Video: Thunder 13U vs. Imua

H1 Thunder vs. Imua, PAA 13U League, Kilauea District Park gym, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013. Video: Brandon Higashionna.

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13U: H1 Thunder 52, Imua 32

Solid all-around effort, great defense and nonstop hustle by the Thunder tonight. We were 10 strong and our chemistry gets better each time. We were missing Micah, Walter, Manoa and Tanielu, but the team still played well. Tonight's lineup: Ryan Higashionna,Jared Elwin, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Hsien Pascua, Chris Afe, Kyle Moraga, Kali'a Mielke, Joshua de Jesus, Ed Luther John, Javan Montiho.

Next: Practice Sunday 11:00 am McCully Gym. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Wednesday funday

Solid workout this afternoon with Kali'a Mielke, Manoa Kualii Moeand Ralph. Kyle came later. A lot of drills in 2 hours. Lot of low post, high post, wing, on-ball defense, offensive footwork. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder 13U vs HomeGrown

H1 Thunder vs. HomeGrown, Compete & Learn League 13U Division, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, Kilauea District Park gym.

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Tuesday funday

Workout today at Kalakaua was about reps. Shooting reps. Defensive on-ball reps. Box-out reps. Good job overall, could be better. Some of our newbies will need to learn what concentration, toughness and discipline are about, but I'm not worried. They are all coachable and willing to work hard. Today's ballers: Jared Elwin, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Cheenie Marie Calibuyot, Hsien Pascua, Ed Luther John, Ralph, Kim. 

Next practice: Wednesday, 3:30 pm, Kalakaua outside court.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder 17U vs. Hoops4Christ

H1 Thunder vs. Hoops4Christ, Compete & Learn League 17U Division, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, Kilauea District Park gym.

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Practice: Tuesday

No practice Monday. I got lots of work to do, and it'll be good for everybody to have some free time. We'll practice Tuesday, 3:30 pm, Kalakaua outside courts.

But as for Monday, get your homework done, get your 200 shots in, go home, shower, eat and DOUBLE CHECK your homework. Every night. It's the difference between a D and a C, a C and B, and a B and an A.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

13U: Thunder 38, HomeGrown 30

Always a tough battle with the team in green. We kept their perimeter shooting to a minimum, moved the ball well, kept our defensive pressure on them consistently. We had a lot of open threes that didn't fall, but that'll come with a little more practice as a team. Or not. We'll be fine. It was fun seeing both 13U and 17U play well today, especially on defense. A lot of heart on that hardwood. We led by 10-15 points for most of the second half. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Lineup: Micah Visoria, Walter Berthold, Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Hsien Pascua, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Joshua de Jesus (Josh), Kali'a Mielke, Chris Afe, Kyle Moraga, Tanielu Mosi Afe. 11 strong, job well done!

17U: Thunder 42, Hoops4Christ 27 (CAL)

Nice work by the 17U. Six are older guys and four are 13U guys. Strong team ball, a lot of savvy basketball out there. We used to be one of the youngest teams in 17U. Now we play with control, composure, experience. We kept the defensive pressure on via matchup zone (and man late in the game) against a team that has some pretty good long-range shooters. Good work, Thunder!

Lineup: John Chow, Cody Ogoso, Sisifo Lauvao, Isaiah Visoria, Kaelen Shaq Donnelly, Brent Quackenbush, Jerry Betiru, Tanielu Mosi Afe, Chris Afe, Kyle Moraga, Kali'a Mielke.

13U: Game is on Sunday, not Sat.

REMINDER: No 13U game today (Saturday). Our game is on Sunday, 1:00 pm at Kilauea gym (CAL).

17U is scheduled to play at 12:00 pm, still waiting to hear back from Brent Quackenbush, Shaq Donnelly, John Chow, Cody Ogoso, Sisifo Lauvao and more.

17U scheduled to play Sunday

Thunder 17U is scheduled to play on Sunday, 12 noon, Kilauea gym in CAL League. If I don't get commitments from at least 7 players, we're going to cancel 17U for the fall. Games are on weekends and will not conflict with Ikaika League (Sunday afternoons). Call or text me 551-1054. Been waiting to hear back from everybody. 

Brent Quackenbush Mick Colling Isaiah Visoria Shaq Donnelly John Chow Cody Ogoso Sisifo Lauvao Keanu Pratt Kyle Moraga. Football guys Mosi Afe Chris Afe) I know you're busy.

Thursday funday

Good shooting workout today at Kalakaua. Slightly breezy, not too bad. Good work by Chin-Chin, Ralph, Ed Luther John, Hsien Pascua and Kim. 

Next practice: Saturday 9:00 am, Kalakaua. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder 13U vs OTB

H1 Thunder vs. OTB, PAA 13U Basketball League, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013, Kilauea District Park Gym. Video: Roy Moraga.

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13U: Thunder 49, OTB 26

Great hustle, passing, offensive rebounding tonight. Defensively, had a couple of lapses, but most of the night we challenged every shot from the 3-point line. Mixed up defenses tonight from zones to man. Worked the ball to the post and got some inside-out action going. Well balanced offense and excellent movement of the ball most times. Fun game to watch. Good job, Thunder!

Kyle Moraga, Jared Elwin, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Joshua de Jesus (Josh), Manoa Kualii Moe, Kali'a Mielke, Ryan Higashionna, Javan Montiho. Hsien Pascua made the trip to the game and watched. He's eligible to play in the rest of the PAA League games.

Thursday: Practice 3:30 pm, Kalakaua outside courts. WE LUB THIS GAAAAAME!

Tuesday funday

Solid workout this afternoon at Kalakaua. Sunny, hardly any wind, good shooting conditions. We had a strong 8 today. Kali'a Mielkereturned from his sore knee, plus Manoa Kualii Moe, Felcris Jay Corpuz, and a lot of the new ballers like Hsien Pascua and EdLuther John. No practice Wednesday; the 13U has a game at Kilauea gym, 6:15 pm.

Next practice: Thursday, 3:30 pm, Kalakaua. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Practice Tue 3:30 pm

12 strong on Monday at Kalakaua. A lot of new faces to go with our vetsFelcris Jay Corpuz, Kyle Moraga, Jerry KillMet Killion. A lot of solid shooting got done today.

Next: Practice, Tuesday, 5:00 p.m. 3:30 pm, Kalakaua. (The gym closes at 5:30 on Tuesdays so we'll get inside and get lots of good work done.

Then Wednesday, 6:15 p.m., 13U vs. OTB, Kilauea gym. Warmups 5:15 p.m.
WE LUB THIS GAME!

Sunday funday, practice Monday

Strong workout today for 7 strong: Kyle Moraga, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Ryan Higashionna, Micah Visoria, Joshua de Jesus, EdLuther John and Hsien Pascua. Got a lot of ballhandling and shooting work done.

Monday: Practice, Kalakaua outside courts, 5:00 p.m. We need reps and we need to practice as a team. WE LUB THIS GAME!

13U: Lanakila 35, Thunder 33, 2 OT

Just got the word from Chris Afe. Thunder 13U lost to Lanakila by 2 points in double overtime. Tough loss. The guys misunderstood the OT rule (first to score 3 points), something like that. But I'm glad to hear everybody played solid and played together. These close losses are painful, but we stick together and things balance out in the end.

Mahalo to Coach Roy for giving everybody a ride to Kaneohe gym.

Note: I found out later that the referee told our team that the first team to score 3 points would win, which is why our guys shot 3-pointers instead of open layups in the final seconds of the first overtime with the score tied. They didn't realize that having a lead at the end of the 1-minute overtime was good enough to win the game.

This is the second time PAA League has had problems explaining the OT rule to our team, but if I'd been there, things would've been understood. Hard to blame our coaches or the refs in this situation, but in the end, I'm disappointed in the refs for not making sure EVERYBODY on both teams knew the rule clearly. I'll talk with PAA League later. 

13U plays on Saturday

Who wants to play ball? Thunder 13U vs. Lanakila, Saturday, 7:00 pm, Kaneohe gym. CALL COACH ROY FOR A RIDE 284-1643. I have to work all afternoon and night (two football games, one volleyball match) so I'm missing the game. Bring me some good news, boys!

Updated schedules

PAA and CAL have their August league schedules out. Here's what we've got.

The 17U is still tentative. I need commitments from all the guys or we'll just drop that team. CAL has agreed to schedule no games on Sunday afternoons since Coach Larry has many of them in another league.

Wednesday, Aug. 14
5:00 pm - Practice, Kalakaua outside courts

Saturday, Aug. 17
7:00 pm - Thunder 13U vs. Lanakila, Kaneohe gym (PAA)

Sunday, Aug. 18
11:00 am - Practice, McCully gym

Wednesday, Aug. 21
6:15 pm - Thunder 13U vs. OTB, Kilauea gym (PAA)

Saturday, Aug. 25
12:00 pm - Thunder 17U vs. Hoops4Christ, Kilauea gym (CAL)
1:00 pm - Thunder 13U vs. HomeGrown, Kilauea gym (CAL)

Sunday, Aug. 25

11:00 am - Practice, McCully gym

Thursday, Aug. 29
6:15 pm - Thunder 13U vs. Imua, Kilauea gym (PAA)

13U: Kailua 33, Thunder 32

Good battle with a good, tall team. Our press gave them fits and we rallied from a 10-0 deficit to take the lead late in the game. Chris Afe scored on a traditional 3-point play in the paint with a nice move. He hit a free throw to tied the game at 32-all.

Kailua couldn't get a good look at the basket, but with :04 left, Kyle Moraga fouled one of their guys taking a 15-footer from the left wing. He hit the first free throw, and we couldn't get off a good shot.

We did a lot of good things in this game, but some mistakes down the stretch hurt us, including one by me. I wanted Kyle to give the ball to Jared so we could run Double 9 (Kyle hit a couple of treys earlier on that play), but we ended up committing a turnover.

Clutch defense and shooting by Jared Elwin. He's been doing a very good job on penetration, patience and passing.  Good rebounding by Kyle, Chris and Kali‘a.

We WILL play smarter and better down the stretch as we gain more experience. We got a lot of solid defense and shooting from our younger guys (Micah Visoria, Javan Montiho). It was a good team effort. Just one point short.

Next: Sunday, 11:00 am, practice at McCully gym. Need a ride, let me know. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Friday: 13U bring blue uniform

Game day! Thunder 13U vs. Sharks, Kilauea gym.
5:20 pm - Warmups on outside court behind the gym.
6:20 pm - Game time.
Uniform - Bring the blue uniform to wear today (Friday). We wear the orange on Saturday. If you forget later, the safest way is to always bring both. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder 18U vs Central Kauai

H1 Thunder vs. Central Kauai, Aiea 18U Tournament, Friday, July 5, 2013, Aiea District Park gym. Pool play. Big comeback win by the Thunder, who trailed 14-3 at the start, but won 56-41.

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Video: Thunder 13U vs Sharks Black

H1 Thunder vs. Honolulu Sharks Black, Monday, Aug. 5, 2013, Kaimuki District Park Gym, PAA 13U League.

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Video: Thunder 15U vs. Monarchs

H1 Thunder vs. Damien Monarchs, Pearl City JV Summer League, Saturday, July 13, 2013, Pearl City High School gym. League championship game.

I heard a lot about this game while I was on the road with our 13U. But watching the game video, I am PROUD of our boys. Sure, we could chill out a little more when the other team is being hostile and testy. But overall, a well-played game, lots and lots of POISE and COMPOSURE, and as always, gritty, tough defense.

Congratulations, Thunder 15U, on winning the league championship!

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13U: Thunder 57, Sharks Black 33

PAA League
Solid basketball from start to finish by our Thunder, 11 in uniform tonight. Everyone continues to play excellent defense all over the floor. That's our rock. Our foundation.

Thanks to Coach Roy for staying back to pick up Tanielu after football practice. It was a very enjoyable night with the same good support from our parents, good sportsmanship from our Thunder and a tough, hustling effort. The lineup: Kyle Moraga, Tanielu Mosi Afe, Chris Afe, Joshua de Jesus (Josh), Jared Elwin, Kali'a Mielke, Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Micah Visoria, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Walter Berthold.

Sharks Black are mostly 12U, but skilled in the backcourt and tall inside. Take any young team lightly, that's a sure recipe for big trouble. But our guys didn't soften up. They played hard all night.

Next: Thunder 13U vs. Sharks, Friday, 6:20 pm, Kilauea gym, CAL League
Then, Thunder 13U vs. Kailua, Saturday, 12 noon, Kilauea gym, CAL League

MAHALO to Eric Murobayashi for shooting video tonight and all through this summer. Thanks also to Sierra Murobayashi for helping coach our 13U squad on the bench.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Monday 13U game: Orange uniform

Please bring your orange uniform to the 13U game on Monday.

Here's the preliminary pickup route: (I'm free after 4:30 pm, photo shoot at Damien):

4:50 pm - Kyle Moraga
4:55 pm - Joshua de Jesus
4:58 pm - Felcris Jay Corpuz
5:00 pm - Chris Afe
5:15 pm - Tanielu Mosi Afe

This is subject to change if 1) Coach Roy is pau work early and 2) his back is feeling better. Warmups 5:45 pm, Kaimuki Park gym. Game time 6:45 pm vs. Sharks Black. Anyone else need a ride? Call/text me 551-1054.

Remember, bring your completed waiver form and a copy of your birth certificate if I haven't received both from you yet. 

Sunday Funday: 13U celebrates

Fun day with the Thunder 13U ohana. Practice, then celebration party at Dave & Buster's. Time goes by so fast with these guys and their families. Spending hours with kids who love basketball as much as I do is a blessing.

Mahalo to Coach Carl and Julie for picking up the cake from Leonard's Bakery. All the parents and coaches who pitch in to make our team what it is, thank you for everything. Coach Roy. Coach Rob. Nate. Cliff. Mark. Auntie Chit. Everybody!

Driving the kids who don't have a ride. Buying them snacks and dinners. Encouraging them to keep maturing as young men. We have parents and coaches who are a blessing because they just keep giving and giving. I can't measure how valuable that is. 

PAA paperwork: Due before Mon game

Need all waiver forms and copies of birth certificates before Monday's game (PAA League). I have most of the birth certificate copies. But everything is due. Bring it on Sunday to practice or D&B's if possible. Mahalo!

If you weren't at Friday's game and need a waiver form, let me know (551-1054) and I'll e-mail it to you. Print, sign and deliver.

13U: Tar Heels 30, Thunder 22

Good battle for most of the way. We were up 22-19 in the second half (with 8:00 left) before the Tar Heels outscored us 11-0 to finish the game. We were shorthanded underneath, missing all our bigs except for Kali‘a and Kyle (ankle). But our defenders did a solid job of challenging their 3-point shooters on almost every attempt.

Tar Heels are always prepared, well coached. We've had their number the last few times, but they clearly did a better job tonight down the stretch. I scanned through some of the second-half video and that was a horrible timeout I called at the 8:00 mark as Jared fed Kali‘a the ball in the low post. Players win games and coaches lose games. That was true tonight.

It's been more than a week since our last game, the tournament in Anaheim, and for some of our guys, the rust showed. With so many of our guys busy with other things, we have to be prepared to line up with this group for every game. We'll be small, but quick. Aggressive and opportunistic. There will be times when we'll sit back in a 2-3 zone and let the shot clock (PAA and CAL leagues) work for us. But there will be other times when we have to get out and challenge good-shooting teams like the Tar Heels.

When we're missing several key players, especially our bigs (Tanielu, Chris, Kalai), there are opportunities for other guys to step up. We got some nice plays from Javan and Ryan. As a whole, we played pretty well, but fatigue was a factor. We're not practicing every day, so it's important for guys to take initiative and get their conditioning. Jog for 30 minutes. Run sprints. All the workouts on those days are up to you, and with winter season around the corner — playing for school teams for some of us — it's definitely worth the effort.

The one thing that will definitely be different in our next game: I'll have to go deep and use our entire bench all game long. We just aren't in good enough shape right now to rely on our best guys for heavy minutes. If that means we have an all-guard lineup on the floor at times — we did it in the first half tonight for a few minutes and did pretty good — then so be it.

For now, we have Saturday off, then Sunday 11:00 am practice, followed by the 13U team party at Dave & Buster's 3:00 pm that afternoon. Next game for 13U is Monday night, 6:45 pm at Kaimuki Park gym against Sharks Black.

WE LUB THIS GAME.

Busy weekend for 13U

Game day! Thunder 13U vs. Tar Heels, 7:15 pm, Koko Head gym. Be there by 6:15 pm (outside court) for warmups.

Note: Bring the blue and orange uniforms.

Schedule
Friday - 6:15 pm Warmups, 7:15 pm 13U vs. Tar Heels, Koko Head gym
Sunday - 11:00 am Practice, McCully gym
Sunday - 3:00 pm Dave & Busters, 13U celebration party
Monday - 5:45 pm warmups, 6:45 pm 13U vs. Sharks Black, Kaimuki Park gym

Wednesday Funday

Good workout on Wednesday. Shook off a little rust, got some conditioning work done, got some ballhandling and on-ball defensive work done, reps with halfcourt offense. Walter Berthold, Javan Montiho, Micah Visoria, Ryan Higashionna, Kali'a Mielke, Jerry KillMet Killion, Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz. 13U league starts on Friday. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder 17U vs San Fran

H1 Thunder vs. San Francisco, NJB Hawaii Summer Classic, 17U Division, Saturday, July 20, 2013, Manoa Valley Recreation Center. SF led 14-1, but the Thunder never gave up and kept chipping away. Watch for the big clutch plays down the stretch, including the game-winning shot by Isaiah Visoria in the final seconds. San Francisco went on to win the 17U Division.

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