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.
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