Wednesday funday

10 strong on a windy day at Makiki Park. Couldn't get any real shooting drills in, but we worked on layups, on-ball defense, some conditioning. Controlled scrimmage for 40 minutes, working on our zone offensive sets and inbounds plays. Good battle by both intersquad teams. 

Today's lineup: Thomas Baptiste, Colin Ramos, Micah Visoria, Ryan Higashionna, Josh Roberts, Kali'a Mielke, Kyle Moraga, Joshua de Jesus,Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain and Gabriel Porras. Good to see everyone playing hard, having fun.

Next: BUSY FUN WEEKEND!
Friday, May 2, 6:30 pm - Thunder vs. Kalakaua Acacdemy (OBL 13U semifinal), Koko Head gym
Friday, May 2, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Kalakaua Academy (OBL 15U quarterfinal), Koko Head gym
Friday, May 2, 8:00 pm - Thunder vs. Hoops4Christ (NJB 13U), Kilauea gym
Saturday, May 3, 10:45 am - If we win 5/2 playoff (OBL 15U semifinal), Koko Head gym
Saturday, May 3, 2:00 pm - Thunder vs. Blue Devils (NJB 15U), Palama gym
Sunday, May 4, 9:15 am - TBA if we win semifinal (OBL 13U final), Manoa gym
Sunday, May 4, 10:00 am - TBA if we win semifinal (OBL 15U final), Manoa gym

Video: Thunder vs NJB Windward (13U)

Part 1


Part 2


Video: Julie Montiho.
Playoffs, quarterfinal round, OpenCourt Basketball League, 13-Under Division. Sunday, Apr. 27, 2014. Koko Head District Park gym.

Monday funday

Everybody worked hard at practice today. Got conditioning work in. On-ball defensive work. Situational 5-on-5 work and scrimmaging.

Things were pretty solid as our newer guys like Chase and Raydyn learn plays and get used to the guys. I enjoyed today's practice for the most part. Things did get rough at the end, beyond what we want or need at practice or in any game.

I've talked to you guys, and I've talked with the parents of both players. I expect us all to move forward together as a team. For the most part today, we were disciplined. Once we lost discipline, conflict arose, and that's my responsibility.

So, expect a heightened level of discipline from this point on. This is a good thing. Structure and respect helps build leaders. I see leaders in every one of our Thunder keiki. Leaders in the making.

Today's lineup: Thomas Baptiste, Josh Roberts, Walter Berthold, Ryan Higashionna, Javan Montiho, Jared Elwin, Kyle Moraga, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Raydyn Kaleikini, Chase Santos and Kali'a Mielke.

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

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder vs Lanakila Black (15U)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Video: Eric Murobayashi.
NJB All-Net Basketball League, 15-Under Division. Saturday, Apr. 26, 2014. Kilauea District Park gym.

H1 Thunder 30, NJB Windward 12 (13U)

## H1 Thunder 30, NJB Windward 12 ##
OBL 13U quarterfinal, Koko Head gym
Solid win for our 13U, again a 5-foot-6 and under lineup, but we played great defense from sideline to sideline. Windward had a couple of big, beefy post players who were tough inside. Good footwork, automatic layup guys. But we pressured Windward all game long and they didn't get past halfcourt most of the time. 

It's always great when an entire team buys into great defense. Offensively, we were quick in transition, scored a lot off steals, and when we didn't score right away, the guys were patient and precise often.
Our guys who are capable of hitting 6 or more 3-pointers in a game were wise and patient today once we got the lead to 15 early. That's what I mean when I say we played like men today. A lot of maturity on the court, a lot fun to watch. 

Our energy guys off the bench also played great defense and took care of the ball. Easy layups, open threes. It works. 

Today's lineup: Micah Visoria, Josh Roberts, Thomas Baptiste, Walter Berthold, Javan Montiho, Joshua de Jesus, Colin Ramos, Ryan Higashionna, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain. 

Kapaa Nishimura rested his ankle today, wisely so. Chris Afe was busying moving house with his family. Miss you guys. 

BIG MAHALO to Auntie Julie for shooting the game video! 

Next: Monday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. 

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder vs Mililani Storm (15U)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3



Video: Eric Murobayashi. NJB All-Net Basketball League, 15-Under Division. Friday, Apr. 25, 2014. Kilauea District Park gym.

15U - schedule change, forfeit

Parents and players, my apologies. I got a call at 1:55 pm while we were en route to Koko Head gym. It was an NJB All-Net League official saying we had a 15U game at Palolo gym, which was shocking. We were coming? It was too late. When we got to Koko Head, I opened my laptop and checked the master schedule.

Originally, we had no game in 15U today, but NJB All-Net sent a revision in early April and I MISSED IT. They changed the date of a game between our Thunder 15U against Kapolei Canes from May 4 to April 27.

That game was supposed to be played today, 2 pm, at Palolo gym. But I missed it and we forfeited the game. I apologize.

Please go over this attachment of the revised schedule. I have made a change to our combined schedule, but it's too late to make up for today's game.

It's a lot more challenging keeping up with NJB since they make changes by e-mail only - no phone calls or text messages. So please help and check the schedule for any differences to what I have posted on the blog. The more eyes, the better.

I will also start double checking with the league's officials on our weekly schedules from this point.

Coach Paul

13U playoff game moved to Sunday

## SCHEDULE UPDATE ##
Sunday, 2:45 pm or later - Thunder vs. Windward (OBL 13U quarterfinal), Koko Head gym. This game was originally scheduled for today (Saturday), but was postponed because the Parks & Rec staff did not show up to open the gym until 10:30 am. Some teams had left, including our opponent, and the referees had departed, too. 

We'll have an exact game time from the league later today.
Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Micah Visoria, Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Chris Afe, Kapaa Nishimura, Thomas Baptiste, Josh Roberts, Walter Berthold.

Update 11:25 pm The game is set for 3:30 pm (Sunday) at Koko Head gym.

## Sunday pickup route ##
10:30 am - Micah Visoria
10:35 am - Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain
11:00 am - Shooting practice, McCully gym. If anybody wants a ride, let me know before 10 am - 551-1054.
1:30 pm - Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Micah Visoria?, Chris Afe?
2:30 pm - Warmups/stretching, Koko Head gym outside court.
3:30 pm - Thunder vs. Windward, OBL 13U quarterfinal.

Lanakila Black 46, H1 Thunder 34 (15U exhibt)

## Lanakila Black 46, H1 Thunder 34 ##
** Exhibition game ** 
NJB All-Net 15U, Kilauea gym
Since the Sharks forfeited their game this afternoon against us, Lanakila Black filled in. Unlike yesterday's foe (Mililani Storm), L-Black didn't play man defense on us. They saw us play yesterday and probably realize that wouldn't be a good idea. 

So, today we learned that our group of new and old players have to work on zone offense. We showed some nice flashes of execution agains their tight 2-3 zone. With time and reps, we'll master it, especially the high-low and low-high passes in the post.

Sometimes the 3-point shot is on and busting a zone is easy. Today, not the case, so finding easy shots against zone defense will be a priority at practice.

We're 2-2 in division play, so we have a good shot at making the championship bracket, and if we progress the way I think we will, we'll peak by the playoffs and anything is possible.
I think Lanakila Black has a very good chance to reach the semifinals and beyond. And we were right there with them today for most of the way with a team that has three brand-new guys. I'm optimistic!

Today's lineup: Jhayveen Ong, Gabriel Porras, Sierra Murobayashi, Drake Lee, Kapaa Nishimura, Jared Elwin, Raydyn Kaleikini, Chase Santos.

Next: Sunday, 11:00 am - Shooting practice, McCully gym. Bring your loose change. We start our Loose Change Collection Fundraiser.
Sunday, 2:45 pm or later - Thunder vs. Windward (OBL 13U quarterfinal), Koko Head gym. This game was originally scheduled for today (Saturday), but was postponed. We'll have an exact game time from the league later today. 

Change is good!

The H1 Thunder Loose Change Collection Drive tips off on Sunday, Apr. 27. All players can bring loose coins to Sunday's workout at McCully gym (11:00 am). The collection drive will continue until the end of April and beyond, if necessary.

Please dig everywhere for loose coins, and if family and friends want to help out, have them bring you their loose change, too. Once we collect the change, we'll sit down and pack them separately (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters). Everybody's got change. Change is good!

For the friends and family who have change that needs to be picked up, let me know and we'll set aside a Coin Pickup day, probably on a Sunday. I'll go drive around to pick the change up with help from some of our Thunder players and parents.

We've got new uniforms to order, new leagues coming up, and a mainland trip to fund. We're getting busy!

H1 Thunder 46, Mililani Storm 45, 2 OT (15U)

NJB All-Net 15U, Kilauea gym

We were down about 7 at halftime, but I wasn't worried. It was just some missed layups. Overall, we were moving the ball pretty well and playing solid defense once we started closing out on Mililani's long-range shooters.

Big win for the Thunder as all kinds of people stepped up to make it a victorious night. Drake bounced back from a recent illness to make some key defensive plays in the second half that help us take the lead. Chase is learning on the fly and his defensive coverage made our Sonic defense work well in the second half.

Kapaa returned from his ankle injury, still not quite 100%, but his explosiveness on offense was unmatched. Raydyn was also unstoppable on drives. The penetration by those two guys was crucial against the Storm, who had a 6-4 guy in the paint. Being able to take him outside and beat him off the dribble was a big factor.

Our quickness and wisdom with the ball helped us finish strong. Jared was a bit rusty, but he hit an early 3 and helped run the offense smoothly in the second half.

We were up 42-39 in the final seconds of regulation when one of the Mililani's shooters hit an off-balance 25-foot trey to tie it and force OT. Raydyn tied the game in the first OT with a tough bucket in the key.

The second extra period was a free-throw shootout format, similar to the one used in CAL. Their first guy missed. Our first guy, Kapaa, swished his. Their second guy made his. Then Raydyn, who was the first to volunteer for this action, hit his foul shot. Mililani's third guy missed, which clinched it for us. Sierra would've been next.

Solid win, great teamwork. I really like this group, just playing hard, tenacious fullcourt pressure and strong offensively. We have balance when most of our guys are there. Definite championship contender.

Tonight's lineup: Gabriel Porras, Drake Lee, Jhayveen Ong, Kapaa Nishimura, Sierra Murobayashi, Raydyn Kaleikini, Chase Santos, Jared Elwin.

Next:

Saturday, 10:45 am - Thunder vs. Windward (OBL 13U playoffs), Koko Head gym. Warmups 9:45 am.

Saturday, 1:30 pm - Thunder vs. Lanakila Black (NJB All-Net 15U), Kilauea gym. Warmups 12:30 pm.

Big mahalo to Eric Murobayashi for shooting the game video. And mahalo to Lehua Nishimura for dropping Jared off after the game.

WE LUB THIS GAAAAAME!

Scholar-Athlete: Kyle Moraga

One of our H1 Thunder Scholar-Athletes: PG Kyle Moraga! Congratulations, Kyle!
Photo by proud mom Chit Moraga.

Aiea Blazers summer tourneys

Just received this from Rob Godinez of the Aiea Blazers today. Their summer tournaments are set and they've gone with grade-level divisions instead of age divisions. This is good news for our 8th graders who have already turned 14.

Will we enter? Possibly, in Intermediate and JV. (Note: We'll be playing CAL 13U/15U/17U during June.) I'd rather save money for a mainland trip, but maybe we do everything. Early entry fee is $280 per tourney.

Here's the info:

2014 AIEA BLAZERS SUMMER BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS

TOURNAMENT DIVISIONS & DATES
JV Boys (10th Grade & Under): June 6-8 (Friday-Sunday)
Varsity Boys (12th Grade & Under): June 13-15 (Friday-Sunday)
Intermediate Boys (8th Grade & Under): June 20-22 (Friday-Sunday)
Tournament Location/Format
All games will be played at the Aiea District Park Gym. Teams will play at least 4 guaranteed games. Schedule/format subject to change pending on the number of teams participating. A minimum of 5 teams and a maximum of 8 teams will be used to play the tournament. Teams must be flexible to play all game times. Game times range from 5pm-8:30pm on Friday and 9am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday. Requests for game times will be accepted but not guaranteed!

Entry Fee
Regular entry fee is $325 per team and will be due by May 24, 2014. There is an “Early Discount” entry fee for $280 per team if entry fee is received by May 3, 2014. Please pay before the deadline to secure a spot in the tournament. Refunds will only be given if the tournament/division is canceled or another team is available to replace spot.

Player Eligiblity
All players MUST SUBMIT the following before the team’s first scheduled game to participate:
1) Waiver/Media Release Form
2) A copy of a school ID, transcript or any other legal document that confirms school grade level.

**Player’s grade level based on 2013-2014 school year.

Roster
Rosters must be completed and turned in prior to the start of the team’s first scheduled game. Players must match listed uniform numbers for identification. No additions to the roster once the tournament begins.

Emergency Contact
Coaches should be able to provide emergency contact information for their players if necessary.

Uniforms
All teams must have matching color uniforms in contrast to opponent with legible numbers.

GAME RULES
1) All NFHS rules will apply except for house rules.
2) There will be a 5-minute grace period only for the first scheduled game of the day.
3) Game will consist of two 18-minute halves. Game clock will be running time except for the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half. Time will not stop after made field goals. Time will not stop in the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half if the score margin is greater than 15 points. Halftime will be 2 minutes.
4) Overtime will be 2 minutes (stopped time). If a second overtime is needed, the first team to score 3 total points will be declared the winner.
5) Only 2 timeouts per half. Only 1 timeout for the first overtime. No timeouts in the second overtime. NO CARRYOVER.
6) Mercy Rule: There is no mercy rule. Coaches/teams/spectators are expected to implement good sportsmanship at all times.
7) Technical Fouls: All technical fouls will result in 2 free throws awarded to the opposing team. Clock will continue to run if it’s during running time period. NFHS rules apply.
8) LEAGUE DIRECTORS AND/OR OFFICIALS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EJECT AND/OR SUSPEND ANY COACH, PLAYER AND/OR SPECTATOR FROM THE GYM AND/OR TOURNAMENT FOR ANY UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT AND ALTERCATIONS WITH THE OTHER TEAMS, SPECTATORS, OFFICIALS, SCOREKEEPERS AND/OR TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS.

REMINDERS
1) Keep the facility clean. Properly dispose of all trash. There are picnic tables for use in the upper patio of the gym.
2) Do not leave children unattended.
3) Park vehicles in marked stalls only. Street parking also available.
4) Absolutely NO SMOKING and /or ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES on City & County park grounds. It’s the law!
5) Please report anything suspicious or in violation of rules. Let us all help each other in keeping this league and its environment safe and fun for everyone!

Video: 11 treys vs H4C (Int) slo-mo

Video: Brandon Higashionna.
Aiea Basketball League, Intermediate Division. Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. Aiea District Park gym.

Adds slow-motion replay.

Video: Thunder vs Lanakila (15U)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Video: Felcris Ahadain.
NJB All-Net Basketball League, 15-Under Division. Saturday, Apr. 19, 2014. Palama Settlement gym.

Summer fun (updated 4/24 am)

We're nearing the end of April, so in the coming week, I'm going to put together a budget for another summer mainland tournament(s) trip.

There are different scenarios that I would like to get everybody's input on. Regardless of which one we do, it all requires fundraising.

• I posted last week that we can cut a lot of cost by traveling for just 7 days instead of 11. It's possible to play two tournaments within just 7 days, as one parent from another team told me. That will take some checking around, but I'll do that next. A shorter trip means cutting costs big time.

• June or July? July is more convenient for most parents and players. There are more tournaments on the mainland during that month, but finding June tournaments wouldn't be hard, either. For at least one of our players, July is a more difficult option because there's high school football training that month.

• The cheaper flights are to California, though there are usually good discounted flights to Las Vegas (during certain times of the week). Last year, we got a special through hotel.com and paid just $44/room per night at Sam's Town. We got a similar price at the Motel 6 in Stanton (Anaheim).

• We need a commitment list of players who want to be on the travel team. If we play only in 14U tournament(s), that's our heaviest lineup. We can travel with just 8 players (or so). If we play in 14U and 13U tournaments, we'll need to travel with at least 10 players.

• Parents' travel. Hotels require at least one adult in each hotel room, so ideally, we'll have three adults (including me) for the trip. If we have just two adults, we'll squeeze everybody into two rooms. The adults will be our coaches. Additional adults traveling will pay their own way, but if we travel together (much preferred!), let me know ASAP so I can let the travel agency know way ahead of time for the best rates. Last year, the fare went from $600+ to $700+ in just a couple of weeks, and then the last-minute fare was $1,000.

And this: we don't have to travel. But there are so many pluses to it, and when our 14U is together, they are as strong as they were last year at 13U when we went 8-1 in LV and Anaheim and won a title.

If we don't travel, we'll still be busy anyway with the Kalani Summer Varsity League (May-June) and CAL 13U/15U/17U League. That's roughly $1,750 in league fees. We'll get there.

• As for fundraising for the trip, I got my tax refund back, so that's a start. If we cut costs by about 50% with a shorter time frame, the cost could get down below $10K (with some smart budgeting). Traveling party of 10 (or 12), that averages out to (ideally) $1,000 per player/coach.

That's a ballpark figure, gives us something to wrap our heads around for the moment. I'll have some precise figures within the next few days.

And, finally ...

I've mentioned this to a lot of our players and a few parents. One day, I'd really like to see us travel overseas. Could be China. Japan. I thought about the P.I., but some players said the facilities there often outdoors, not the best. Europe? Very pricey. And there's my fixation on the tournaments run by MAYB (Mid-America Youth Basketball, check out their website). As their name indicates, they hold tourneys in the Midwest, South, Southwest. Very intriguing because for every tourney (they hold several weekly from spring to fall) that's in a big town like Houston, there are a dozen others in small towns.

Who wants to play in Hoosierville one of these summers? I could dig that. Just some food for thought.

UPDATE 4/24 3:20 am
Some basic info I looked up. I'll check on tournaments after I get up.

AIRFARE

> HNL-LV-HNL

June 23-30

priceline.com - $704

plus Sam's Town - $871

http://www.priceline.com/vp-web/priceSort.do?jsk=464a200a554a200a20140424113459f9c021572985&plf=PCLN&mapDisplay=hide

(note: 10 people x $871 = $8,710 for airfare, hotel)

(note #2: This is not as cheap as squeezing 5-6 people per room)

July 14-21

priceline.com - $704

> HNL-LAX-HNL

priceline.com - $822

priceline.com - $658 (AIR/AUTO COMBO PACKAGE: economy-sized car; 2 vans, big increase in price)

HOTEL

June 23-30, July 14-21

hotels.com 

$48/night (2 rooms = $672 total) - Sam's Town (5111 Boulder Hwy), rating 4.2/5

$26/night (2 rooms = $364 total) - Golden Gate Hotel (1 Fremont St.), rating 3.2/5

$28/night (2 rooms = $392 total) - El Cortez (600 Fremont St.), rating 3.7/5

$43/night (2 rooms = $602 total) - California Hotel (12 E Ogden), rating 4.0/5

$43/night (2 rooms = $602 total) - Main Street Station Hotel (200 N Main), 4.1/5

GROUND TRANSPORTATION

See priceline.com special $658 (airfare/auto combo package)

TOURNAMENT OPTIONS

Under One Roof/Jam On It - http://www.jamonit.org/tournaments/

> July 17-20 - AAU West Coast National Championship, Las Vegas Convention Center ($600)

> July 22-24 - Las Vegas Classic, Las Vegas Conv. Ctr. ($600)

> July 25-27 - Jam On It Grand Finale, Las Vegas Conv. Ctr. ($600). Note: Coach must be NCAA-certified.

Bigfoot Hoops (Hal Pastner) http://www.bigfoothoops.com/tournaments/lvl/lvl

> July 16-20 - Las Vegas Live, Spring Valley HS ($595)

> July 23-27 - Las Vegas Classic, Spring Valley HS ($595). Coach must be NCAA-certified.

> July 23-27 - Vegas Finals, multiple sites ($696). By the guys who run the Adidas Super 64 (no 14U) tourneys.

Las Vegas Jr. Fab 48 http://www.lasvegasfab48.com/new-home.html

> July 26-29 multiple sites ($450). DC Assault won the 17U title last year. 

Swoosh Basketball http://www.swooshbasketball.org/tournaments/13-june-2014

- entry fee $325

June 7-8, 2014...June Heat Tournament (Morro Bay) Hosted by Cal Swoosh
June 7-8, 2014...Swoosh Summer Slam in OC
June 14-15, (Father's Day) 2014...Swoosh Summer Spectacular in OC
June 21-22, 2014...Swoosh Summer Splash in OC
June 21-22, 2014...Swoosh Summer Splash at Santa Clara HS (Oxnard)
June 28-29, 2014...Swoosh Summer Classic at Next Level Sports Complex (Garden Grove)
June 28-29, 2014...Summer Classic at Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) Hosted by Cal Swoosh
July 5-6, 2014...Swoosh Independence Day Classic at Fountain Valley High School
July 8-11, 2014...Girls E-Town Live Tournament Edmonton, AB Canada (Hosted by Swoosh Canada)
July 10-13, 2014...Boys E-Town Live Tournament, Canada (Hosted by Swoosh Canada)
July 11-13, 2014...Swoosh National Championship in Las Vegas
July 11-13, 2014...Swoosh National Championship in OC
July 16-20, 2014...Swoosh Presents: Las Vegas Live in Conjunction w/ Big Foot Hoops
July 18-20, 2014...Swoosh Ultimate Showcase at Next Level Sports Complex (Garden Grove)
July 23-27, 2014...Swoosh Presents: Las Vegas Classic in Conjunction w/ Big Foot Hoops
July 25-27, 2014...Swoosh World Championship at Next Level Sports Complex (Garden Grove)
July 26-27, 2014...Swoosh World Championship at Page Youth Center (Santa Barbara)

FOOD

10 people, $150/day, 7 days = $1,050 (minimum). Lots of McDonald's dollar menu. 

Wednesday funday

## Wednesday funday ##
Good work, fun work today at Makiki Park. Got some conditioning done early, a few drills, offensive sets and then 40 minutes of scrimmaging. Finished with 10 minutes of halfcourt defense and inbounds plays. Our new guys absorbed everything very well. Happy for that.

Overall, solid workout and beneficial to have 10+ Thunder.

Today's lineup: Josh Roberts, Walter Berthold, Ryan Higashionna, Thomas Baptiste, Raydyn Kaleikini, Chase Santos, Kali'a Mielke, Kyle Moraga, Manoa Kualii Moe, Javan Montiho, Micah Visoria.

Next: Friday, 6:00 pm - Thunder vs. Mililani Storm (NJB All-Net 15U), Kilauea gym. Warmups 5:00 pm.

Saturday, Apr. 26, 10:45 am - Thunder vs. Windward (OBL 13U quarterfinal), Koko Head gym. Warmups 9:45 am on outside court.

Saturday, Apr. 26, 1:30 pm - Thunder vs. Lanakila Black (NJB All-Net 15U), Kilauea gym. Warmups 12:30 pm on outside court.

Video: 10 treys vs KKB (Int) slo-mo

Video: Chit Moraga.
Compete & Learn (CAL) Basketball League, Middle School Gold Division. Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014. Kilauea District Park gym.

Adds slow-motion replay.

Video: 10 treys vs Asing Park (13U) slo-mo

Adds slow-motion replay.

Video: Kyle Moraga.
Ten 3-pointers by H1 Thunder against Asing Park Heat. Five 3-pointers by Joshua de Jesus.
Positive Attitude Always (PAA) Basketball League, 13-Under Division. Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014. Palolo Valley District Park gym.

Video: 9 treys vs 808 Knights (Int) slo-mo

Adds slow-motion replay.

Video: Brandon Higashionna.
Nine 3-pointers by H1 Thunder against 808 Knights. Aiea Basketball League, Intermediate Division. Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014. Aiea District Park gym.
Note: This re-edit adds slow-motion for all nine treys.

Video: Thunder vs Lanakila (13U)

Part 1


Part 2


Video: Nathan Higashionna.
NJB All-Net Basketball League, 13-Under Division. Saturday, Apr. 19, 2014. Kilauea District Park gym.

This week: Updates with OBL playoffs

## THIS WEEK (Apr. 21-27) ##
Tuesday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. 
Wednesday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
Thursday - No practice.

Friday, Apr. 25, 6:00 pm - Thunder vs. Mililani Storm (NJB 15U), Kilauea gym

Saturday, Apr. 26, 10:45 am  - Thunder vs. Windward (OBL 13U playoffs), Koko Head gym

Saturday, Apr. 26, 1:30 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (NJB 15U), Kilauea gym. A new opponent will be named later. 

> FORFEIT win, Thunder vs. Sharks (NJB 15U), Palama gym. Sharks forfeiting the game to go watch Harlem Globetrotters. 

Note: I have a lot of work this week (baseball/volleyball playoffs), so we have limited practice time. Thunder, please get your 200+ shots/100 crunches/100 push-ups in every day. If you need to borrow a basketball, let me know. Do not lose the balls. They cost $70 each.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Kalani Varsity League schedule

Just released today. Games are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a bye on Thursday, June 5. Our games are at 7:15 pm each night, the last game, which allows our Thunder players on their school teams to double roster and play with us.

Always a blessing to play in a varsity league. Mahalo, Coach Nathan.

Our roster for this league will include our high schoolers and some of our 13U. I strongly recommend our younger players to go to the games and suit up. You may play a lot or a little or not at all, but you will always gain wisdom by being their to watch older players and teams battle.

Please check your e-mail for the league waiver form. Entry fee is $400 (a good deal).

Tuesday, June 3, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Punahou (Kalani Varsity League), Kalani HS gym
Thursday, June 12, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. University (Kalani Varsity League), Kalani HS gym

Tuesday, June 17, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Kalani (Kalani Varsity League), Kalani HS gym
Thursday, June 19, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. HBA (Kalani Varsity League), Kalani HS gym

Tuesday, June 24, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Maryknoll (Kalani Varsity League), Kalani HS gym
Thursday, June 26, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Roosevelt (Kalani Varsity League), Kalani HS gym

Tuesday, July 1, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Kamehameha (Kalani Varsity League), Kalani HS gym
Thursday, July 3, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Damien (Kalani Varsity League), Kalani HS gym

Monday - optional shooting workout

* * * Monday optional shooting practice/scrimmage * * *
I was supposed to work this afternoon, but the baseball game I was assigned to cover got postponed (bad field condition).

Josh said he still wants to go shoot baskets, so I'm going to pick him up. Anybody else want to shoot and play, meet at Makiki Park, 5:00 pm. Optional. 

And if you need a ride, text/call me 551-1054. 

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Keanu Pratt Sisifo Lauvao Sierra Murobayashi Tanielu Mosi Afe Kyle Moraga Jared Elwin Gabriel Porras Joshua de Jesus Kapaa NishimuraFelcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain Javan Montiho Colin Ramos Chris Afe Micah Visoria Ryan Higashionna Walter Berthold Josh Roberts Thomas Baptiste
Eric Murobayashi Lela Afe-passion Roy Moraga Ray-Marlyn RamosKanehe Nishimura Arlene Higashionna Mark A. Berthold

Video: Thunder vs OpenCourt A (15U)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Video: Eric Murobayashi.
OpenCourt Basketball League, 15-Under Division. Sunday, Apr. 20, 2014. Manoa Valley District Park gym.

Video: 7 treys vs OpenCourt A (15U)

Video: Eric Murobayashi.
H1 Thunder make seven 3-pointers against OpenCourt A, OBL 15U Division, Manoa gym. Sunday, Apr. 20, 2014.

This week (updated 4/21 pm)

## THIS WEEK (Apr. 21-27) ##
> Updated Monday, changes start time for Tuesday practice. Also, my schedule changed on Monday (today). Baseball game postponed, so I'm free this afternoon. Optional shooting practice, 5:00.

Monday, 5:00 pm - Optional shooting practice/scrimmage.
Tuesday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
Wednesday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
Thursday - No practice.
Friday, 6:00 pm - Thunder vs. Mililani Storm (NJB All-Net 15U), Kilauea gym. Warmups 5:00 pm.
Saturday, 1:30 pm - FORFEIT - Thunder vs. Sharks (NJB 15U), Palama gym. Sharks can't play that afternoon.

Note: I have a lot of work this week (baseball/volleyball playoffs), so we have limited practice time. Thunder, please get your 200+ shots/100 crunches/100 push-ups in every day. If you need to borrow a basketball, let me know. Do not lose the balls. They cost $70 each.

Note #2: OBL 15U/13U playoff schedule will be released on Tuesday. We will likely have playoff games on Fri/Sat/Sun.
WE LUB THIS GAME!

OpenCourt A 48, H1 Thunder 37 (15U)

OBL 15U Division, Manoa (new) gym
We barely had enough players, but considering it was Easter morning, our injuries (add Kyle to the list) and other circumstances, I'm thankful we had 6. That included Gabriel, who was really sick but gutted it out and gave us some valuable minutes of rest for our starters. 

OpenCourt A is probably the tallest team in 15U, all 6-4 to 6-2, and their bench is almost all 6 feet and taller. But we made a lot of good, patient plays offensively — really impressive since our lineup today was 13- and 14-year-olds. Kali‘a's NBA 3-point shot at the buzzer cut it to 27-16 at halftime. 

We got it down to 27-18 early in the second half, but we had some breakdowns offensively and they pushed the lead to about 14 or 15. We stayed within 10 points or so the rest of the way. It was great to see our guys play with composure and move the ball smartly against a tall, athletic team playing man defense. 

Sierra was on fire from 3-point range and we got some nice cuts for layups and backdoor passes from everybody. Colin played strong. So did Josh and Kali‘a. With hardly any rest and practically no bench, we had to control the ball and clock to stay out of foul trouble. Our Thunder did a great job of that.
Still getting better and smarter moving without the ball in all our sets, including Princeton. We'll get there. 

Today's lineup: Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Joshua de Jesus, Kali'a Mielke, Colin Ramos, Sierra Sisi Murobayashi, Gabriel Porras.
Joey Mielke, Rob Mielke, Ray-Marlyn Ramos, Eric Murobayashi
Next: Monday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.

Note: OBL will release its playoff schedule on Tuesday. I'm expecting games on Fri/Sat/Sun, plus the NJB All-Net games on Fri/Sat.

WE LUB THIS GAAAAAME!

Sunday's game (15U) is at Manoa gym

Just clarifying. I forgot it wasn't at Koko Head gym. Game is at Manoa.

Lanakila 44, Thunder 31 (13U)

NJB All-Net 13U, Kilauea gym
This was fairly close until the last few minutes of the first half. As the smaller team, we needed to execute offensively for all 30 minutes, and we didn't do this.

Take away those last few minutes of the first half and it's pretty even all the way. We showed a lot of promise at times, but the inconsistency with the ball against Lanakila's man defense showed that we need to keep working hard at practice. So that's what we will do.

We missed a lot of open threes in this game, similar to the 15U game earlier, so we're doing enough to give ourselves an opportunity to compete. It's not easy being the smaller team, but we had a LOT of steals and a LOT of layup attempts off the steals off our fullcourt pressure.

Then we tired in the second half (lack of practice time/conditioning) and our press was not effective in the last 10 minutes.

Again, without consistent reps during the week — 200+ shots every day — we're not shooting the ball well, and that is big minus for a small team. When we get back to practicing and daily reps and start hitting our 3-point shots and layups consistently (like we did in January and February before school leagues took over), we will compete with any team in 13U.

Getting Chris Afe will help (his football season is almost over). But we need to push ourselves and each other to get better. No substitute for daily shooting and workouts.

Today's lineup: Walter Berthold, Josh Roberts, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Javan Montiho, Colin Ramos, Micah Visoria, Ryan Higashionna,Joshua de Jesus.
Mark A. Berthold, Julie Montiho, Ray-Marlyn Ramos, Arlene Higashionna.

WE LUB THIS GAAAME!

Lanakila 40, Thunder 18 (15U)

Lanakila 40, H1 Thunder 18
NJB All-Net 15U, Palama gym
Barely averted a forfeit in our 2:00 pm game. Mahalo to Chase for asking his friend Raydyn to be our fifth man. Our new 15U players — Raydyn, Chase and Jhayveen — did pretty well considering they've had only one practice. (None for Raydyn.)

We missed a lot of open shots and layups — a result of lack of practice time. This is why we always stress shooting the ball every day. Gabriel was still under the weather, and with no subs, our guys wore out but kept playing hard.

There's a good chemistry already with Chase, who is really crafty with the ball, and all three new guys are unselfish. Good to see!

Raydyn is one of those guys who is hard to explain, a big guy with good handles who can blow past guys from the top of the key. He's strong inside and blocks shots, too. Jhay is going to be solid with some rep work, but like Raydyn and Chase, he has a good feel for the game.

We had a lot of missing players again. Kapaa and Kanehe still healing up from injuries. Tai had his championship football game. Other guys, don't know for sure.

I heard different things from some of our guys, but if I don't know where you are, please contact me (551-1054) BEFORE the game when you can't play. When the rest of the team asks where their missing guys are, they deserve an answer.

It's sad that our 15U has been hit hard by injuries, illness, departures and lack of commitment, but nothing will break us. We will stick together as a team. The guys who want to be at practice and games are the only ones we can focus on. Hopefully, everybody else gets back in the flow real soon.

Today's lineup: Sierra Murobayashi, Gabriel Porras, Chase Santos, Raydyn Kaleikini, Jhayveen Ong.

Mahalo to Kali‘a for helping on the bench, and mahalo to Felcris for shooting the game video.

NEXT: Sunday, 10:00 am - Thunder vs. OpenCourt A (OBL 15U), Manoa gym.

Thursday funday

Another strong turnout for practice, including two new guys for our depleted 15U roster, Chase and Jhayveen, thanks to our "recruiters", Felcris and Gabriel. Got a lot of drill work in, some conditioning, then went through basics (offensive sets, halfcourt defense, fullcourt pressure). Hope we can get 10+ at every practice. 

Today's lineup: Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Joshua de Jesus, Jhayveen Ong, Gabriel Porras, Chase Santos, Walter Berthold, Josh Roberts, Ryan Higashionna, Jared Elwin, Colin Ramos.
Good job, Thunder! 

Next: Friday, 5:00 pm - Optional practice (Good Friday) at Makiki Park. Hopefully, the wind dies down and we can get a lot of shooting done. Busy weekend ahead!

Monday funday

Windy and wet, but we still got a lot of shooting in this afternoon when the wind died down. Some basic conditioning, then 30 minutes of scrimmaging. Good to have 10 Thunder today. Scrimmage ended in a draw. Ryan hit a driving layup from the corner to give his team a 26-24 lead with 3 seconds left. Then Kali‘a scored on a drive of his own, banking in a tough scoop shot at the "buzzer." 

Today's lineup: Thomas Baptiste, Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Walter Berthold, Micah Visoria, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Joshua de Jesus, Kyle Moraga, Kali'a Mielke, Gabriel Porras.
Next: Thursday, 4:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
WE LUB THIS GAME!!

Video: 7 treys vs Kalakaua Acad (13U)

Monday pickup route

3:30 pm - Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain
Anybody else? Call/text me 551-1054
WE LUB THIS GAME!

This Week

THIS WEEK (Apr. 14-20)
Monday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
Thursday, 4:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. (Pau 6:00 pm.)
Saturday, Apr. 19, 2:00 pm - Thunder vs. Lanakila (NJB 15U), Palama gym.
Saturday, Apr. 19, 3:30 pm - Thunder vs. Lanakila (NJB 13U), Kilauea gym.
Sunday, Apr. 20, 10:00 am - vs. OpenCourt A, Manoa gym (OBL 15U).

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder vs Lanakila White (15U)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


video: Eric Murobayashi
score: Thunder 25, Lanakila White 23
NJB All-Net League, 15-Under Division. Sunday, Apr. 13, 2014. Koko Head District Park gym.

Video: Thunder vs Kalakaua Acad (13U)

Part 1


Part 2


Video: Nathan Higashionna.
Score: Kalakaua 42, Thunder 36
NJB All-Net League, 13-Under Division. Saturday, Apr. 12, 2014. Kilauea District Park gym.

OBL All-Star fun

It was fun for the most part today at Manoa gym. Our 13U was represented by Colin Ramos, Joshua de Jesus and Micah Visoria. Our 15U was repped by Kyle Moraga, Tanielu Mosi Afe and Kali‘a Mielke. Even the 17U game had a Thunder connection with Isaiah Visoria making big baskets and blocks.

The 13U game was a mismatch. Originally, we would've had Kapaa Nishimura playing, but he's recovering from injury. Chris Afe would be the best center in the 13U, but he's still busy with football (one more week) and is injured right now anyway. (And OBL requires at least two or three games played to participate in the All-Star game.)

But I wanted our guys to have fun, anyway. We had OpenCourt and NJB Windward players on our team (dark uniforms), which was a mixed bag. The OC guys were pretty solid, always hustling. The Windward guys were less polished, but hustled, too. It was a tough matchup against the White team, which was loaded with Sharks. We lost 56-26. We had our moments, but the lack of experience was something that couldn't be helped. I played everybody a lot of minutes.

Of course, if Chris and Kapaa had played, I think we would've won. No doubt.

The 15U game was a little closer. The White team had our Thunder guys, plus a couple of OC players, in the starting lineup, and they thrived defensively and on the fastbreak. Tani and Kyle were big parts of that win. They won by about 15 or 20.

The skills competition was pretty fun to watch. A couple of kids from Playground Legends won it. It was a two-player team competition. Make a layup, sprint dribble up the sideline through cones, pass to the teammate for a 3-pointer. Once he makes the shot, rebound and pass to him, he dribbles upcourt through cones and makes a layup. The fastest time/score was 14 seconds.

All in all, a fun day not just for the hoops action, but to see all the players recognized for their work. I wish we could've nominated more players, but 3 was the limit. I got a photo of our 13U reps. Hopefully, I'll get a shot of our 15U reps sometime soon.

Big Mahalos!

Big mahalo to Gerard Porras (Gabriel's dad). He asked a friend to make this custom coach's board and it's massive and beautiful. If I had to order one like this, probably would cost $50 or more. Fancy! Much appreciated, Gerard! I kinda want to frame this, not use it. But it will be used.

Also, big mahalos to Eric Murobayashi, Felcris Ahadain, Gabriel Porras, Nathan Higashionna, Julie Montiho, Lehua Nishimura (and more?) for shooting game video in the past few weeks. I know it's been hectic with all the games and commutes all over town. You lighten my stress level by doing what I consider important work. Mahalo!

Losing and winning

We had only 4 players this morning for our NJB All-Net 15U game against Lanakila White, so officially, it's a forfeit loss.

We thought we had enough guys but nobody told us until this morning about their other plans.

• Anu and Jared went to church. Jared texted back this morning. Anu never told anyone. We went to his house and he was gone.

We already knew that Kapaa and Kanehe would be out (injuries). But when Hsien bailed out on us late in the week to play for Lanakila's other team (Kalakaua Middle School players), that really hurt. We didn't have enough time to find replacements.

This is on top of Kyle leaving us to play for Lanakila 17U (can't double roster in NJB All-Net).

And Sifo didn't show up again, so that's seven players from our original 15U roster who couldn't make it today.

The one positive is that the league let us play an unofficial game and we beat Lanakila White 25-23. Joshua de Jesus (of our 13U team) was with us, had his uniform (for this afternoon's OBL All-Star game), so he was our 5th player. Good effort, still putting things together with our new guys. Learning takes time.

It was tied at 20 when Sierra hit a 3 from the corner to give us the lead with less than 3 minutes left. Tani hit two foul shots down the stretch to seal the win. Strong finish by 5 Thunder!

The said they'd give us some extra time to find new players if necessary. I think it's necessary. We can't spend $600 to enter a league and give games away. That's a LOT of fundraising and work by all our players and parents, and it only takes a few people to waste that hard work. Don't want that anymore.

Today's lineup: Drake Lee, Gabriel Porras, Mosi Afe, Sierra Murobayashi, Joshua de Jesus.

Note: Players, please stay after the game for our post-game meeting. Usually takes a few minutes at most.

Next: OBL 13U and 15U All-Star games this afternoon at Manoa gym.
WE LUB THIS GAME!

15U: Losing and winning

We had only 4 players this morning for our NJB All-Net 15U game against Lanakila White, so officially, it's a forfeit loss.

We thought we had enough guys but nobody told us until this morning about their other plans.

• Anu and Jared went to church. Jared texted back this morning. Anu never told anyone. We went to his house and he was gone.

We already knew that Kapaa and Kanehe would be out (injuries). But when Hsien bailed out on us late in the week to play for Lanakila's other team (Kalakaua Middle School players), that really hurt. We didn't have enough time to find replacements.

This is on top of Kyle leaving us to play for Lanakila 17U (can't double roster in NJB All-Net).

And Sifo didn't show up again, so that's seven players from our original 15U roster who couldn't make it today.

The one positive is that the league let us play an unofficial game and we beat Lanakila White 25-23. Joshua de Jesus was with us, had his uniform (for this afternoon's OBL All-Star game), so he was our 5th player. Good effort, still putting things together with our new guys. Learning takes time.

It was tied at 20 when Sierra hit a 3 from the corner to give us the lead with less than 3 minutes left. Tani hit two foul shots down the stretch to seal the win. Strong finish by 5 Thunder!

The league (Stephen Chong) said they'd give us some extra time to find new players if necessary. I think it's necessary. We can't spend $600 to enter a league and give games away. That's a LOT of fundraising and work by all our players and parents, and it only takes a few people to waste that hard work. Don't want that anymore.

Today's lineup: Drake Lee, Gabriel Porras, Mosi Afe, Sierra Murobayashi, Joshua de Jesus.

Note: Players, please stay after the game for our post-game meeting. Usually takes a few minutes at most.

Next: OBL 13U and 15U All-Star games this afternoon at Manoa gym.
WE LUB THIS GAME!

Sunday pickup route

## Sunday pickup route ##
8:00 am - Jared Elwin?
8:10 am - Keanu Pratt?
8:20 am - Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Hsien Pascua?
8:30 am - Mosi Afe
9:00 am - Warmups/stretching at Koko Head gym outside courts
10:00 am - Thunder vs. OpenCourt A (NJB All-Net 15U)
12:45 pm - OBL 13U All-Star game at Manoa gym
1:30 pm - OBL 15U All-Star game at Manoa gym
2:15 pm - OBL skills challenge
Who else needs a ride?
Kyle Moraga, Roy Moraga, Kali'a Mielke, Kapaa Nishimura, Kanehe Nishimura, Sisifo Lauvao, Manoa Kualii Moe.

Kalakaua Academy 42, Thunder 36 (13U)

NJB All-Net League, 13U Division, Kilauea gym
Great effort by our guys today. Our execution could've been better at the beginning and at the end, but as far as hustle goes, our guys did their best. 

We're still learning to play together. Some guys are still learning the basic plays. We made some nice plays, but being the small team against a huge team, we needed to be smart on every play. We'll get there in time, just need to be patient and keep pushing ourselves. 

Our 3-point shooting kept us in this game, especially by Javan. He was on FIRE. Our press did well, too, but fatigue caught us late in the game. 

That makes 1-2 so far in NJB All-Net 13U. That means we've got to finish strong in these next few games to qualify for the championship bracket of the playoffs. I know we can do it. 

And for the guys who haven't been coming to practice, we need you! Practice is where you get reps, learn plays, build chemistry with teammates. It is a must, especially for our newer guys. Please find a way. Call or text me when you need a ride. We're in this together. 

Today's lineup: Josh Roberts, Thomas Baptiste, Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Joshua de Jesus, Colin Ramos, Micah Visoria.

OBL All-Star game update

Got word tonight that Kapaa Nishimura and Kanehe Nishimura are out on Sunday due to injuries. That means both guys will miss the NJB All-Net League game (10 am), and Kapaa will miss the OBL 13U All-Star game (12:45 pm). Micah Visoria will take Kapaa's place. HAVE FUN AND REPRESENT!

Saturday pickup route

* * Saturday pickup route * *
10:00 am - Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Micah Visoria
11:00 am - Warmups/stretching at Kilauea gym outside courts.
12:00 pm - Thunder vs. Kalakaua Academy (NJB All-Net 13U).
Anybody else need a ride? WE LUB THIS GAAAME!!

Friday practice: Shorty version

Just learned that I have to start work at 5:00 pm, not 7:00, so I'll be leaving at about 4:30. That means today we'll shoot for 30 minutes before I leave. If any of the guys and parents want to stay until 6:00 or so, you guys hold on to the basketballs and get a good workout in. I'll get the basketballs back later tonight or on Saturday (before our 13U game).

My apologies for the shortened practice time.

OBL All-Star games at Manoa gym

NOTE: OBL All-Star games are at Manoa gym, not Koko Head.

OBL All-Star reps

Note: I posted this on our Facebook page Wednesday, forgot to post it here, too.

*** OBL All-Star Games ***
Each team has 3 representatives in the All-Star games, which will be played on Sunday.
13U: Kapaa Nishimura, Joshua de Jesus and Colin Ramos.
15U: Kyle Moraga, Mosi Afe and Kali'a Mielke.

If any guys can't make it to the games, our alternates are Keanu Pratt (15U) and Micah Visoria (13U).
All-Star Game, 13U: Sunday, 12:45 pm.
All-Star Game, 15U: Sunday, 1:30 pm. 

All-Star games are at Manoa gym.

Congratulations to our Thunder representatives. Have fun, be safe and represent!

Video: Thunder vs Ali‘i White (13U)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Video: Mark Berthold.
NJB All-Net Basketball League, 13-Under Division. Sunday, Apr. 6, 2014. Palama Settlement Gym.

Video: Thunder vs Kalakaua Acad. (13U)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Video: Mark Berthold.
NJB All-Net League, 13-Under Division. Sunday, Apr. 6, 2014. Palama Settlement Gym.

Video: Thunder vs OpenCourt I (15U)

Part 1


Part 2


Video: Joshua de Jesus.
OpenCourt Basketball League, 15-Under Division. Saturday, Apr. 5, 2014. Koko Head District Park gym.

Video: Thunder vs Sharks (13U)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Video: Hsien Pascua.
NJB All-Net League, 13-Under Division. Saturday, Apr. 5, 2014. Kilauea District Park gym.

Video: Thunder vs Kahuku (13U)

Part 1


Part 2



Video: Kapaa Nishimura / Nathan Higashionna.
OpenCourt Basketball League, 13-Under Division. Saturday, Apr. 5, 2014. Koko Head District Park gym.

Video: Thunder vs Legends (15U)

Part 1


Part 2



Video: Kapaa Nishimura.
OpenCourt Basketball League, 15-Under Division. Friday, Apr. 4, 2014. Koko Head District Park gym.

Summer Fun: 14U/13U flying high?

We'll have CAL 13U, 15U and 17U starting on June 1. At the same time, we'll be in the Kalani Varsity Summer League, and I've requested a spot in the ‘Iolani Varsity Summer League.

But this post is about summer fun, a.k.a. Summer Travel. I did my taxes with Auntie Char (who works for H&R Block) and the good news is I'll be getting a nice, hefty tax refund soon. I plan on putting that $4,000 toward our Mainland Trip Budget. If we have numbers, good fundraisers and individual player contributions, we can get cheaper air fare and hotel rates by committing now, not later.

I'm not sure if we would travel in June or July. Some of the guys who will play high school football prefer to travel in June, before football training gets in full gear. But that might be a flexible situation if I talk with football coaches.

Also, I'm not looking for another 11-day trip. It would be condensed. A perfect scenario would be two tournaments in the span of one week. I know it's possible; a parent of a player on another team told me that's what their team did last summer. I'd have to do some checking and hunting around for a nice scenario like that.

Last year, the 11-day trip cost us roughly $16,000, even with the discounted hotel rooms at Sam's Town and the cheaper transportation cost by driving from Las Vegas to Anaheim (rather than flying).

If the trip is just 6-7 days, that cuts the cost down drastically. Last year, the budget for a 7-day trip was roughly $11,000. If we order everything early, it could be a lot cheaper. If we can strip the budget down to a bare-bones price like $7,000 to $8,000, that means a lot.

That means on top of my tax refund, we'd just have to raise $3,000 to $4,000, not including the tournament entry fees and (possibly) set of new uniforms.

Keep this in mind and feel free to chat with me about ideas and plans. The more big brains, the better, and so many of our parents are so much more akamai about travel than me.

Let's do this!

Wednesday funday

Amazing. No wind today, hardly any. That was awesome. We did shooting drills for 30 minutes to start practice, starting with six guys, then seven, then eight. By the time we finished our 3-man weave drill, we had 10 players and were ready to scrimmage. So we went 5-on-5 in the final 30-plus minutes and got a lot of mileage out of that. A lot of good work done to help our chemistry, to help our newer Thunder guys.

Then Anu, Thomas and Hsien stayed after practice to get more shooting in. No substitute for reps and dedication. Good work, Thunder!

Today's lineup: Thomas Baptiste, Javan Montiho, Ryan Higashionna, Walter Berthold, Hsien Pascua, Kyle Moraga, Kali'a Mielke, Keanu Pratt, Drake Lee, Colin Ramos, Micah Visoria.
Tanner Takahashi, Julie Montiho, Arlene Higashionna, Mark A. Berthold,Roy Moraga, Rob Mielke, Joey Mielke, Ray-Marlyn Ramos.

Next: Friday, 4:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. Starting earlier so I can go to work at 6:00 pm.

WE LUB THIS GAAAAAAAME!

Perfect hearts

Another trial, another challenge. We've lost another player from our 15U team (NJB All-Net) and now what was once a very deep, balanced team is very bare-bones. It will still be talented, but it will be very tested in the coming weeks.

(Note: Our 15U team in the OBL is still intact and unaffected.)

Hsien told me after practice that he is going to play with Lanakila's second team, which is comprised of players from Kalakaua's middle-school team. In other words, he wants to play with his friends and classmates. And he'll be playing against us.

First we lost Kyle, who decided to play with another team in the 17U Division of the same league. (We don't have a 17U team in NJB All-Net this season.) The league doesn't allow a player to participate in two age divisions and he wanted to get more experience competing and practicing with older players.

We had already lost Kali‘a (playing with his original team, Blue Devils) and Manoa (playing for his dad in the KPT League). Sifo hasn't been showing up lately, too. Tani has been busy with football (and still will be for another couple of weeks). Kapaa would be a big help, but he has an injured ankle.

So it's another obstacle. And yet, I'm not worried, not as much as I was a week ago. Sometimes we won't have the "perfect" roster. We won't have a bunch of experienced guys who happen to be 6-foot or 6-6 or whatever. But we'll have guys with the right attitude and perfect hearts. When we have that, anything is possible on the court.

We had a super workout today, 5-on-5 to end the practice after a good 30 minutes of shooting drills. From our older guys to our youngest and newest guys, everyone played hard, kept learning and got better as a team. That pushes us forward each day, improving as a team and as individual contributors.

On paper, it looks like a huge loss, all these Thunder players missing. But we have Anu, Tani (when he's free) and Jared to anchor the team. We have great hustle from Kanehe, Gabriel and Drake. We have perimeter shooting from Sierra (when she's there). What we lack in pure size, we can make up for with skill and smarts. Our 13U mighty mites showed that to me on Sunday, beating two much bigger and deeper teams. (The game videos are online now.)

So I have faith in both our 13U and 15U teams in whatever league we're in. Our heart is perfect as a team and, apparently, that's all we need. Sure, since we're down to eight players in 15U (NJB All-Net), and if Sierra, Kapaa (ankle) and Kanehe (knee) miss games, we're down to five and probably should find two more players. If it happens, it happens. But I'm certain that the challenge for me this season is to let go and trust God, and that's what I will do.

This Week (Apr 7-13)

*** THIS WEEK ***
April 7-13, 2014
Monday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
Tuesday - No practice.
Wednesday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.
Thursday - No practice.
Friday, 4:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. (Finish 6:00 pm.)
Saturday, 12:00 pm - Thunder vs. Kalakaua Academy (NJB 13U), Kilauea gym.
Sunday, 10:00 am - Thunder vs. Lanakila White (NJB 15U), Koko Head gym.
Sunday, 12:45 pm - OBL 13U All-Star game, Koko Head gym
Sunday, 1:30 pm - OBL 15U All-Star game, Koko Head gym
Sunday, 2:15 pm - OBL skills challenge, Koko Head gym
WE LUB THIS GAME!

Thunder 34, Ali‘i White 27 (13U)

H1 Thunder 34, Ali‘i White 27
NJB All-Net 13U, Palama gym
Second game of the day for our 13U was six hours later. Bit by bit, our guys are playing smarter, more patiently - without losing their killer instinct. With no bigs (Chris rested at home for his big football game next week), our guys knew they had to be precise with the basketball. Ali“i White is HUGE. Massive. And they sat back in a 2-3 zone with a complete wall around the basket. 

Instead of trying beat them at their game, our guys were selective with their shots and our passing game is getting better each game, especially with the high post as our hub. Colin and Josh were terrific there in this game when Ali‘i White tried to trap us at halfcourt with their two guards.

In the second half, our mighty mites were fighting for every rebound against these giants and it was awesome. Nobody backed off even though it would've been easy for a mentally weak team to surrender. That was all heart and I lubbed it. 

We finished strong, making a lot of good decisions with the ball and knocking down some free throws. I'm pretty certain we shocked everybody in the gym, winning a game against 6-foot, 200-plus pound guys with Colin and Josh as our posts. We were a 5-foot-6 and under team. 

Our versatility was a major factor, as was our fullcourt pressure. We swarmed, we spread the court and we played smart. Congrats to our 13U boys. Micah was especially tough in transition and everybody did smart work taking the angles to trap the Ali‘i at halfcourt. It was a big step forward compared to Saturday's first 13U game. Many steps forward, actually.

Lineup: Javan Montiho, Thomas Baptiste, Walter Berthold, Josh Roberts, Colin Ramos, Micah Visoria, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Ryan Higashionna, Joshua de Jesus.
Julie Montiho, Tanner Takahashi, Mark A. Berthold, Ray-Marlyn Ramos,Arlene Higashionna, Roy Moraga.

Next: Monday, 5:00 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. We're expecting some healthy numbers, so be prepared for drills and scrimmaging. It all makes us better, Thunder. 

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Thunder 33, Kalakaua Acad. 31 (13U)

H1 Thunder 33, Kalakaua Academy 31, OT
OBL 13U Division, Manoa gym
New venue for the league just for a few dates, which is good since Manoa is just a short drive away for most of our team and a shorter trek for our families in Pearl City and Ewa. The guys played strong halfcourt offense, showing more patience and precision than they did on Saturday. The big plus for us was Kapaa returning to the court.

He's far from 100% with the injured ankle, but he played on guts and heart and was huge factor on the press and on the boards against a tall Kalakaua team. Our overall defense keeps getting better, especially our fullcourt pressure.

Colin had a superb game defensively, scoring on a big transition play in the second half. We led all the way, but we almost gave it away at the end with some sloppy decisions. But overall the effort was excellent and we're getting smarter as a team in 13U. 

Ryan is starting to look like his old self again since returning from his ankle injury. Big difference for us in the backcourt with his heady, savvy decision-making. 

Today's lineup: Walter Berthold, Josh Roberts, Thomas Baptiste, Ryan Higashionna, Colin Ramos, Kapaa Nishimura, Joshua de Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain.
Mark A. Berthold, Tanner Takahashi, Arlene Higashionna, Ray-Marlyn Ramos, Lehua Nishimura, Roy Moraga.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder vs Legends (15U)

Part 1


Part 2

Clarification: Sunday AM game at Manoa

I posted in a recent pickup-route list that Sunday's 9:15 am game is at Koko Head. It is NOT.

The game is at Manoa gym, 9:15 am. H1 Thunder vs. Kalakaua Academy. My apologies for any confusion.

This is what untrained refs are like

* The Difference Between Trained Officials and Everybody Else *

Those of us who were at Koko Head and Kilauea gyms know what I'm talking about. At Kilauea (NJB All-Net), we had the blessing of two highly-trained officials, including one veteran ILH varsity ref, and they called our 13U game the same way they would call any JV or Varsity game.

Hand checks were called. Shoving away from the ball was whistled. Some people don't like it when so many whistles are blown, but this is how high school basketball is called — especially with the emphasis on "impeding the ballhandler" this past season, i.e. handchecking. And it's in the best interest of our players to prepare them for that level and type of officiating.

Meanwhile, at Koko Head, we've had a lot of decent, but highly inconsistent officiating. Today, it kind of boiled over for me to see two refs allow all kinds of shoving, hand checking and forearm checks in one 13U game, and then in a 15U game, our team was called for a ton of touch fouls while the other team (the league's team) was whistled for one foul in the first half.

It was bizarre, blatant and ridiculous. Is it the fault of these referees in the OpenCourt Basketball League? I don't see it quite that way. They are not trained to officiate Varsity or JV basketball. From Week 1, they looked to me (and I'm a former referee at the age-group level) like they were suited for 12U basketball and nothing higher.

Sure enough, as the tougher matchups came in the schedule, their true colors showed. Some refs don't understand the difference between a legal jump-stop and an illegal one. One ref today decided he would end all questioning by calling anything close to a jump stop. Even the legal ones by both teams.

Then there are the plain-old visual handicaps. Too often, there have been obvious calls in the paint that an official under the basket doesn't call, and his partner at halfcourt either has to make the call for him (or her), or simply decides to swallow the whistle.

This happens on most levels of the game, but in OBL, it's way too common, almost comical.

Not so comical: When the scorekeeper (an OpenCourt coach) shorted us on 4 points until I questioned him, he started to tell me to "Shut up and coach my team." No kidding. And he said it to me 3 or 4 times in a 1-minute span. All because I asked him to check the score. The first time, he said, "I was going to wait until you asked me about it."

The second time, he was so late (or negligent) that his team (OpenCourt) had scored after scored, so he put his team's 2 points on the board and didn't add our team's 2 points. When I pointed this out to him, he told me to shut up.

The weirdest thing about all this is this: People had warned me about this organization, that they were banned from all the leagues in town for a reason. I decided to give them a shot since there were no other leagues active in the month of April. And though the officiating was erratic for a few weeks, it was tolerable. Until now.

A veteran official was going to oversee all of OBL's referees. That's what the league told me before we entered. Then later, I heard he wasn't involved, supposedly because he wanted the referees to get paid the same as they would for all other leagues. When I asked OBL about this a few days ago, all Coach Robinson would say is that he has "no problem with anyone" and that the veteran official decided on his own not to participate.

So what we have now are officials who aren't trained for Varsity or JV competition, who are getting paid much less than trained officials. And who suffers for this? The players.

Many youth leagues fail to recognize that the true customer is the athlete. The kids. It's not about making a league commissioner happy. It's not about the paycheck in itself. It's about giving the players the best service possible. And right now, OBL isn't doing it. And when anyone questions it, they're told to shut up.

Not good.