, Palama gym (NJB All-Net)

2:20 pm 15U warmups, Kilauea gym outside court

3:20 pm 15U vs. Kupaa, Kilauea gym (CAL)

Sunday, Oct. 7

1:30 pm 13U warmups, Kilauea gym outside courts

2:30 pm 13U vs Makakilo, Kilauea gym (CAL)

Schedule update: Up in the air

Good workout today, got a lot of shooting in. Low post. High post. Wing. 1-on-1 footwork. 3-on-3 Princeton drills. 3-on-3 scrimmage. 3-point drills. All under cloudy skies. The rain never came. Today's crew: John, Kyle, Chase, Kekai, Sierra.

Got word from NJB All-Net that we still MIGHT play on Friday night (17U). They're trying to fit in games so we still might have a game at 7 pm (Friday) at Kilauea. The game might be moved to Saturday at Palama, which would give us a doubleheader. Or it could move to Sunday morning at Kalaheo. (Yes, Kalaheo.) The league said they'll have it figured out by tomorrow (Thursday).

BIG MAHALO to Bryson and Brent's dad for bringing the water and juice to our 17U game on Sunday.

Thursday, Oct. 4

3:30 Shooting practice

4:30 Regular practice

Friday, Oct. 5

No practice

6:00 pm TENTATIVE 17U warmups, Kilauea gym outside court

7:00 pm TENTATIVE 17U vs Tong, Kilauea gym (Coach Larry, Coach Roy) (NJB All-Net)

Saturday, Oct. 6

10:00 am 17U warmups, Palama gym outside court

11:00 am 17U vs. Owls, Palama gym (NJB All-Net)

12:00 pm TENTATIVE 17U vs Tong, Kaimuki Park gym (NJB All-Net) (if the game is not played on Friday)

2:20 pm 15U warmups, Kilauea gym outside court

3:20 pm 15U vs. Kupaa, Kilauea gym (CAL)

Sunday, Oct. 7

9:00 am TENTATIVE 17U warmups, Kalaheo High School (NJB All-Net) (if the game is not played on Friday)

10:00 am TENTATIVE 17U vs Tong, Kalaheo High School (NJB All-Net) (if the game is not played on Friday)

1:30 pm 13U warmups, Kilauea gym outside courts

2:30 pm 13U vs Makakilo, Kilauea gym (CAL)

3:00 pm TENTATIVE 17U warmups, Kaimuki Park gym outside court 

4:00 pm TENTATIVE 17U vs Tong, Kaimuki Park gym (NJB All-Net) (if the game is not played on Friday)

Tuesday sharpshooters

Practice is 3:30 to 5:00 pm today. Then I have to go to work. (Coach Roy is busy on Tuesdays.)

PLEASE NOTE: FRIDAY GAME (17U) HAS BEEN MOVED TO SUNDAY.

Tuesday, Oct. 2

3:30 Shooting practice

Wednesday, Oct. 3

3:30 Shooting practice

4:30 Regular practice

Thursday, Oct. 4

3:30 Shooting practice

4:30 Regular practice

Friday, Oct. 5
No practice

6:00 pm 17U warmups, Kilauea gym outside court

7:00 pm 17U vs Tong, Kilauea gym (Coach Larry, Coach Roy) (NJB All-Net)

Saturday, Oct. 6

10:00 am 17U warmups, Palama gym outside court

11:00 am 17U vs. Owls, Palama gym (NJB All-Net)

2:20 pm 15U warmups, Kilauea gym outside court

3:20 pm 15U vs. Kupaa, Kilauea gym (CAL)

Sunday, Oct. 7

1:30 pm 13U warmups, Kilauea gym outside courts
2:30 pm 13U vs Makakilo, Kilauea gym (CAL)
3:00 pm 17U warmups, Kaimuki Park gym outside court

4:00 pm 17U vs Tong, Kaimuki Park gym (NJB All-Net)

Thank God it's Monday

Shooting fundamentals. Ballhandling drills. On-ball defense. Shooting challenge. 3-point challenge. 3-on-3 series. John, Kekai, Cody vs. Kyle, Randall and Coach Roy. John/Kekai/Cody won the series 3-1. Physical. Good and physical, building chemistry. Good workout, boys.

Tuesday: 3:30 to 5:00, shooting practice. I leave early because of work.

Thunder game count: A lot

The final week of the offseason is upon us. 17U has one last game. 15U has one, maybe two (we'll find out later). 13U has one game left. Here's the latest count of games we've played.

Updated Sept 30, 2012.
17U: 37 games
16U: 24 g
15U: 21 g
14U: 6 g
13U: 19 g
12U: 6 g
total: 113 games (2012, so far)

I know because I've just updated the list of game videos. A whole lot that I haven't edited yet because of my work schedule, fatigue, not enough hours in the day. But I will get to those videos sooner or later.

As for what happens after we're done this coming week, I've got one idea for the guys who aren't at JV or varsity level yet: maybe schedule some games or scrimmages against JV or intermediate teams. That wouldn't happen until mid-November at the earliest, probably later. Chances of this happening? Slim. But I'll try. It would be fun and competitive and keep our 13U guys busy.

The only things that would stop this plan are: A) the schools say, "No thank you." Or B) our guys don't have good grades. That's right. I'm not going to make a big effort to get us some great games if we're getting straight C's. I want to bring some serious Thunder student-athletes to these gyms around the island.

Other than that idea, we don't have any games planned until the CAL League (Middle School Division) in January.