Tuesday funday

Perfect weather for a solid workout tonight at Makiki Park. We got a lot of basics in - on-ball defense, ballhandling, fullcourt layups (timed), conditioning, passing, 3-on-3 scrimmage. The team of Kyle Moraga, Walter Berthold and Chazz split two games with the team of Ryan Higashionna, Micah Visoria and Josh Roberts. The third game ended halfway through when Ryan went home. We went about 45 minutes past our usual finishing time since the guys all said they wanted to play more since there's no school tomorrow.

Good work, Thunder!

Next: Thursday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. We'll finish at the usual time, 6:30 pm, and then I go to work. OIA regular season starts that night. WE LUB THIS GAAAME!

Updated combo schedule 12/29

The Compete & Learn League schedule was released today. Here's the combined Thunder schedule, adding the CAL games, which are only for the month of January (three games). (The CAL Feb schedule will be released later.) We'll be busy and good, good and busy!

Also, mahalo to PAA League for adjusting our schedule. Our Sat Mar 1 game against Kapolei has been moved to Mar 2 so that we don't have a scheduling conflict with Aiea League playoffs.

H1 Thunder
Combined game schedule
> Adds PAA 15U schedule.
> Note: CAL schedule yet to be released. CAL League begins Jan. 5.

Saturday, Dec. 21: H1 Thunder 46, Ali‘i 35 (Aiea Intermediate League)
Saturday, Dec. 28: H1 Thunder 88, Aiea Blazers2 26 (Aiea Intermediate League)

Sunday, Jan. 5, 11:10 am - vs. Sharks @ Kilauea gym (CAL Intermediate League)
Sunday, Jan. 5, 1:00 pm - vs. Sharks2 @ Palolo gym (PAA 13U)

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 7:45 p.m. - vs. Swish @ Kilauea gym (PAA 13U)

Sunday, Jan. 12, 10:20 am - vs. Lanakila @ Kilauea gym (CAL Intermediate League)

Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:20 am - vs 808 Knights (Aiea Intermediate League)
Sunday, Jan. 19, 1:00 pm - vs. Asing Park @ Palolo gym (PAA 13U)
Sunday, Jan. 19, 3:30 pm - vs. Kailua Sun @ Kilauea gym (CAL Intermediate League)

Thursday, Jan. 23, 7:15 pm - vs. KBA @ Kilauea gym (PAA 13U)
Saturday, Jan. 25, 12:40 pm - vs H4C (Aiea Intermediate League)

Thursday, Jan. 30, 7:15 pm - vs. Tar Heels @ Palolo gym (PAA 13U)
Saturday, Feb. 1, 11:50 am - vs. Asing Heat (Aiea Intermediate League)

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 7:45 pm - vs. Lakers @ Kilauea gym (PAA 13U)
Thursday, Feb. 6, 7:00 pm - vs. Sharks1 @ Kilauea gym (PAA 13U)
Saturday, Feb. 8, 10:10 am - vs. Sharks2 (Aiea Intermediate League)

Saturday, Feb. 15, 8:30 am - vs. Blazers1 (Aiea Intermediate League)

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 5:30 pm - vs. Sharks @ Kilauea gym (PAA 15U)
Thursday, Feb. 20, 6:15 pm - vs. Crush @ Kilauea gym (PAA 15U)
Saturday, Feb. 22 - Playoffs TBA (Aiea Intermediate League)
Sunday, Feb. 23, 4:00 pm - vs. Kailua Sun @ Palolo gym (PAA 15U)

Thursday, Feb. 27, 7:00 pm - vs. Tar Heels @ Kilauea gym (PAA 15U)
Saturday, Mar. 1 - Playoffs TBA (Aiea Intermediate League)
Sunday, Mar. 2, 1:00 pm - vs. Kalihi Valley @ Palolo gym (PAA 15U) *revised
Sunday, Mar. 2, 3:15 pm - vs. Kapolei Canes @ Palolo gym (PAA 15U)

Thursday, Mar. 6, 5:30 pm - vs. OTB @ Kilauea gym (PAA 15U)
Saturday, Mar. 8 - Playoffs TBA (Aiea Intermediate League)

Video: Thunder vs Blazers2 (Inter.)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Second game of the Aiea League (Intermediate Division) went better. After missing a lot of layups in the first game against Ali‘i, we shot pretty well. Great hustle and teamwork all over the court against Aiea Blazers 2. Mahalo to Brandon Higashionna for shooting the video!

Video: Thunder vs Blazers2 (Intermediate)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Video: Thunder 13U-Anuenue scrimmage

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Mahalo to Josh Roberts and Lehua Nishimura for shooting the video!

Sunday funday

Solid shooting workout this morning at McCully. We were a little sluggish, no big deal. Just have to keep up the reps, stay focused and keep getting sharper. It's always a blessing to have an indoor court to practice on. Today's crew: Ryan Higashionna, Micah Visoria, Mick Colling, Kali'a Mielke, Manoa Kualii Moe and Josh Roberts. Kyle Moraga came to practice and did OK on his sore ankle. He's still healing up and "day to day" as they say in the pros.

Good work, Thunder. Practice excellence daily.

Next: Tuesday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. (No practice on Monday - I'm covering the last day of the Merv Lopes Classic at St. Francis.)

WE LUB THIS GAAAAME!!

Updated PAA 13U schedule

They've added the February games.

PAA updated schedule (as of 12/28/13)
2014 PAA 13U Winter
Entry fee $500 (9-10 games)

G-01 vs Sharks2, Sun 1/5, 1:00 pm, Palolo gym
G-02 vs Swish Wed 1/8, 7:45 pm, Kilauea gym
G-03 vs Asing Park Sun 1/19, 1:00 pm, Palolo gym
G-04 vs KBA Thur 1/23, 7:15 pm, Kilauea gym
G-05 vs Tar Heels Thur 1/30, 7:15 pm, Palolo gym
G-06 vs Lakers Wed Feb 5, 7:45 pm, Kilauea gym
G-07 vs Sharks1 Thur Feb 6, 7:00 pm, KIlauea gym
G-08 Playoff schedule TBA
Games Wed/Thur/Sun afternoons
Must be 13 or younger as of start of league

PAA 15U schedule released

Here's the schedule for our H1 Thunder 15U games. First game is on Feb. 19, starting after the high school season (V/JV) are pau.

2014 PAA 15U Winter
Entry fee $500 (9-10 games)

G-01 vs Sharks Wed 2/19 530 pm, Kilauea gym
G-02 vs Crush Thur 2/20 615 pm, Kilauea gym
G-03 vs Kailua Sun 2/23 4 pm, Palolo gym
G-04 vs Tar Heels Thur 2/27 7 pm, Kilauea gym
G-05 vs Kapolei Sat 3/1 1030 am, McCully gym
G-06 vs Kalihi Valley, Sun 3/2 1 pm, Palolo gym
G-07 vs OTB Thur 3/6 530 pm, Kilauea gym

G-08 Playoff schedule TBA

Must be 15 or younger at start date

Note: The majority of our 15U and 17U have not turned out for the car washes. No fundraisers means no funds. No funds means no team. Please support your team by working the car washes.

Missing in action: Tanielu Mosi Afe, Jerry Killion, Keanu Pratt, Sifo Lauvao, Tone Lauvao.

17U - Same for you guys if you want to play when the 17U leagues start in the spring. You can wash cars or pay your way, let me know. But no funds - no team. 

Intermediate: H1 Thunder 88, Aiea Blazers II 26

Great hustle, great passing, great quickness in transition, super defensive pressure and, yes, we hit a lot more shots. I don't know if the scrimmages are helping, but everybody played with focus and fire today, so that was really nice. We're not quite there yet, making some little mistakes that are correctible. But I think we had some fun today. Building toward the future!

Today's lineup: Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Micah Visoria, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Joshua de Jesus, Chris Afe, Kali'a Mielke, Kapaa Nishimura, Jared Elwin and Manoa Kualii Moe.

Next: Sunday, 11:00 am, practice at McCully gym. WE LUB THIS GAAAAME!!

2013-14 Winter: Aiea Basketball League / Intermediate Division

H1 Thunder

*** Originally posted on the H1 Thunder Facebook page 12/28/13

Boxscore added on 1/7/14

H1 Thunder (Honolulu) at Aiea Blazers II (Aiea League/Intermediate Division)
Dec 28, 2013	1ST	2ND	SCORE
H1 Thunder (Honolulu) (2-0)	48	40	88
Aiea Blazers II (Aiea League/Intermediate Division) ()	14	12	26

H1 Thunder (Honolulu)
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
#5 Kapaa Nishimura	1	1-1	0-0	0-0	3-0	4	5	0	0	2
#10 Manoa Kualii-Moe	1	4-5	0-1	0-0	5-2	5	8	0	3	8
#15 Jared Elwin	1	3-6	0-1	0-0	5-4	4	3	0	0	6
#24 Chris Afe	1	7-12	0-0	2-4	0-0	4	0	1	0	16
#41 Kali‘a Mielke	1	6-7	0-0	3-4	2-2	1	0	0	0	15
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
#0 Micah Visoria	1	3-6	0-0	0-0	2-2	2	1	0	0	6
#1 Hsien Pascua	1	DNP
#6 Ryan Higashionna	1	1-2	0-1	0-0	1-1	6	4	0	0	2
#7 Joshua de Jesus	1	9-17	3-6	0-2	6-3	2	0	0	0	21
#11 Javan Montiho	1	2-3	1-2	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	5
#33 Felcris Ahadain	1	3-8	0-1	0-0	4-3	3	1	0	2	6
TEAM TOTALS		39-67 (.582)	4-13 (.308)	5-10 (.500)	28-17	33	23	1	5	88

Aiea Blazers II (Aiea League/Intermediate Division)
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
#3	1	2-4	0-1	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	4	5
#31	1	1-2	0-0	0-2	2-1	0	0	0	6	2
#32	1	0-1	0-0	2-4	3-1	1	0	0	4	2
#33	1	4-5	1-1	0-3	4-0	0	1	0	4	9
#44	1	2-3	0-0	2-6	3-1	0	1	1	1	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
#1	1	1-3	0-1	0-1	0-0	1	0	0	8	2
#2	1	0-1	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	2	0
#21	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	2	0
team	1								4
TEAM TOTALS		10-19 (.526)	2-4 (.500)	4-16 (.250)	12-3	6	2	1	36	26

Friday funday

Somehow, we had more than enough guys for this morning's scrimmage with Anuenue. Too bad the manager at Palolo gym didn't show up all morning. We ended up scrimmaging outside about an hour and a half late.

Kali'a Mielke and Walter Berthold had to leave because of the late time, but we still had six guys left and the boys did well. All in all, between the hour that we practiced while we waited for the gym to open, and the 30-minute scrimmage, it was worth the effort. We worked on old plays, new plays, our presses and even a new zone defense. 

Hat's off to all the Thunder players and parents who made it happen today on short notice: Javan Montiho (Julie Montiho),Felcris Jay Corpuz, Joshua de Jesus, Kapaa Nishimura, Chris Afe, Kali‘a, Walter and point guard Jared Elwin. Also, BIG MAHALO to Lehua Nishimura and one of our new friends, Josh Roberts, for shooting video.

Next: Saturday, 11:50 am, Thunder vs. Aiea Blazers 2, Aiea gym. WE LUB THIS GAME!

*** Originally posted on the H1 Thunder Facebook page 12/27/13

Friday scrimmage?

Coach Bo asked if we can scrimmage his Anuenue boys again. They have Palolo gym on Friday, 10:00 am. We need at least 7 guys. I don't want to play with only 5 like last time. We have our game on Saturday morning and I don't want our guys getting too tired.

Who wants to scrimmage on Friday? I can do the pickups.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Merry Christmas to the entire Thunder family near and far. Far as in Seattle (Drew and Bulla Viena), Colorado (Keanu and the Vela ohana), and even Germany (Moritz Krume)! Have a blessed and safe holiday season.

WE LUB THIS GAAAAAME!!

Video: Thunder vs Ali‘i (Aiea League)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


First game in the Aiea League / Intermediate Division is in the books. We played hard, hustled, shared the ball wisely. Sloppy and out of shape, too, though. We'll get there. A 46-35 win over the always-tough Ali‘i.

Video: Thunder vs St Francis (scrimmage)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Mahalo to Cliff (Jared's dad) and Coach Peter Haliniak for arranging this scrimmage. The Saints had a playoff game at the end of the week and we had our first Aiea League game later, so it was good work for both sides.

Tuesday funday

Twas the night before Christmas, so everyone was busy shopping or spending time with family. Or both. With one exception. Kapaa Nishimura came to Makiki Park and we got a solid workout in. Nothing fancy, just the basics. Free throws, at least 100. Jab steps and layups and pull-up bank shots and floaters. And then 3-pointers.

The weather was OK so we got in all that work, even on a wet, slick court. Good workout, Kapaa!

Next:

Wednesday - Christmas day. No practice. But if anyone wants to get some shooting and work done, let me know 551-1054 and I'll be at Makiki Park, 5:00 pm.

Thursday - No practice. I'll be covering the Merv Lopes Classic at St. Francis. Haka (Saint Louis) plays Kalaheo at 1:30 pm. Isaiah (Farrington) plays against Kamehameha at 4:30 pm. If you guys want to go watch, let me know and I'll pick you up at lunch time. But be warned: I'm probably staying until the last game (‘Iolani-Kailua) is done around 9:00 pm. 

Friday, 12:30 pm, practice at Makiki.

Saturday, 11:50 am - H1 Thunder vs Aiea Blazers II at Aiea League (Intermediate Division). We will be at Aiea by 10:50 am for warmups on the outside court.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Combined game schedule

H1 Thunder
Combined game schedule
> Contains PAA 13U games in January; February games will be announced later.
> CAL schedule yet to be released.
> PAA 15U league begins late February.

Saturday, Dec. 28, 11:50 am - vs Blazers 2 (Aiea Intermediate League)
Saturday, Jan. 4, 8 am-3 pm - Car Wash (pending)
Sunday, Jan. 5, 1:00 pm - vs Sharks2 at Palolo gym (PAA 13U)
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 7:45 p.m. - vs. Swish at Kilauea gym (PAA 13U)
Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:20 am - vs 808 Knights (Aiea Intermediate League)
Sunday, Jan. 19, 1:00 pm - vs. Asing Park at Palolo gym (PAA 13U)
Thursday, Jan. 23, 7:15 pm - vs. KBA at Kilauea gym (PAA 13U)
Saturday, Jan. 25, 12:40 pm - vs H4C (Aiea Intermediate League)
Sunday, Jan. 26, 4:00 pm - vs. Tar Heels at Palolo gym (PAA 13U)
Saturday, Feb. 1, 11:50 am - vs. Asing Heat (Aiea Intermediate League)
Saturday, Feb. 8, 10:10 am - vs. Sharks 2 (Aiea Intermediate League)
Saturday, Feb. 15, 8:30 am  - vs. Blazers 1 (Aiea Intermediate League)
Saturday, Feb. 22 - Playoffs TBA (Aiea Intermediate League)
Saturday, Mar. 1 - Playoffs TBA (Aiea Intermediate League)
Saturday, Mar. 8 - Playoffs TBA (Aiea Intermediate League)

Monday funday

Just two days before Christmas, we had a hardy group of 4 at Makiki Park ready to work. The rain hit hard, so we stayed under the tree on the corner of the courts and got a lot of pushups and crunches in. Javan had the high of 62 crunches in 40 seconds, but Jared Elwin, Joshua de Jesus (Josh) and Felcris Jay Corpuz all had high numbers. They also ran almost 1 mile (20 laps around both courts).

The math: the courts are about 74 feet long (my estimation) and 46 feet wide. Factor in the 5 feet between the courts and it's 74x2 + 46x2 + 5x2. That comes out to 148 + 92 + 10, which is 250 feet around both courts. 250 x 20 laps is 5,000 feet.

There are 5,280 feet in one mile, so 5,000/5,280 = 0.947 of one mile. The more conditioning and endurance and strength work we do, the better. Good work, Thunder!

Next: Tuesday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. After that, have a Merry Christmas! We may practice on Thursday night. I'll be at the Merv Lopes Classic to see Saint Louis (and Haka Iamhaka Johnson) play in a 1:30 pm game. I'm covering the 4:30 pm Farrington-Kamehameha game for work. So if enough guys want to see the Merv Lopes games (at St. Francis gym) before practice, we can do that.

Then practice Friday afternoon, time to be determined. Saturday morning, we play in Aiea Intermediate League.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

PAA 13U league

The PAA League 13U January schedule was e-mailed on Sunday to the teams. Here's our H1 Thunder schedule.

Sunday, Jan. 5, 1:00 pm - vs Sharks2 at Palolo gym

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 7:45 p.m. - vs. Swish at Kilauea gym

Sunday, Jan. 19, 1:00 pm - vs. Asing Park at Palolo gym

Thursday, Jan. 23, 7:15 pm - vs. KBA at Kilauea gym

Sunday, Jan. 26, 4:00 pm - vs. Tar Heels at Palolo gym

The rest of the schedule will be sent out later.  YEEEAAH WE LUB THIS GAAAME!!

Sunday funday: Car wash

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

Mahalo to Auntie Chit for the photos!

Small crew, big results. We had our third car wash in as many weeks on Sunday. Thank the Lord it was SUNNY. Originally, we were going to do a Saturday car wash, but Aiea League changed the schedule, so we moved to a Sunday. It rained on Saturday, so we were blessed.

The crew worked hard and long today, but it's pre-Christmas and we had some lulls too. But when we got busy, four cars in the lot at a time, the crew worked like an awesome machine. Good job, everybody!

Today's crew: Sierra, Joy and Eric Murobayashi, Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Hsien Pascua, Kapaa Nishimura and Lehua Nishimura, Nate and Ryan Higashionna, Coach Bo and Auntie Char, Kali'a Mielke and Rob Mielke, Javan, Carl and Julie Montiho, Jared Elwin, Kyle Moraga, Roy and Chit Moraga, Walter and Mark A. Berthold.

We netted a good profit, enough to pay for another league. So far, it's been mainly the 13U/Intermediate who have turned out for the car washes, and with three leagues this winter, some of them have done their share. Some have not.

For the guys who are going to play 15U, if we don't get full turnout for car washes — the high school guys haven't shown up — there may not be a 15U team when PAA starts in late February. I hope we get more 15U and 17U turnout (17U starts later) so everybody does his/her share.

For the guys who didn't show up (or hardly showed up) to any of the three car washes so far, you're not doing your share. If you and parents think it's OK to not show up for something we really need, please talk with me and we'll find out what's going on. Otherwise, it's not fair to everybody else, is it? They're doing all the work without any breaks because the crew is smaller than before.

Working together at the car wash for one shift (3 hours) on a Saturday or Sunday shouldn't be low priority if you want to play with your Thunder brothers in leagues ($450-$500 entry fee) and tournaments ($250-$350), to travel off island, to be part of the Thunderhood. For the guys who played in 17U, 15U and 13U in 2013 and 2012 (roughly 300 games total = $15,000 in entry fees), the guys who went on last summer's trip - we're still paying off that loan. Yet some of the guys aren't showing up at all for the car washes.

Parents, your actions ALWAYS speak louder than words. For our parents who have been faithful and diligent about being there to work with their children at the car washes, I thank God for you. You make this work.

For the parents who have not shown up, haven't involved your kids in the work we need to do, please contact me 551-1054. I need to know why you and your child/children are not showing up. I know some folks are busy with Christmas stuff, family plans. That's cool, but just let us know.

When there's no communication, it hurts the other kids who work hard at practice and the car wash. They ask me all the time about the guys who aren't showing up. They give their best for their teammates. They deserve the same in return.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Next: Monday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park.

Intermediate: H1 Thunder 46, Ali‘i 35

Aiea Intermediate League
First game of the season was a win for the Thunder. Ali‘i are always tough, athletic, savvy. Even with just five guys. We made enough plays on offense, played solid defense all day. We've got some rust to shake off, had a lot of missed layups, unforced turnovers on the fastbreak. We can fix that. I'm just glad we had a good turnout and a good time. Hopefully, we get to the point where we're in better shape and can put up 60, 70, 80 points on a regular basis.

Today's lineup: Felcris Jay Corpuz, Hsien Pascua, Ryan Higashionna, Jared Elwin, Joshua de Jesus, Chris Afe, Kali'a Mielke,Kapaa Nishimura and Micah Visoria.

Next: Car Wash, Sunday 8 am to 3 pm!

Boxscore added on 1/7/14

H1 Thunder at Ali‘i (Aiea League/Intermediate Division)
Dec 21, 2013	1ST	2ND	SCORE
H1 Thunder (1-0)	18	28	46
Ali‘i (0-1)	14	21	35

H1 Thunder
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
#5 Kapaa Nishimura	1	2-9	1-4	4-6	8-2	2	7	1	0	9
#7 Joshua de Jesus	1	4-8	3-5	2-3	2-1	3	1	0	2	13
#15 Jared Elwin	1	1-5	1-3	0-0	3-0	2	4	0	1	3
#24 Chris Afe	1	1-7	0-1	2-2	4-1	0	0	2	3	4
#41 Kali‘a Mielke	1	1-4	0-0	1-2	2-1	0	0	0	0	3
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
#0 Micah Visoria	1	2-6	0-3	0-0	1-1	1	1	0	1	5
#1 Hsien Pascua	1	3-4	0-0	2-2	1-0	1	1	0	0	9
#6 Ryan Higashionna	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	1-0	2	0	0	0	0
#10 Manoa Kualii-Moe	1	DNP
#33 Felcris Ahadain	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	1-0	0	0	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		14-43 (.326)	7-18 (.389)	11-15 (.733)	21-6	11	14	3	8	46

Ali‘i (Aiea League/Intermediate Division)
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
#3	1	0-5	0-4	0-0	1-0	3	3	0	2	0
#10	1	5-7	0-0	0-0	6-2	0	1	0	1	10
#11	1	5-15	2-5	0-2	9-3	1	1	0	3	12
#22	1	2-8	1-2	0-0	6-2	2	0	0	3	5
#50	1	3-6	0-0	0-0	4-0	2	0	0	4	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
#1	1	1-2	0-0	0-0	1-0	2	0	0	1	2
TEAM TOTALS		16-45 (.356)	3-11 (.273)	0-2 (.000)	27-7	10	5	0	14	35

Game Day pickup route

Pickup route, Saturday. * ORANGE UNIFORM * BRING SCHOOL ID. BRING COMPLETED WAIVER FORMS. I'll bring extra waivers for guys who don't have printers.
8:45 am - Jared Elwin
9:00 am - Chris Afe
9:10 am - Joshua de Jesus, Micah Visoria
9:15 am - Felcris Jay Corpuz
WE LUB THIS GAAAME!!

Friday funday

I was working, but I had fun. The rest of the Thunder were just having fun, period. Kali'a Mielke, Jared Elwin, Ryan Higashionna, Manoa Kualii Moe and Micah Visoria watched the ‘Iolani Classic on Friday night. Some good action by some good high school teams. The dunk contest was decent, not as good as last year, but still entertaining.

After our Thunder game in the morning, I'll be at Punahou's tournament. championship game is late afternoon. Then back to ‘Iolani Classic for their championship game at night. If anybody wants to go, let me know. Should be some great games.

Reminder: Car Wash is on Sunday.

Wednesday funday

Good, solid scrimmage tonight with St. Francis intermediate team at Manoa gym. We were 11 strong (wow!) and had a good mix of guys who have been coming to practice and learning the new plays, and some guys who have been busy and not at practice lately. But we'll all get on the same page eventually.

It was cool of St. Francis and their coach, Peter Haliniak, to invite us in. Hopefully, we helped them prepare for their playoff game coming this Saturday (vs. Punahou). We got a lot of work in with man-to-man defense. When we got the chance to press, we were so solid, keeping the reach-ins to a minimum. Our halfcourt offense against zone and man were pretty solid, too.

Most of all, it's great to see (almost) everybody again. Together. Lubbing the game. Moving the ball to their open teammates, being smart and aggressive.

The only bad news: Kyle tweaked his right ankle early in the scrimmage and was out for the rest of the night. Hopefully, it's not too bad of an injury and he can return strong real soon.

BIG MAHALO to Coach Roy for picking up Jared. Didn't have enough room in my car. BIG MAHALO to Lehua Nishimura for shooting the scrimmage video. And BIG MAHALO to Cliff Smith (Jared's dad) for getting us invited to scrimmage St. Francis. We gained a lot from this with our league opener in just three days.

Today's lineup: Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Jared Elwin, Joshua de Jesus (Josh), Kapaa Nishimura, Chris Afe, Manoa Kualii Moe, Kali'a Mielke, Kyle Moraga and Micah Visoria. Not sure about everybody else, but I think this is a potentially great team. This is already a great group of young people. That makes everything so much funner.

WE LUB THIS GAAAAME!!

Next: H1 Thunder vs. Ali‘i, Saturday, 11 am, Aiea District Park gym. Call/text me for ride 551-1054. I'm picking up Jared, Josh, Felcris, Chris 9:00-9:15 am. We can fit in one more guy.

ALSO: Car Wash, Sunday, 8 am to 3 pm. I forgot to give parents the pre-sale tickets today. Let me know and I'll drop them off with you guys in the morning.

ALSO: If you guys want to go to the ‘Iolani Classic on Friday and watch the slam dunk contest at the end, let me know. We'll organize it. I work that night covering the Classic semifinals, but I can give guys a ride to the tourney in the afternoon. I'll be videotaping the dunk contest, too, for work.

Monday funday

Solid workout today for the Thunder. Worked on new plays and old plays, scrimmaged 5-on-5 with some of the park rats (older guys) and everybody got a good conditioning day in. Today's crew: Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Kyle Moraga, Kali'a Mielke, Kapaa Nishimura and Manoa Kualii Moe.

Six days until our winter league opener. Need everybody on board to learn the new stuff and get in shape.

Next: Wednesday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. WE LUB THIS GAAAAME!

Wed - H1 Thunder vs. St. Francis (intermediate)

Cliff (Jared's dad) just called and we've scheduled a scrimmage against St. Francis on Wednesday, 5:00 pm, at Manoa gym (old gym). The guys who need a ride, let me know in advance. I can pick up Kyle Moraga and anybody else in Kalihi, but you have to let me know ahead of time since I'm working in the afternoon.

Again, practice is off, but we scrimmage at Manoa gym. Call/text me 551-1054. WE LUB THIS GAAAAAME!!

NOTE: BRING THE ORANGE UNIFORM.

Video: 15U-Anuenue scrimmage

Video from our scrimmage with Anuenue. We had just five guys available, but they held their own against a hustling varsity team. The crew: Kyle Moraga, Kapaa Nishimura, Anu Pratt, Hsien Pascua and Chris Afe. Mahalo to Lehua Nishimura for shooting the video.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Pick up Car-Wash pre-sale tix

Car Wash Pre-Sale Tickets (for Sunday, Dec. 22)
Pick them up at practice on Monday or text me 551-1054 and I'll drop them up. I would like each parent to sell 5. Or more

Sunday funday

Good workout today for Kyle Moraga, Kali‘a Mielke and Chris Afe. It was raining, storming big time outside, but we got a lot of reps in with offensive footwork, shooting, 3-point shooting, low post, high post and then some work on new plays (11-Mac, 5-Ball, 9-Mac, Blu-Ray, Elevator).

Isaiah Visoria and Mick Colling visited, too, so we had a good 3-on-3 going. The team of Isaiah, Mick and Coach Paul beat Kyle, Kali‘a and Chris 11-8 and 11-7. Finished the workout with 12 minutes of 3-point shooting. Thank you, Lord, for indoor practice!

Next: Monday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park.

Saturday Bizness

We didn't have a lot of bodies at the Car Wash on Saturday, but we made it work anyway. Everybody did his or her part and held down the fort.

The result: Some of our customers brought back their second car for a wash. We made almost as much profit as we have for Sunday car washes. We made 50% more profit yesterday than we did on last week's Saturday car wash. (Correction: I forgot to figure in the gas station's $325 fee.)

I can't explain why we had so much more traffic. I'm just thankful we had good customers and that we were blessed with another clear, sunny day, morning to afternoon. And most of all, that our parents and players worked together. Sometimes we didn't even have a sign holder on the street curb and the cars still kept turning into our lot.

Saturday's crew: Kapaa and Lehua Nishimura, Sierra and Joy Murobayashi, Coach Bo and Auntie Char, Nate and Ryan Higashionna, Kali‘a and Coach Rob Mielke, Javan and Julie Montiho, Manoa Kualii-Moe, Micah Visoria, Kyle, Kerl, Aunite Chit and Coach Roy Moraga.

I know this sounds a little cliche, but it's true. That apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Thunder parents work hard and their children (usually) follow. More than that, our parents go the extra mile (literally). Eric and Joy stored a huge amount of equipment after last week's car wash and brought it all back in their truck. Lehua set up our tables and her sister made us an awesome sign that would've cost us a bunch of money otherwise. Coach Rob kept the wash unit focused when necessary. Nate was tireless on the wash side and the dry side (again), and he brought this cool bristle tool to "floss" the grime off tire rims. Julie was a rock on the dry side. Roy and Chit got there after church and helped big time on the dry side. Auntie Char came after work and took care of our customers.

Our Thunder ballers worked hard all day, most of them pulling double shift and nobody complained. They took turns on the sign-holding duties, too. These kids are awesome! Crazy sometimes, but cool kids. That's why we have customers who tell us they'd rather have us do the washing than a professional car wash. They believe in the cause as much as we do. That's why so many of them tip us. My guess is that at least one-third of our profit comes from tips, usually $5 on a $10 or $15 wash. That's huge!

I can't predict what happens at every car wash or practice or game. But one thing that's always certain is that our parents step up and lead our kids, and the guys follow suit. That's why I worry about turnout and results less and less. It was always out of my hands anyway. My role is to set things up and be ready for new ideas that will benefit our team.

So far, it's been two car washes. Our net in the first one was $602. Net in the second one is $577 after costs for some microfiber towels and food (bottled water, breakfast, lunch) and the gas station's fee ($325). That's solid. That million-dollar effort pays for roughly three league fees. There's much more to pay for, but we'll get there. And we'll have fun doing it.

We need ALL of our Thunder at the Car Wash next Sunday (Dec. 22). I don't expect us to have this small a crew every time. We need everybody, especially since Sundays are busier than Saturdays.

WE LUB THIS GAME!!

Aiea Intermediate League schedule

Just out. All games are on Saturdays at Aiea District Park gym.

First team listed is home team.

Dec. 21, 11:00 am - Ali‘i vs. Thunder

Dec. 28, 11:50 am - Blazers 2 vs. Thunder

No games scheduled on Jan. 4 and Jan. 11.

Jan. 18, 9:20 am - Thunder vs. 808 Knights

Jan. 25, 12:40 pm - Thunder vs. H4C

Feb. 1, 11:50 am - Asing Heat vs. Thunder

Feb. 8, 9:20 am - Sharks 2 vs. Thunder

Feb. 15, 8:30 am - Blazers 1 vs. Thunder

Playoffs: Feb. 22, Mar. 1, Mar. 8.

CAR WASH Saturday 8 am - 3 pm

Hearing all kinds of excuses from guys saying they not coming to morning shift, not coming to afternoon shift. Some are legit reasons, some are not legit. Boys, if you want to play basketball we need to raise money. No money, no ball.

Every league costs about $400 to $500 to play in. We have teams in Aiea (8th grade), CAL (8th grade) and PAA (13U, 15U) this winter. Uniforms, another $400. Basketballs $200. Food is another cost. Plus the LOAN we're still paying back for last summer's mainland trip and all the 17U, 15U and 13U leagues from the past year.

Everybody has known about the Car Washes in December (and in the future) for a long time now. We've been blessed to have reliable Thunder players and awesome parents who go all out to make sure we have the tools and manpower to make the Car Wash a good one every time.

For you guys making excuses, please step up for your team and your boys and show up. If you need ride, let me know 551-1054. Let's make the new year another success! It just takes unity and work, one car wash at a time.

Tuesday funday

Small turnout today, but we got good work in. Lots of ballhandling/on-ball defense, shooting, then lots of work on new and old plays, and more conditioning to finish up. Good job by Kapaa Nishimura, Ryan Higashionna nd Javan Montiho.

Next: Saturday, 8 am - set up for Car Wash.
Next: Sunday, 11:00 am, shooting practice at McCully gym.
WE LUB THIS GAAAAME!

Monday funday

Small but strong turnout today. We got some work done with inbounds plays and halfcourt plays, fine-tuning 11-Mac and 9-Ball. Then 3-on-3. The team of Kyle Moraga, Manoa Kualii Moeand Kali'a Mielke rallied to beat Ryan Higashionna, Coach Roy and Coach Paul 34-28 in a good battle.

Next: Tuesday, 5:00, practice at Makiki Park.

It'll be the last practice until Sunday because of my work schedule. I'll be covering a lot of games this week for work, including the ILH-OIA crossover tournament at Moanalua. Go check out those games, some good competition featuring Farrington (Isaiah Visoria) and the top OIA and ILH teams. That starts on Wednesday.

WE LUB THIS GAAAME!

Aiea league update

Here's an update from Aiea Blazers Intermediate League, which begins on Dec. 21. They've expanded it from eight teams to 12 teams, which is awesome. More competition, more games hopefully, too.

(Please check your e-mail since I'm going to forward the waiver forms from the league. All players will need to show a copy of their school ID before the first game.)

From Aiea Blazers coach and league coordinator Rob Godinez III:

Aloha Coaches,
I will hope to finish the schedule and decide on the format soon after I hear from a couple of coaches confirming participation. We're looking for 1 more team to complete the field.
Also, deadline for entry is coming up on Dec. 13, 2013. 

League will start on Dec. 21, 2013 

Revised league packet attached. 

Confirmed teams:
1) Blazers 1
2) Blazers 2
3) Lanakila
4) Sharks 1
5) Sharks 2
6) Thunder
7) KKB
8) 808 Knights
9) Asing Heat
10) H4C
11) Mililani
12) 

Mahalo,
Rob

Sunday funday

I thought it would be a quiet morning after a long day at the car wash, but Coach Roy, Kyle Moraga, Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Kali'a Mielke and Manoa Kualii Moe were there before I was at shooting practice.

Coach Loto and his son, Loto Jr., and four kids from Kaimuki HS joined us for some drills. They were shooting outside before coming inside to help us out. Mick Colling also showed up again and was a big help.

We got a lot of work done 5-on-5  (halfcourt) with new and old plays. We needed the work, especially with zone offense.

Afterwards, the boys hit the pool, ate some burgers, hit the pool again. A good Sunday. WE LUB THIS GAAAAME!!

Next: Monday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park.

Sunday shootaround

Almost forgot - Sunday 11:00 am, shooting practice at McCully gym.

We're 13 days from our league opener. Sharpen our tool time. WE LUB THIS GAAAME!!

Thunder high schoolers

Congrats to all the Thunder boys playing ball this week!

> Isaiah Visoria started for Farrington at the Alegre Invitational. They won two games, reached the championship game and lost today to Punahou by about 12 points. They're running a LOT more, pressing a LOT more this year, and a lot of that is because of Isaiah, I believe.

> Haka Iamhaka Johnson was en fuego on Friday with 25 points in a 71-64 win over McKinley in a battle of two good teams. Haka hit five treys (5-for-9). Like Farrington, the Crusaders are running and pressing much, much more and Haka is a big part of that.

> Jerry Betiru and JayAre Meninzor Betiru are starting for Kaimuki and played solid in a close loss to University High on Friday. They played well on defense and offense and could turn out to be among the top guards in the league. Kaimuki is very young, so they're going to need patience as the team develops.

Also saw Macjun Otarra and Dan Villejo playing for McKinley in their loss to Saint Louis. They're playing good ball, upset Maryknoll on Thursday. They don't play for the Thunder anymore, but it was fun to see them playing together at the varsity level.

A lot of other guys are busying playing JV, like Tanielu Mosi Afe,Jerry KillMet Killion, Keanu Pratt. Sisifo Lauvao is out with a broken hand.


John Chow said that he, Cody, Kaelen and Chase are playing D-II ball at Maryknoll. Hope to see them playing also.

Saturday funday: Car Wash season

Good turnout of players and parents for today's Car Wash at McCully Union Station. We weren't as stacked as we've been for car washes last year, but it wasn't as busy, too, so it worked out. It was the first time we worked on a Saturday. Apparently, Sundays are busier. (Sundays this month were already reserved by another team.)

We made a decent profit, enough to pay for one league and new basketballs. Two more car washes in the next two weeks.

The news is that the Car Wash on Sat Dec. 21 has been moved to Sun Dec. 22. We were fortunate that the Sunday 12/22 was available. We have an Aiea League game on Sat 12/21, so we had to look into a change.

Good work today by everybody, and a HUGE MAHALO to our hustling parents who provided the transportation and equipment to have another car wash. Eric Murobayashi, Nate Higashionna, Coach Bo - they were the major suppliers of necessities. Thank you, gentlemen!

The lineup: Lehua and Kapaa, Eric and Ryan, Nate and Sierra, Bo and Auntie Char, Coach Rob and Kali‘a, Julie and Javan Montiho, Mark and Walter Berthold, Felcris Ahadain, Joshua de Jesus, Jared Elwin, Hsien Pascua. A good work crew with a lot of energy, occasionally too much hahaaa.

The guys who needed a ride home got some shave ice on the way, and some grinds at Ray's Cafe. We're back at it again next Saturday.

Note: The Car Wash on Saturday, Dec. 14 will begin again at 8:00 am (set up). The Car Wash on Saturday, Dec. 21 has been moved to Sunday, Dec. 22. An open date was available and we have a game at Aiea on the 21st, so it worked out. 

Auntie Char was our greeter.

Thank you, Lord, for a dry and sunny day.

Javan did a great job with the sign. 

Hsien showing proper form, showing the jersey!

Classic.

This utility vehicle was massive. The owner

gave us $30 to wash it.

Eric working the roof.

Patti Chang and son Greg. Patti has been one

of our most generous fans and donated to the cause

again on Saturday. 

 Coach Rob works a bird-poop covered Mercedes.

The Survivors.

We ran into Chazz, Micah and Mom on the way to 

Ray's Cafe. They were at Joe's Barber after watching

Isaiah's team (Farrington) play Punahou.