Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Practice on Wed

Practice - Wednesday, 5:00 pm, Makiki Park.

13U plays on Friday, 7:15 pm, PAA League, against Tar Heels, Koko Head gym. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Sunday Funday: McCully

Sunday Funday. Heading to Express Sports (by the airport). I hear they open at 10 am, called them last night, no answer. If anybody wants a ride to practice, call me 551-1054. We'll have pizza and/or pot luck after practice at McCully gym around 1:30-2:00 pm. If we don't have a tent, we can eat in the (covered) parking lot, guys can swim in the pool or shoot baskets (outside).

For the guys who have other things going on, we'll probably be there until the pool closes at 5:00 pm. Come down and eat!

Next week (probably Sunday), looking at Dave & Buster's to celebrate the end of summer season for our 13U, 15U and 17U. It was a great summer, Thunder! WE LUB THIS GAME.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Video: Thunder 13U vs Vegas Elite Gold

H1 Thunder vs. Vegas Elite Gold, exhibition, Sunday, July 14, 2013, Heinrich YMCA Community Center.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Boxscore added 1/15/14
This game was pretty close until the second half. Both teams had been really busy with the tournament and their coach was generous enough to schedule us to this exhibition game. He was even willing to pay for the referees. Including this game, we finished the weekend in Las Vegas with a 4-1 record.

H1 Thunder at Las Vegas Elite Gold (NV) [exhibition]
Jul 14, 20141ST2NDSCORE
H1 Thunder (4-1)302252
Las Vegas Elite Gold (NV) [exhibition] ()20929
H1 Thunder
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#3 Kyle Moraga17-100-10-06-1130114
#5 Jared Elwin11-40-00-02-232012
#7 Joshua de Jesus12-81-50-04-422005
#23 Chris Afe14-70-01-19-200109
#24 Tanielu Afe12-70-24-44-340018
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#1 Felcris Ahadain10-20-10-04-100020
#9 Manoa Kualii-Moe11-20-01-21-101033
#11 Javan Montiho10-50-10-04-201010
#12 Kalai Kuia10-40-10-03-210110
#33 Kali‘a Mielke13-51-10-06-401007
team10-14
TEAM TOTALS20-54 (.370)2-13 (.154)6-7 (.857)43-22111021052
Las Vegas Elite Gold (NV) [exhibition]
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#111-20-00-02-100032
#310-60-40-24-201110
#511-21-10-03-111033
#3112-80-40-04-022124
#3514-101-50-02-211129
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#010-00-00-00-011010
#1511-61-52-20-000215
#3011-50-11-24-300013
#4510-40-10-22-210010
#5411-20-00-01-101002
team11
TEAM TOTALS11-45 (.244)3-19 (.158)3-8 (.375)22-126751529

Video: Thunder 13U vs Crossover

H1 Thunder vs. Crossover (Calif.), Swoosh Las Vegas National Championships, 13U Silver Division, Heinrich YMCA Community Center, Sunday, July 14, 2013.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Friday, July 26, 2013

Practice & pot luck?

Who wants to play some ball this weekend?

Thunder practice - Shooting drills, conditioning drills, ballhandling drills. Saturday, 4:00 pm, Makiki Park; Sunday, 11:00 am, McCully gym.

Thinking about a Thunder team party/pot luck (for all age groups) on Sunday after practice, maybe around 3:00 pm. Need more input from everybody.

Can someone bring a tent to McCully gym? Add a few tables and we can pot luck there and the kids can swim until 5:00.

Video: Thunder 13U vs Imperial Valley

H1 Thunder vs. Imperial Valley All-Stars (Calif.), Swoosh Las Vegas National Championships, Heinrich YMCA Community Center, Saturday, July 13, 2013.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Video: Thunder 13U vs South Coast

Pool play, H1 Thunder vs. South Coast (Calif.), Swoosh Las Vegas National Championships (Silver Division), Dula Gynasium, Saturday, July 14, 2013.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Thursday, July 25, 2013

Video: 13U vs LA Valley Hoops

H1 Thunder vs. LA Valley Hoops, Swoosh Las Vegas National Championships (Silver Division), Centennial YMCA Community Center, Friday, July 12, 2013. One day, maybe we get another shot at this team. We led by 7 with 6 minutes left and let it slip away. Playing 24 hours after a flight from Honolulu, with a 5-hour delay, a connecting flight from LA ... there are no excuses, but next time, we're not doing that. Not enough time to recover from jet lag.

Players win games. Coaches lose games. Next time, we arrive at least 48 hours early. Even with the loss, we won our next game and qualified for the championship bracket... then the tournament changed the rules and moved us into a lower bracket. We never got a chance to play for the title in Las Vegas.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Video: 13U vs SoCal USA (pool play)

H1 Thunder vs. Southern California USA Basketball Academy, Saturday, July 20, 2013, Swoosh So Cal Ultimate Showcase, Next Level Sports Complex, Garden Grove, Calif.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Video: Thunder 13U vs CBA

H1 Thunder vs. CBA (pool play), Swoosh So Cal Ultimate Showcase, Saturday, July 20, 2013, Next Level Sports Complex, Anaheim (Garden Grove), Calif.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Boxscore added 1/17/14
H1 Thunder at CBA [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase]
Jul 20, 20131ST2NDSCORE
H1 Thunder (1-0)241842
CBA [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase] (0-1)101727
H1 Thunder
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#3 Chris Afe18-100-00-01-0010016
#4 Kyle Moraga11-40-01-16-266023
#5 Jared Elwin11-21-20-01-033013
#7 Joshua de Jesus12-52-40-00-012036
#24 Tanielu Afe17-80-13-41-0540417
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#10 Manoa Kualii-Moe10-20-10-02-134020
#33 Felcris Ahadain10-20-20-00-000010
#41 Kali‘a Mielke10-60-10-02-102000
TEAM TOTALS19-59 (.322)3-10 (.300)4-5 (.800)13-4172001042
CBA [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase]
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#213-80-00-01-012046
#710-30-10-03-101050
#1412-100-10-07-143094
#1812-40-00-28-502014
#3413-30-04-42-0001010
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#411-21-10-02-231133
team13
TEAM TOTALS11-30 (.367)1-2 (.500)4-6 (.667)23-98922227

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Video: Thunder 13U vs Tempo Sabercats

H1 Thunder vs. Tempo Sabercats (Ariz.), Sunday, July 21, 2013. Swoosh SoCal Ultimate Showcase, 13U Division semifinal game at Next Level Sports Complex, Garden Grove (Anaheim), Calif.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5



Video: Thunder 13U vs SoCal USA (title game)

VIDEO TIME. The Swoosh So Cal Ultimate Showcase 13U championship game is online.

Part 1


Part 2



Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

13U begins PAA league Aug 2

I e-mailed the CAL and PAA leagues this morning. We don't have the numbers to field 15U teams in either league. The only possibility is CAL 15U since games will likely be on Sundays, which means our football guys might show up. But I don't want to enter 15U teams just hoping we don't forfeit games. Risky.

13U will have a team in each league. PAA games are anytime Monday through Saturday. CAL, again, will probably be on Sundays. PAA schedule is already out. CAL schedule - not yet.

Fri Aug 2 - Thunder 13U plays Tar Heels, 7:15 pm, Koko Head gym
Mon Aug 5 - Thunder 13U vs. Sharks Black, 6:45 pm, Kaimuki Park gym

CAL schedule will be out soon.

Practice: It would be good for the guys who are recovering from colds and jet lag to get more rest. Maybe we can aim for a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning practice, and then Sunday 11:00 am at McCully gym. (Yeah, you guys can go swim afterwards, but NO DIVING OR HORSEPLAY.) Be smart, don't get hurt.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Academic teamwork on Facebook

I started a group page on Facebook called H1 Thunder: Academic Ballherhood Corp.

This will be a way for our student-athletes to discuss and share info on anything to do with schoolwork. Everyone's got their strengths and weakness in school, and this is a potentially great tool for us to work together toward success. Sharing knowledge ain't cheating. It's a GIFT, so share, give and march forward together toward your biggest dreams, Thunder!

Here's the link: H1 Thunder: ABC Room.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/h1thunderABC/

Please note, this is an invite-only page. The group page is seen by the public, but the actual posts/info are seen only by group members.

Road trip gallery: Final days

Photos from the last two days of the H1 Thunder 13U's road trip.

Singing in the van after day 1 at the Swoosh So Cal
Ultimate Showcase.

Kyle Moraga. His mom was operating the video camera.

Remnants of a championship run: forgotten slippers,
coach's drawing board and a spoon for pre-game 
Dippin' Dots.

Kali‘a Mielke in a good mood, as usual.

He asked for it and he got it. Chris Afe clutches
the championship trophy. 

Swoosh tournament director Mike Alexander and some
of his staff.

Swoosh director Mike Alexander at left.

The champions.






Tanielu Afe carried the championship trophy home
from Anaheim to Kalihi. 



Sunday, July 21, 2013

13U: H1 Thunder 49, SoCal USA 33

ANAHEIM — Four games in less than 24 hours should've been a big task.

Instead, our Thunder 13U persevered to capture the Swoosh So Cal Ultimate Showcase on Sunday afternoon at Next Level Sports Complex.

It was another great team win, our defenders swarming across the floor for steals to open a 14-4 lead early. The lead was 20-8 and it looked a lot like our pool-play game with SoCal USA, but that's when Kyle Moraga landed awkwardly after going up for a rebound, injuring his left ankle.

SoCal USA had to burn three timeouts in the first 10 minutes, but they chipped away with their bigs and tenacity.

The lead withered away to about 6 points at one junction. The Thunder opened the lead back to about 10 with 5 minutes left even though Jared Elwin fouled out and Kyle was still playing on the injured ankle.

With Tanielu Mosi Afe attacking SoCal USA's defense and Kyle, Chris Afe and Kali'a Mielke crashing the defensive boards, we maintained the lead. SoCal USA began to foul with 4 minutes left, but Kyle and Tanielu, as well as Manoa Kuali‘i-Moe and Joshua de Jesus, took care of the ball and kept going to the line.

Despite the fatigue, our Thunder hit free throws and pulled away for their first mainland tournament championship.

We got key contributions from everybody, including reserve guard Felcris Jay Corpuz. Every rest was key since we had just eight players, but our team chemistry is so strong now after nearly two weeks on the road. We weren't the tallest team in any of our games, but we had that chemistry and great defensive teamwork. Our final record on this trip was 8-1.

Congratulations Thunder 13U!
Boxscore added on 1/8/14
H1 Thunder at Southern California USA Basketball Academy
Jul 21, 20131ST2NDSCORE
H1 Thunder (4-0)212849
Southern California USA Basketball Academy (3-2)161733
H1 Thunder
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#3 Kyle Moraga12-60-04-610-041135
#5 Jared Elwin10-10-10-02-021000
#7 Joshua de Jesus11-60-41-43-022013
#23 Chris Afe14-110-00-08-300028
#24 Tanielu Afe19-210-210-147-4311128
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#1 Felcris Ahadain10-00-00-00-001000
#9 Manoa Kualii-Moe10-20-02-27-103002
#33 Kali‘a Mielke10-20-00-02-010120
TEAM TOTALS16-49 (.327)0-7 (.000)17-26 (.654)44-81293949
Southern California USA Basketball Academy
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#310-40-00-03-300000
#613-100-00-44-011026
#1114-130-30-111-400128
#2313-131-40-07-411037
#2411-110-24-45-310056
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#1510-00-00-08-300010
#9213-80-10-03-100116
#3210-00-00-00-000000
#4410-00-00-00-000000
#1710-00-00-00-000000
#2810-00-00-00-000000
#5010-00-00-00-000000
TEAM TOTALS14-59 (.237)1-10 (.100)4-9 (.444)41-183221433

13U: H1 Thunder 45, Tempo Sabercats (AZ) 35

One down, one more to go. Tempo was a tall, tough, smart team. They had a 22-16 lead on us late in the first half. We had some impatience against their 1-2-2, and the referees called it much tighter than they did yesterday.

But by the second half, we adjusted. Tanielu Mosi Afe had some deft passes on the drive to his brother, Chris Afe, for three big buckets late in the game. Jared Elwin was clutch with a pair of 3s and some free throws.

Kyle Moraga and Manoa Kuali‘i-Moe were key with ballhandling in the final minutes. We got solid play from Joshua de Jesus andKali'a Mielke, and Felcris Jay Corpuz played smart off the bench.
That was a grind, a well-earned win.

Next: 1:00 pm, 13U vs. Southern California USA Basketball Academy for the championship of the 13U division (Swoosh So Cal Ultimate Showcase). We beat them last night, but now, it means little. Our boys are tired, but hungry. WE LUB THIS GAME. Boxscore added 1/9/14
H1 Thunder at Tempo Sabercats (AZ)
Jul 21, 20131ST2NDSCORE
H1 Thunder (3-0)192645
Tempo Sabercats (AZ) (2-2)241135
H1 Thunder
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#3 Kyle Moraga13-51-10-04-233337
#5 Jared Elwin12-32-31-25-301007
#7 Joshua de Jesus10-00-01-20-001001
#23 Chris Afe14-60-00-05-134118
#24 Tanielu Afe16-151-37-124-2430120
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#1 Felcris Ahadain10-10-00-00-000000
#9 Manoa Kualii-Moe10-10-10-01-021010
#33 Kali‘a Mielke11-20-00-22-100112
TEAM TOTALS16-33 (.485)4-8 (.500)9-18 (.500)21-912135745
Tempo Sabercats (AZ)
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#113-40-00-04-120306
#311-20-10-02-021042
#414-133-64-42-1310115
#1310-10-00-01-110000
#2313-51-43-49-3011610
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#1210-20-20-01-100000
#2411-20-00-15-200132
TEAM TOTALS12-29 (.414)4-13 (.308)7-9 (.778)24-98351435

13U wins pool play

H1 Thunder 42, CBA 27
H1 Thunder 37, Southern California USA Basketball Academy 22

ANAHEIM — Strong team play from our Thunder today at the Swoosh So Cal Ultimate Showcase on Saturday afternoon. Chris Afe was our leading scorer in the first game, getting a lot of strong drives to the hoop, a lot of nice feeds for layups from teammates. Easily his best game since the bone bruise on his leg a month ago.

Our overall team defense was successful. Our guys brought the pressure all game long against a good CBA team. This was a solid start to pool play, especially since our guys were sitting around for 3 hours after we found out about the schedule change.

In the second pool game, we faced a team that loves to fullcourt press like us, and they had a deep bench. But our 8 strong came out smart, aggressive and we led 9-0 within 2 minutes. They had some tall guys, including a 6-3 guy with NBA range, but our team defense was relentless.

Even after we pulled back into a zone, our aggressiveness and quickness were our big advantages. Tanielu Mosi Afe and Kyle Moraga were solid on both ends. We got strong defense, a key 3-point bomb and a pair of clutch free throws late in the game from Jared Elwin. Joshua de Jesus and Manoa Kuali‘i-Moe were ballhawkers on defense and made consistent, solid contributions on offense.

Josh's perimeter shooting kept defense honest in both games, and Manoa's ballhandling helped Kyle get some rest, allowing him to play some wing.

Kali'a Mielke was strong defensively against guys 6 inches taller, and we got some help off the bench from Felcris Jay Corpuz.

The guys are playing very hard and very intelligently for one another most of the time now. It's now a matter of how much they can keep doing this. They trust each other, hit the floor for each other, hustle like crazy for each other.

They know how to win close games. They know how to pull away from opponents in tough games. They don't back down to anyone, not the 6-4 guys in Las Vegas or the big guys here in Anaheim. It's all theirs to win now. Us coaches are there for big support and direction, but at this point, they know what to do.

That's a beautiful thing to see in kids this young. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Next: Championship bracket. We don't know the schedule, which changes out of the blue at any time anyway. But we play at either 9:00 am or 11:00 am on Sunday. The championship game is at 1:00 pm, then we fly home on the 7:00 pm flight. Boxscore added 1/17/14
H1 Thunder at CBA [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase]
Jul 20, 20131ST2NDSCORE
H1 Thunder (1-0)241842
CBA [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase] (0-1)101727
H1 Thunder
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#3 Chris Afe18-100-00-01-0010016
#4 Kyle Moraga11-40-01-16-266023
#5 Jared Elwin11-21-20-01-033013
#7 Joshua de Jesus12-52-40-00-012036
#24 Tanielu Afe17-80-13-41-0540417
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#10 Manoa Kualii-Moe10-20-10-02-134020
#33 Felcris Ahadain10-20-20-00-000010
#41 Kali‘a Mielke10-60-10-02-102000
TEAM TOTALS19-59 (.322)3-10 (.300)4-5 (.800)13-4172001042
CBA [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase]
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#213-80-00-01-012046
#710-30-10-03-101050
#1412-100-10-07-143094
#1812-40-00-28-502014
#3413-30-04-42-0001010
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#411-21-10-02-231133
team13
TEAM TOTALS11-30 (.367)1-2 (.500)4-6 (.667)23-98922227
Boxscore added 1/17/14
H1 Thunder at So Cal USA Basketball Academy [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase]
Jul 20, 20131ST2NDSCORE
H1 Thunder (2-0)271037
So Cal USA Basketball Academy [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase] (1-1)101222
H1 Thunder
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#3 Chris Afe10-10-10-01-001010
#4 Kyle Moraga11-50-13-81-031205
#5 Jared Elwin11-10-02-21-103014
#7 Joshua de Jesus11-11-11-21-042014
#24 Tanielu Afe17-141-34-126-3240219
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#10 Manoa Kualii-Moe11-11-10-03-101003
#33 Felcris Ahadain10-00-00-00-000000
#41 Kali‘a Mielke11-10-00-01-002012
TEAM TOTALS12-24 (.500)3-7 (.429)10-24 (.417)14-59142637
So Cal USA Basketball Academy [Swoosh So Cal Ult. Showcase]
STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#310-00-00-00-000000
#610-40-01-21-100051
#1113-52-42-210-310118
#2310-50-33-43-112113
#2411-20-02-22-010044
BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
#1511-10-00-01-000012
#2810-10-00-01-000000
#4410-00-00-01-000000
#9211-30-02-23-100234
team11-03
TEAM TOTALS5-21 (.238)2-7 (.286)10-12 (.833)22-63241522

Friday, July 19, 2013

Busy busy in Manoa, Anaheim

Lot of basketball these past 24 hours, but for a change, none of it involved the Thunder 13U. While they spent 12+ hours at Disneyland on Thursday ...

• The 17U lost a close game to Kaimuki on Thursday night in pool play at the NJB Summer Classic in Manoa gym. Coach Larry said we were 11 strong, had a 16-point lead at the half, but gave up a 3-point shot by Tayler Espinda (Greydon's son) with 4.4 seconds to play. 

Thunder 17U is playing a team from San Francisco tonight. Go get 'um, Thunder! 

• Keanu Vela, one of our best players from the 15U team two years ago, scored 20 points this afternoon in a championship-bracket win at the tourney at American Sports Center. He hit six free throws down the stretch to seal it. His Colorado Elite team went 3-0 in pool play, but lost their PG to a wrist injury in a double-OT win over Quinn (Kentucky). I videotaped the overtime periods of that game, but I couldn't get back to ASC for the afternoon game. 

Keanu's team will play at 2:50 pm on Saturday. Congratulations, Keanu! 

• Our Thunder 13U had a short practice this morning, then went to ASC to watch some good basketball. The place has about 20 courts, all legit floors (not terra-flex like some other large tournaments). They have divisions in the high school age, as low as 15U. I saw some of the 15U games and there are some solid teams there. We also saw Open Court there, though they were missing a key player. 

Next year? Maybe we play in this tournament instead. They have a lot of teams, great competition and college coaches were there by the dozens (see photos below) to scout talent. 

• Easy Friday. The kids had lunch at a new place nearby, buffet for $7.95, lots of good food. Pretty much what you would find in a Hawaii buffet specializing in Asian food. The kids have been sleeping since we returned mid-afternoon. Most of them have the sniffles. They're tough and smart, but I'm just hoping they have the energy to play their game tomorrow when our tourney starts at Next Level Sports Complex. 

The games are at 12 noon (vs. CBA) and 2:00 pm (vs. Southern California USA Basketball Academy). 

WE LUB THIS GAME! 















Thursday, July 18, 2013

Road trip gallery 7/18 (updated 7/19)


ANAHEIM — Kids are in line for Space Mountain with Coach Roy and Auntie Chit. I'm waiting near the exit. Coach Rob Mielke is running around getting us tickets/fast passes. First hour of Disneyland day: Good to be in the shade with all my little friends. Next up: Splash Mountain. Never heard of it. Things have changed since my last visit. In 1979. Mahalo to our angels for paving the way in.

Update, Thursday, July 18, 8:55 am
The kids had a great time. They rode almost every ride possible in Disneyland and in the Advetntureland (?) park. Incredible. We spent more than 12 hours there and even if we'd had to pay the $140-$150 per person, it still would've been worth it. Disney is truly about quality.

The "Color" show at 9:00 pm was spectacular. I can't explain how water and mist and lights and color can meet the standards of Disney and all its cool films of the past. But they did it.

Update, Friday, July 19, 7:00 pm
MORE PHOTOS.