Tribulations and thanks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!

I'm thankful for each of our guys (and Sierra), all our parents, and the way we make a great effort for each other as a team. Sometimes people say, "You shouldn't take things personally." Well, that's impossible. Everything IS personal. Everything that's worthwhile takes a personal choice and, often times, a lot of sacrifice to do and achieve. So be thankful for what your family has done for you, and feel good about what you do for them, and feel good about the work you've done for yourself.

Not everything in life is worth a second thought. But the things that matter to you most - those are the things that are personal. When we focus on what's important, that's when everything really is personal. That's when life really matters.

Dyrbe Enos was never a tall guy, never expected to be 6-foot-10 and have it easy playing the game he loves. But he was the best basketball player in high school ball a couple of years ago. I saw him drill 3 after 3 in the first preseason game of his senior year. Kamehameha routed Radford. He scored 31 points on just 14 shots and had only 1 turnover. Incredible numbers for an early-season game.

After the season, he told me that he took at least 500 shots every single day of the offseason. No days off. I thought that was remarkable and insane. But that's Dyrbe, who's now getting more and more playing time with UH. He was - and still is - one of the most driven basketball players ever, not just in Honolulu, but anywhere. He lives his goals and dreams with each practice shot. His shot release gets quicker and more accurate every day. He works hard in the weight room. Hits the books hard.

That's one of the best ways to show thanks, by putting it into action. So here's a story about Dirk Nowitzki from 2007. He's another guy who took 500 shots every day as a kid. Nobody forced him. He just did it because he had dreams. And he loved to work at them.

Chew on this when you're stuffed with turkey. WE LUB THIS GAAAAAME!!

http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-11-22/news/crocodile-nowitzki/

Wednesday funday

3 Thunder strong today at Makiki Park. The boys need a challenge so we worked haaaaard. Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning. These three guys are in decent shape. We're going to get faster, stronger and quicker in the next 3+ weeks leading into the Aiea Intermediate League opener (and the CAL Middle School League and PAA 13U). DId a lot of drills - ballhandling, on-ball defense, low post, high post, wing offense, 3-point shooting.

Then 2-on-2. Kyle Moraga and Chris Afe rallied for a 43-42 win over Hsien Pascua and Coach Paul (10-minute halves). Then the boys played 4-on-4 with the adults for another hour. They just don't play like most 12- or 13-year-olds. Hsien's floater is deadly. Kyle's 3-ball is solid. Chris is hitting pull-up shots 10-15 feet consistently. Can't wait until we have our entire team together, scrimmaging and getting ready for the leagues.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Next: Friday, 10:00 am - Scrimmage vs. Anuenue varsity, Palolo gym. Coach Bo just called tonight and asked if we can go. I need to know who can go and who cannot. We need about 7-8 guys. WE LUB THIS GAAAAAME!!

Tuesday funday

Only 1 Thunder at practice today. Kyle Moraga and me played with the big guys, 3-on-3 halfcourt. Good workout. Kyle caught fire in the second game and hit 7 treys. That was fun. I'm beat.

Next: Wednesday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. We need everybody there in FULL FORCE!

Monday funday

Got some serious work in today with Jared Elwin, Ryan Higashionna and Kapaa Nishimura. We are less than 4 weeks away from our opener in Aiea League and the conditioning work is stepping up big time. Good work, Thunder!

Kyle - sorry I couldn't pick you up. It was really late already. Then I forgot my phone.

Next: Tuesday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. If you need a ride, let me know before 3:00 pm so we all can beat traffic. WE LUB THIS GAAAAAAME!!

Sunday funday

A lot of work and fun today at McCully. Today's crew got work done with low post, high post, wing, mid-range, 3-point range work. Ran through some basic sets, fine-tuning on execution. Also worked on man-to-man shell and responsibilities (and positioning) with Coach Larry and Coach Rob.

Today's lineup: Kyle Moraga, Joshua de Jesus, Kali'a Mielke, Chris Afe, Felcris Jay Corpuz, Micah Visoria. Finished off with 3-on-3 King of the Court with Coach Larry and Coach Paul.

Then the guys hit the pool after lunch. A good day!

Next: Monday 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. WE LUB THIS GAAAME!

Thursday funday

Lot of busy guys but we still had a good practice today. A lot of shooting drills in perfect weather (no wind). Today's crew: Kyle Moraga, Kapaa Nishimura and Ryan Higashionna. Raining threes at Makiki Park.

No practice Friday. I need to catch up on editing work videos. No practice Saturday unless guys want to work out in the morning.

Next: Sunday 11:00 am, shooting practice, McCully gym. WE LUB THIS GAAAME!

Video: Thunder 17U vs Blue Devils

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Solid team effort with a lot of savvy passing by our guys. We're rarely a tall team, but the ballhandling, passing and shooting more than make up for it. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Tuesday funday

Good workout today with a little more conditioning, plenty of ballhandling drills and 4-on-4 scrimmage. The team of Ryan Higashionna, Jared Elwin, Coach Rob and Coach Paul beat the team of Kyle Moraga, Kali‘a Mielke, Joshua de Jesus and Manoa Kualii-Moe in a thriller, 39-35. (Can't remember the final score.)

Day by day, reps, competition, teamwork. We bust our lip, bleed, sweat, and keep working. League season is going to be here real quick. Let's keep going strong! WE LUB THIS GAME!

Next: Wednesday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. Anybody need a ride? Call/text me 551-1054.

Aiea Blazers Intermediate League starts Dec 21

Got the e-mail today from Rob Godinez that the Aiea Blazers' Intermediate League will start on Dec. 21 instead of Dec. 28.

We have a car wash on Dec. 21, can't change that date. The fee ($325) has already been paid and is non-refundable. We'll probably have to figure out a way to have the game scheduled at 9:00 am and our Thunder parents will have to man the car wash until the boys get there around 10:30. It gets really busy after 11:00 am, normally.

Monday funday

Solid group of 5 Thunder today at Makiki Park. Hardly any wind, great for shooting drills. Worked on ballhandling, on-ball defense, 3-point shooting. Scrimmaged 3-on-3 for 15 minutes. The team of Ryan Higashionna, Kapaa Nishimura and Coach Paul pulled away from the team of Kali'a Mielke, Jared Elwin and Manoa Kualii Moe 25-15.

Next: Tuesday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. WE LUB THIS GAAAME!

Viena Bros. playing for Shoreline CC

See Shoreline Community College (Seattle, Wash.) 2013-14 roster

Two former Thunder ballers! Bulla (Dean) helped us out big time when we played in a league that expanded to allow adults, our best player as we won the title. Drew was our MVP (my opinion), the most consistent player and one of our hardest workers the spring and summer before his senior year. Great memories of two outstanding leaders.

Sunday funday

Excellent workout today at McCully. Got a LOT of shooting and footwork drills in. Low post, high post, wing, 3-point shooting (situational on the move). Then a solid 3-on-3. The team of Jared Elwin, Joshua de Jesus and Coach Rob Mielke held on to beat Kyle Moraga, Kali'a Mielke and Mick Colling 39-36.

Almost forgot: Mick set a new 17U record in the fullcourt layup drill with a time of 4.35. He did a bunch of times in the 4.6 to 4.7 range before doing a 4.40. Then came the 4.35.

The 13U record still belongs to Tanielu Mosi Afe (4.56).

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

2014 statistical goals for games

> Force the other team into 20+ turnovers
> Get a quality shot up within 7 seconds
> Take 60+ shots per game
> Among those 60 field-goal attempts, at least 25 should be 3-pointers (the rest should be layups and post shots). Shoot at least 33% on the threes and 50% on the rest (standard percentages), that's 61 points per game. Even with a running clock. I know we can shoot even better than that.

We can do this, of course. When I was at Kaimuki JV, we took about 80 shots per game (they have a normal stop clock though) and scored in the 70s and 80s regularly until injuries got us.

All it takes is daily work, getting into the best shape of your life and 100% backing up your teammates. All positive, all fun. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Why I'm not OK about Thunder in PAL

For our Thunder guys and our Thunder parents, I have so much aloha. You guys remind me all the time how much joy there is in working and playing together as one team, one unit. We have some hilarious guys, some quiet guys, but everybody loves his team, puts in a lot of effort and sacrifices for his teammates.

I feel blessed! 

This is a tough one. But after thinking about it for the past couple of days, I think it's only fair to share what I think about PAL.

PAL exists for one primary reason: to get kids off the street and busy participating in sports. It's about sports for kids, and though the games result in winners and losers, the quality level is not a priority. Neither is the officiating. I've seen that lead to serious problems, including injuries. But the worst thing is a team that splinters. I'll explain.

1. No referee training.

When my nephew Josh played PAL flag football, the officiating was atrocious sometimes. One day, one of the police officers explained to me that they used to train their referees, but those trainees later got recruited by Pop Warner, etc., for better money. PAL doesn't have a budget to pay that kind of money. It's basically a volunteer league. So PAL STOPPED TRAINING THEIR REFEREES.

2. High injury risk. 

I helped coach my nephew's PAL basketball team one year. This was in 1999 or so. One day, five of our kids got hurt in a game against a bunch of rough kids. They had kids who were huge and our guys were getting piled on during loose balls. The other team's kids were actually rolling over our guys, then rolling back on them over and over. I asked the referee to stop this, and he had this crazy look in his eyes and told me, "You making stuff up, Coach! You making stuff up!"

We had kids getting hurt bad enough that they couldn't continue playing. Getting pretzeled. And the guys in charge were borderline mentally incapable of keeping kids safe. I never let Josh play in PAL again after that. Never regretted that decision. It led to him playing in KAC, which was where we started our Thunder team.

Kyle played in PAL a few years ago. It was so rough, they broke his collarbone. It's just not worth it!

3. Spirit of PAL.

PAL does not allow "club" teams to enter. The spirit of the league is about giving kids with no teams to play on an organized setting, so there are a lot of novice-level players, teams that are just trying to get experience on the court. That's why I saw a lot of games at PAL where some teams would run up the score and win by 60, 70 or 80 points.

So why would any PAL team have three or four (or more) guys from an outside (club) team? That goes against the spirit of PAL.

For guys who go there, there's absolutely NOTHING to be gained by playing in a league like that. Winning (or losing) by 60 points always turns out to be a waste of time and energy. That time would've been better spent practicing, working on your shot, free throws, conditioning and scrimmaging against each other.

I know the temptation to dominate other teams is always there, but I know for a fact that beating weak, inexperienced, less-talented teams by 50 in every game is useless for our guys. Playing in competitive leagues (CAL, PAA, NJB All-Net, Aiea) against solid teams and future high-school (and college) players on a regular basis makes us better as a team. It raises the intelligence level as an athlete. It challenges us to improve and prepare for the next level.

PAL is not going to do that.

4. Choices.

I'm not going to stop any of us from going to play in PAL. That's an individual decision. But please understand, we've had an issue in the past with SPLINTERING. A couple of years ago, just before we were about to start a new league in 17U, one of our coaches put another team into another league. It was a good way for the guys from Roosevelt to get playing time together exclusively during the summer.

At the time, I didn't think it was a totally bad idea. But what it did was split our team in half on those game days and we were on the verge of forfeiting games many times.

Looking back now, I realize it was one of the worst things that happened to our 17U. It took us a long, long time to recover from that. Even though we were playing in tons of leagues and playing tons of games, our 17U splintered and we lost chemistry and unity. Though intentions were good, the result was negative for that group of guys.

If some of our guys go off to play in a PAL league, it's almost a guarantee that there will be scheduling conflict issues again. Our Thunder start playing in Aiea, CAL and PAA leagues in December and January. Three leagues on different nights of the week. There are going to be scheduling problems if there's another league that some of our guys play in. I don't want to have those problems ever again. It's not worth the stress, especially after seeing our guys practice hard and work together for so long as one team, as Thunder brothers.

5. Free is not always good.

PAL is free. There is no entry fee. No insurance fees. But often times, you get what you pay for. While we're practicing and working hard, PAL doesn't train their people. They don't have an obligation to make sure kids have the best possible referees. In fact, because their referees are working for almost nothing, didn't get trained, the effort is often not there to try their best and officiate well.

You see the PAL ref who walks while the teams are on a fastbreak? It's human nature. His heart isn't in it.

6. Scheduling clutter. 

I'm not against PAL. It's just a different level that suits a different kind of team and player. We're going to be busy. Plenty busy.

With Aiea League changing its format, allowing all 8th graders to play, that means our guys who are turning (or already turned) 14 years old are going to be much busier.

Our games are going to be on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Not necessarily games on five days/nights in a row, but it's could happen. When we do get a rare day off, we're going to practice or rest. Last year, we had more games than practices. As a whole, we had about 175 games, which was up from about 120 the year before.

For our guys who are/were 13 years old or younger, they played about 100 to 120 games in an eight-month span of 2013. That was fun. But once league games start, we lose too much practice time — shooting reps, especially — because of so many games. I don't want to lose any more practice time.

The typical schedule once we start league play again will be practice on a Monday and/or Tuesday. Then there will be a game on Wed or Thur, then usually games on Fri, Sat and Sun. Sometimes there will be two games, even three (15U starts in February) on some days. Then Sundays will be car wash days or shooting practice at McCully gym.

I'd rather have a day of practice than lose it for a PAL game.

Why such a long post about PAL? 

Because there's more to it than just playing a game there once or twice a week. If you play for the Thunder, your teammates have full trust in you. I have full trust in you. Your parents and coaches are putting in valuable time to drive you to practice and back home. The sweat and time you put in is not just for yourself, but for your teammates. And if we have anybody who misses Thunder games, that's going to hurt our unity and commitment to each other. That would be sad. We've done a lot of great things as a team and we're still growing every day!

I've seen the problems of a splintered team before, so I had to speak up on this. Hopefully, you guys understand where I'm coming from.

For the guys who insist on playing in PAL or other leagues, again, I'm not going to stop you. Making choices is part of growing up, and you're never going to make everybody happy.

But please realize that the time we all put in for our teammates is crucial. We have one heart as a team. Time goes on, we keep working, having fun as a brotherhood. We make sacrifices for each other, we're a better team and better people for it.

Those guys who left? They really missed out.

WE LUB THIS GAAAAME!

Aiea League to allow 8th graders

Aiea League has changed format from 13U to 8th-grade and younger. In other words, it's now an "intermediate league." That means Kyle Moraga, Kali'a Mielke, Manoa Kualii Moe are now eligible to play in that league. Same with all the teams, so it's going to be some strong competition. Games are on Saturdays 9 am to 1 pm, starting Dec. 28.

From Rob Godinez of the Aiea League:

Aloha Coaches, 

Sorry for the delay but league packets will be sent out on Monday. However, because of some requests or confusion with age cut-off, we will run all leagues and tournaments (hosted by Aiea Blazers) by grade levels! Therefore, Our 13U league will now be an Intermediate League (8th grade & under). Grade level as of 2013-2014 school year. A copy of school ID or transcript to show proof of grade will be required. 

Hopefully this will eliminate all problems with "late birthdays" and/or "foreign birth years"....and whatever! 

Please respond to this email ASAP to confirm participation in the league which starts on Dec. 28 and will be $400 per team. Again, all other info will be included in the league packet that will be sent out on Monday. 

Mahalo,
Rob

Updated rosters 11/14 (adds Aiea League change)

If anyone is missing from these roster lists, please remind me.
WE LUB THIS GAME!

11/14 11:20 pm, NOTE: Aiea League changed its format on Thursday night (Nov 14). It is now an 8th-grade and younger league, not a 13U league. (There is now no age/birthdate cutoff, just like CAL's middle-school league.) This means Kyle, Kali‘a and Manoa are now eligible to play. Also, I added Manoa to the 15U roster for PAA League. I missed that earlier.

All names listed in order of birthdate (oldest first).

Aiea Intermediate League

Formerly known as Aiea 13U League
Begins Dec. 28

Games on Saturdays, 9 am to 1 pm

Roster (must be in 8th grade or lower, bring copy of school ID or transcript)

Manoa Kualii-Moe 

Kali‘a Mielke
Kyle Moraga 

Jared Elwin 

Joshua de Jesus

Kapaa Nishimura

Javan Montiho

Chris Alaivanu-Afe

Micah Visoria

Ryan Higashionna

Walter Berthold

Felcris Ahadain 

CAL Middle School League 

Begins Jan. 10

Games on Friday nights/Saturday mornings/Sundays

Roster (must be in 8th grade or lower)

Manoa Kualii-Moe 

Kyle Moraga 

Jared Elwin 

Joshua de Jesus

Kapaa Nishimura

Javan Montiho

Chris Alaivanu-Afe

Micah Visoria

Ryan Higashionna

Walter Berthold

Felcris Ahadain 

note: Kali‘a is playing with Blue Devils

PAA 13U League

Begins Jan

Games on Wed/Thur/Sunday afternoons

13U roster (must be 13 as of league start date)

Jared Elwin 04/08/2000 13

Joshua de Jesus 08/04/2000 13

Kapaa Nishimura 08/12/2000 13

Javan Montiho 02/10/2001 12

Chris Alaivanu-Afe 02/12/2001 12

Micah Visoria 03/02/2001 12

Ryan Higashionna 10/20/2001 12

Walter Berthold 10/25/2001 12

Felcris Ahadain 12

PAA 15U League

Begins Feb

15U roster (must be 15 as of league start date)

15U roster

?Jerry Killion 09/03/1998 15

Sifo Lauvao 09/03/1998 15

?Tone Lauvao 15

Keanu Pratt 15

?Huthaifah Daila 15

Sierra Murobayashi 14

Manoa Kualii-Moe 09/1999 14

Kali‘a Mielke 10/05/1999 14

Tanielu Alaivanu-Afe 11/02/1999 14

Kyle Moraga 12/22/1999 14

Jared Elwin 04/08/2000 13

Joshua de Jesus 08/04/2000 13

Kapaa Nishimura 08/12/2000 13

Chris Alaivanu-Afe 02/12/2001 13

Alternates

Javan Montiho  02/10/2001 13

Micah Visoria 03/02/2001 12

Ryan Higashionna 10/20/2001 12

Walter Berthold 10/25/2001 12

Felcris Ahadain 12

Wednesday funday

The wind died down today, so we got some shooting drills in, plus ballhandling and on-ball defense. Finished off with 3-on-3. The team of Kyle Moraga, Manoa Kualii Moe and Kapaa Nishimura beat the team of Kali'a Mielke, Jared Elwin and Coach Paul 38-31 (something like that). Good workout, guys!

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

Tuesday funday

No drills today. One court was occupied and the other had a lot of guys wanting to play pickup ball. 12 players total. So we compromised and had a 4-on-4 "king of the court" competition. It was good for our guys to battle with the adults for a good hour or so non-stop.

Today's lineup: Jared Elwin, Ryan Higashionna, Joshua de Jesus,Kali'a Mielke, Kyle Moraga, Manoa Kualii Moe and (long time no see) Micah Visoria.

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

Uniforms 2014: an update

Some photos to go with the suggestions for new uniforms. 

H1 THUNDER
2014 Choices

Yellow (bright) throwback Thunder/Sonics jersey — In the beginning (2010), we were assigned to be the Sonics in the KAC league. Green mesh jerseys with SONICS in white paint. But Cody Ogoso insisted that we avoid calling ourselves a team that 1) had changed its nickname and 2) no longer existed in Seattle. He suggested THUNDER and everybody, all 10 guys, approved. So we became the Thunder. But this yellow Sonics throwback is still classic and I know some of our current guys have asked about yellow. See link below. The only difference is I like white numbers with green outline/trim instead of green numbers with white outline/trim.




Chrome/Silver (shiny) jersey > Filipino style design (like Coach Roy's customized jersey) < — Black numbers, White outline/trim. Chrome/Silver team name, Black outline/trim. Similar to link below.




White (shiny) jersey — Teal Blue numbers, Orange outline/trim. Teal Blue team name, Orange outline/trim. (This one is the most like the actual OKC Thunder home uniform.) See links below. 

Orange (shiny) jersey — Chrome/Silver numbers, White outline/trim. Chrome/Silver team name, White outline/trim. Something like the color combination in this link below, just have chrome silver numbers instead of gray. And no dark colors on the collar and waist. Only Orange, Silver and White.

(re-order) Teal Blue (shiny) jersey — Teal Blue numbers, orange outline/trim. Teal Blue team name, Orange outline/trim. This uniform from early 2013 was and still is much loved.

 

OF COURSE, nothing is free. Each set (of 15 uniforms) will cost about $500. But we need to start choosing now before the leagues start up in late December/Jan/Feb. Car washes starting in early Dec. We'll work hard, play hard and have some sweet threads to wear while we're at it.

Monday funday

Solid workout, from conditioning to shooting to footwork. Finished with 3-on-3. The team of Kyle Moraga, Ryan Higashionna and Coach Paul held on for a 24-20 win over Kali'a Mielke, Hsien Pascua and Joshua de Jesus.

Sunday funday

Nothing like a workout indoors on a wet day like this. Got a lot of solid ballhandling and offensive footwork/shooting drills today for Kali'a Mielke, Ryan Higashionna and Nainoa Mielke. A solid 90 minutes of work.

Good defense is hard work, but a true baller will put in the hours to hone his offensive skills. Today was a good day.

Next: Monday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. WE LUB THIS GAAAME!

Saturday morning, back in town

Took the first flight out of Hilo, landed at 7:15 am. On the way home, couldn't resist. Headed to the bakery to get Spanish rolls. Guess who I see walking on Houghtailing St? Big guy, over 6 feet, going toward Farrington. The walk is familiar. I pass by, he's wearing a Thunder T-shirt.

Yep, it was Chris Afe. I was cracking up, then I wondered what's he doing up so early. He was on his way to his football coach's house for a game. I gave him a ride to his grandpa's house.

Chris said he's ready for Aiea league, CAL league, PAA league. I dropped him off and went to the bakery. Then I remembered - Chris likes Spanish rolls, too. Oh well... next time.

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

No scrimmage on Saturday

Not enough Thunder players available on Saturday morning, so I let Coach Kelly Grant know we have to cancel. No can help.

He said maybe we'll scrimmage Maryknoll next weekend.

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

Need more for Maryknoll scrimmage

The scrimmage on Saturday at Maryknoll is ON, just a matter of getting enough guys. Kali‘a has to take his entrance exam at Kamehameha. Manoa is a maybe. Kyle's mom has her birthday (and he has church later in the morning). Ryan is a maybe. Javan has football.

Right now, the only definite player is Joshua.

Walter - maybe

Kyle - maybe

Manoa - maybe

Ryan - maybe

Need to hear from Hsien, Felcris, Chris, Kapaa, Jared.

The scrimmage is 8th grade and younger only. If we don't have enough, I'll call Coach Kelly and cancel it. If we play, I'll be back from Hilo early in the morning and pick up the guys who need a ride.

WHO IS IN?

Update 10:00 pm: Kyle is out and Kapaa has volleyball. If I don't hear from everybody else, I'm going to tell Coach Kelly on Friday morning that we're cancelling. It's too bad. They have a nice gym and a pretty good team, probably. Need guys to call or text me tonight or early Friday morning to confirm yes or no 551-1054. 

Thursday funday

We got a good workout in today. Ballhandling drills, shooting drills, 4-on-4 halfcourt. (We couldn't go fullcourt because the other courts were being used.) We keep working and getting reps, competing in our scrimmages. The team of Walter, Kyle, Coach Rob and Coach Paul beat the team of Kali‘a, Ryan, Manoa and Joshua 40-31.

We were hoping Roosevelt would be there today, but they probably had access to their gym and stayed on campus. Can't blame 'em.

Update: CAL league begins Jan 10

Got the e-mail: CAL Middle-School League will begin on January 10. Games are on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Sundays. Entry fee is $475 and we'll have eight games.

Here's everything coming up.

Dec. 28 - Aiea 13U League (Saturdays 9 am to 1 pm)
Jan. 10 - CAL Middle-School League (Fri nights/Sat mornings/Sun)
Jan - PAA 13U League (Wed/Thur/Sun afternoons).
Feb - PAA 15U League

Thursday/Saturday fun

OK, I see blue sky right now (1:30 pm) so I'm optimistic about practice today (5:00 at Makiki Park). Roosevelt plans to be at the park again, so we will probably scrimmage again.

And this: Coach Kelly Grant called. He asked if we would scrimmage his intermediate team (8th grade and below). On Saturday, meet at Maryknoll School gym by 8:30 to stretch and warm up, then we scrimmage at 9:00 am. Hopefully, we'll get to scrimmage them on other days, too.

Thunder - Please wear your blue uniforms for the Saturday scrimmage.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Wednesday rainout

Rain, rain go away. 

  

Well, that was a washout. I was at the office getting my laptop modem fixed when it got close to 5:00 pm. Got ahold of Kali‘a/Coach Rob, Manoa, Coach Roy/Kyle, tried to reach Ryan and Jared. It was cloudy most of the day and the court was soaking wet, not going to dry, so we cancelled it. Hopefully, tomorrow is a different story! I know everybody wants to scrimmage again.

Next: Thursday, 5:00 pm, Practice at Makiki Park. Call or text me if you need ride. WE LUB THIS GAAAAAME!

Tuesday funday

Sometimes the gift is handed right to us. We got a good workout today and we even got a scrimmage against a solid group of varsity and JV players without even knowing it was coming. The Roosevelt boys were at Makiki Park today, so after a short warmup, our guys scrimmaged them for about 30 minutes straight.

It was ideal. By the time Ryan and Jared arrived, we had 8, and when Nainoa (Kalia‘s brother) joined in, we had a nice, solid 9 guys rotating in and out. It was fun, especially since we've been playing among ourselves for awhile since the PAA and CAL leagues finished up.

Mahalo to Coach Steve Hathaway for his kokua and allowing his team to scrimmage with us.

The scrimmage got cut a bit short since there was a conflict with a man who wanted to shoot baskets on one of the rims and there were none available with us scrimmaging and a KAC practicing on the other court. The man kept asking if we had a permit, and we don't. So instead of arguing, we ended it. But that 30 minutes of competition was worth it.

Then the 9 Thunder had a 3-on-3 tourney, King of the Court style. That was excellent competition, too.

Today's lineup: Kyle Moraga, Joshua de Jesus, Hsien Pascua,Manoa Kualii Moe, Kali'a Mielke, Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Nainoa Mielke, Jared Elwin.

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

Monday funday

Solid workout at Makiki Park today. We were 8 strong, plus Coach Rob and Coach Paul. Got some ballhandling work done, a little conditioning, some post and wing footwork/shooting drills. Then we scrimmaged 5-on-5. The team of Manoa Kualii Moe, Kyle Moraga, Hsien Pascua and Coach Rob rallied for a 32-29 win over Jared Elwin, Kali'a Mielke, Ryan Higashionna and Coach Paul. Good battle start to finish. Too bad the old man couldn't hit the 3 to tie it at the end. Next time.

Next: Tuesday, 5:00 pm, practice at Makiki Park. That's right, Tuesday. I've got weeknights free now, so let's roll! WE LUB THIS GAAAME!!

League updates: Aiea league Dec. 28

Got word that the Aiea league will start on Dec. 28. Games will be played Saturday mornings with game times of 9, 10, 11 am and 12 noon. Only Saturdays.

Also, PAA will start its 13U league in January. They also have an 11U league, if we're interested. I know some people have asked me about that, but right now we don't have the numbers. That could change, of course. I'm open to it. The younger they start learning and working, the better!

PAA's 15U league won't start until February.

There's also the CAL Middle School League that starts in January. Who lubs this game? I can't wait.

Sunday workout a little later

Sunday, 11:30 am - Practice, McCully gym. I might be 15-30 minutes late because of the HHSAA state football tournament coaches press conference at Aloha Stadium (10 am). I'll probably be at the gym around noon. But everybody just go and work out as early as you can. Gym opens 11:00 am. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Good work, #80

Shout out to Tanielu Mosi Afe in today's OIA Red JV championship game against Kahuku. Tani had two huge catches, both 36-yard bombs. I was wishing they'd throw to him all day. Tough loss for the Govs, but great effort against a very good Kahuku squad. Keep your head up, Tani! You guys did good.

Video: Thunder 17U vs H4C

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Video: Thunder 13U vs Kailua

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


A playoff loss is never fun to watch, but we came out flat, no energy, no physical play until later. Then we made a huge run. After trailing 15-0, we were within 27-26 late in the game. We had opportunities to take the lead, to tie the game, and we came up short, losing 32-30. We'll keep learning from the ups and downs. It's easy to get negative, but we've had so many ups, all that matters to me is that we keep getting better, keep working at our skills every day. There are no shortcuts and I like the fact that a lot of our guys like to keep improving year-round. WE LUB THIS GAME!