This Week (June 1-7)

These next 10 days are crucial to our summer, Thunder. We need reps for skills and reps as a team (offense and defense) to sharpen up for the three leagues and 3 (or more) tournaments we're going to play in. By next week Friday, we'll be in the thick of game action with much, much less practice time. So now is the time to get some key work in.

Monday, 4:30 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. Pau 6:30 pm.

Tuesday, 6:00 pm - Stretching/warmups at Manoa gym outside court. 7:00 pm - Combined JV/V scrimmage vs. 808 Basketball. Pau 8:30 pm. Please bring both uniforms.

Wednesday, 4:30 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. Pau 6:30 pm.

Thursday, 5:10 pm - Stretching/warmups at Kalani HS gym. 6:10 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Roosevelt (Kalani Varsity League). Please bring both uniforms.

Friday (tentative) - Scrimmage vs. 808 Basketball, TBA. If there's no scrimmage, no practice.

Saturday, 10:00 am - Practice at Makiki Park. Pau 11:30 am.

Sunday, 4:00 pm - Optional shooting practice at Makiki Park.

Tuesday scrimmage at Manoa gym

Tuesday scrimmage, Manoa gym, 7 pm
> Please meet at Manoa gym 6:00 pm to stretch and warm up on the outside courts. Contact me 551-1054 for a ride. Let me know by Monday in case I am overloaded and need to ask parents for help.

> Bring both uniforms. We will wear blue or orange, but no combos this time.

> The format is a combined scrimmage, JV for 10 minutes, then Varsity for 10 and alternating until we're done around 8:30 pm.

> We have about 10 or 11 players committed, but you never know if everyone will show up. I want to see 15 or more players there.

I don't want anyone getting worn out. A regular game lasts about 35 to 45 minutes; this will take twice as long, so if you can make it, please come to the scrimmage.

> Who is 808 Basketball? It's a girls basketball club that feeds top teams around Oahu, particularly Roosevelt. They travel to the mainland each summer, so I think this is a way for them to compete against taller, bigger players. Coach Hinano Higa is a terrific coach and it's cool that she asked for us to participate.

Sunday Funday

Strong workout by Jance and Tani Mosi this afternoon at optional shooting practice

Each got in roughly 200 shots with an emphasis on 3-pt footwork and reps. Jance is starting to master step back footwork. Tani is learning it pretty quickly.

3-pr 60-second drill - we hadn't done this in a long time. Windy season is pau so today was perfect. Tani made 9 treys left corner, 4 left wing, 12 top, 5 right wing and 7 right corner in 1st round, about 60-65 attempts. Jance and Tani shot around 125 3-pointers total.

Great work Thunder!

Sunday Pickup Route

3:15 pm - DJ, Mosi​. Chris​?
3:25 pm - Josh​ D? Micah​? Chaz?
3:30 pm - Felcris?
4:00 pm - Optional shooting practice at Makiki Park.
WE LOVE THIS GAME!!

Yes or No? 808 Girls scrimmage

808 Basketball (girls) coach Hinano Higa has asked if our JV and Varsity teams would be willing to scrimmage her teams on Tuesday and/or Friday. I leave this up to the Thunder players. I think it's always good to help other teams, male or female, when we can. 808 is a talented group that works as hard as we do and I have utmost respect for Coach Hinano and her staff and players. But I do know that a few of our guys may have reservations about playing against a girls team, so I am leaving this up to you guys.

FYI, many of 808's players play for Roosevelt, and a few of them have been All-State selections, including their current standout, Keala Quinlan, a 6-foot-1 gunner.

Please respond on this by Sunday so I can give Coach Hinano an answer. 808 travels to mainland tournaments each summer, so she's trying to get them game-ready against taller, more physical teams.

The scrimmage(s) would be held at Roosevelt HS gym. 

Saturday Funday

By 10 am, it was already sweltering, but we still had a strong turnout. Got some conditioning work done, some basic shooting fundamental reps, but spent most of the 90 minutes in controlled scrimmage.

We worked on zone offense,  zone defense, man offense, man defense, inbounds plays (Double). One of the plays we've used in the past week or so that has been pleasantly effective is 13 (Lucky). And it's our younger guys like Ryan who have thrived in it, meshing it seamlessly with their strengths to score points. Fun!


Our scrimmage was 54-48 with about 2 minutes left before Ryan and Jonah collided going for a loose ball. Ryan is OK. Jonah got bumped on the head running into Ryan's chest, but he was OK, too. We kept an eye on him as the cobwebs cleared. His dad is keeping a watch on him for symptoms of concussion (nausea, sleepiness, etc) just in case.

Great work today, Thunder. Especially Chaz. He's come a long, long way and was truly fearless out there, using his dribbling skills and court vision to stay out of trouble.

Tani and DJ stayed afterward to get more shooting reps. DJ is a natural, working on his left-handed shots and dribbling. Again, I've never seen a 7-year-old kid shoot one-handed shots, especially with the kind of success he has, relatively speaking.

Jhevin also got extra reps, and Jayden stayed to work with Coach Bino. They are so similar in build and shooting style. Seeing Jayden get the hang of Coach Bino's instruction, knocking down threes with a more compact stroke, that was really fun to see, too.

Thank you, Thunder. It was a great Saturday morning.

Lineup: DJ, Chaz, Jance, Jhevin, Jonah, Ryan, Jayden, Colin, Michael, Tenchi, Tani Mosi.

WE LOVE THIS GAME!!

NOTE: 808 Basketball (girls) coach Hinano Higa has asked if our JV and Varsity teams would be willing to scrimmage her teams on Tuesday and/or Friday. I leave this up to the Thunder players. I think it's always good to help other teams, male or female, when we can. 808 is a talented group that works as hard as we do and I have utmost respect for Coach Hinano and her staff and players. But I do know that a few of our guys may have reservations about playing against a girls team, so I am leaving this up to you guys. Please respond on this by Sunday so I can give Coach Hinano an answer. 808 travels to mainland tournaments each summer, so she's trying to get them game-ready against taller, more physical teams.

NEXT
Sunday, May 31, 4:00 pm - Optional shooting practice at Makiki Park.

Monday, June 1, 4:30 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. Hopefully, we got a good turnout from Thunder Alums for a scrimmage.

Tuesday, June 2, 4:30 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. And/or scrimmage vs 808.

Wednesday, June 3, 4:30 pm - Practice at Makiki Park.

Thursday, June 4, 5:10 pm - Stretching/warmups at Kalani High School gym. 6:10 pm - H1 Thunder vs Roosevelt (Kalani Varsity League).

Friday, June 5 - No practice.

Saturday, June 6, 10:00 am - Practice at Makiki Park.

Thunder 13U: A new era

Each passing season, we lose our younger Thunder to the older divisions. Some of the guys (and gals) understand that being 13 or at least in 8th grade is the "sweet spot" in a way. You get to play in Intermediate, JV and Varsity games. That's a maximum load and it can be incredibly fun.

But it's also a new concern for me each year, not knowing what's coming next. I try not to focus to far into the future because of that, and if we have enough competitive players, we deal with the questions then. If we don't have enough, I'm OK letting it go and focusing on our 15U/JV/V.

We went from a strong group two years ago that won one tournament in Anaheim and nearly another one in Las Vegas to a mostly new bunch a year later that had very little height, but a lot of heart and speed. That crew (2014-present) has been together now for about a year and has done amazing things by playing smart, fast "small ball", easily and truly one of the top Inter teams in the state.

Now we're entering CAL 13U League (Gold Division) and the young group is in major transition. Our returnees are led by Ryan and Jonah, while the other Thunder returnees (some are 12 and younger) are also developing, learning and improving. This is basically our "Pups" team from winter season. We have some nice potential with the coming 13U group. Some very hard workers. Some others who have missed a large number of practices due to other commitments or obstacles (distance), but everybody works well together when they make it to the court.

Down the road, we might have 11U and even 9U teams, depending on commitments and time availability of our younger Thunder. There is a lot of potential.

This summer's 13U group will have fun as long as everybody listens and focuses, and plays as one team. It takes a lot of reps at practice, running plays, working on defense, ballhandling and shooting drills. It's not a secret. It's just plain hard work and intelligence that take us far. I'm looking forward to H1 Thunder 13U, Summer 2015 Edition.

Saturday Pickup Route

9:15 am - DJ, Mosi, Chris?
9:25 am - Felcris, Micah, Chaz, Josh D?
10:00 am - Practice at Makiki Park. Pau 1130.

WE LOVE THIS GAAAAME!!

Video: Thunder vs H4C (Inter)

Highlights


Full game footage


vs Hoops4Christ (Inter) 5/38/2015
Ikaika League third place
∆∆ Full game ▶ H1 Thunder vs Hoops4Christ (inter) 5/28/2015 - YouTube
http://youtu.be/8sVXMrwknLU
∆∆ Highlights ▶ H1 Thunder vs Hoops4Christ highlights (inter) 5/28/2015 - YouTube
http://youtu.be/B0e00ZkGnbM
Video: Brandon Higashionna.
Score: Thunder 33, H4C 31.

Coach Bo doing better

Coach Bo is feeling much better after seeing the doctor and getting medication. He got up early, loaded his vehicle with the grill (with help from his friend, Spanky, and made it to our Potluck on Monday even though he had reinjured his lower back a few days before that. He sent this via e-mail today for the Thunder family to read. We love you, Brother Bo!

Memorial Day is a special day for me a day of respect a day that is marked as the annual Memorial Day THUNDER picnic I look forward for this awesome day. I could barely walk the night before but not even that could keep me from being apart of, at least I made the morning. THUNDER FOR LIFE this isn't just a saying it's a feeling from our heart.

Mahalo's,
Aunty Char & Uncle (AKA) Coach Bo 

Big Mahalos

Big thank you to Joy, Sierra's mom, who helped transport Coach Bo's grill back to his home after the Potluck. Bo went home early because of his serious back injury and the Murobayashis helped immensely again.

Also thank you to Brandon Higashionna, who shot his 59th game in a row as a volunteer. He also knows so much of our system and understands what intelligent basketball is, that I would have no problem if he wanted to sit on the bench as an assistant coach. His value as a camera man remains unmatched, however. Mahalo, Brandon.

The future of H1 Thunder Basketball

Had a flashback tonight to something Tani Mosi Afe said recemtly that caught me way off guard. We were driving and he said, "I'm gonna be sad when we don't have Thunder next year."

I said "What?"

So Tani thought that we aren't going to have a 17U team in the future because we don't have one right mow. But that is a totally different deal. We've had this gap between our younger and older (now graduated) groups all along. When our Class of 2014 and '15 guys were seniors and juniors, that's when our 12U/13U began with Tani, Chris, Kyle (then Jared, Kali'a, Felcris,Josh D, and later Kapaa, and also shortly after our first 12U/13U formed, we got Micah, Ryan and that group of guys who were 6th graders, then Colinand Jayden, then Jonah and the newer Thunder). There's always been that gap in between the c/o '13, '14 and '15 guys and our current sophomores/freshmen/8th graders (c/o '17, '18 and '18) where we had no team.

We have such uniquely talented, unselfish and unified kids in 15U, 14U, 13U... I don't know what happens once these core Thunder move up and later graduate. We may or may not have 11U and 13U in 1 or 2 or 3 years from now.

For now I just hope all our Thunder stay together. We have something special. Enjoy the ride :)

H1 Thunder 33, Hoops4Christ 31 (Inter)

Ikaika League, Intermediate Division third-place game
Good effort tonight against the tall big H4C guys. Started a bit slow, eventually rallied back for a 10-point lead in the 2nd half. Then we hung on despite missing FTs.

We finished 8-2 in Ikaika League. Job well done.

We're building to bigger things and though we've had our share of disappointments, it's been mostly success even as the smallest team in every league.

Our group of Intermediate players has summer tournaments at Aiea and NJB, and possibly Maui. Still a lot of fun ahead and all of us can keep working and improving, coaches included.

You guys are champions in my mind and heart. I went back to the gym after dropping off Felcris. Hawaii Storm beat Swish in a close game. Easily could've been us.

Moving forward, hungrier than ever. Love you guys.

Lineup: Trinity, Jhevin, Jance, Jayden, Skyler, Jonah, Colin, Micah, Ryan,Felcris.

Next:
Friday, May 29 - No practice.

Saturday, May 30, 10:00 am - Practice at Makiki Park.

Sunday, May 31, 4:00 pm - Optional shooting practice at Makiki Park.

NOTE: SUMMER LEAGUE PLAY BEGINS THURSDAY, JUNE 4. I expect all Thunder players from 13U up to JV/16U to Varsity to be at every practice. (If you have studying or another commitment, be responsible and accountable to your teammates and coaches by texting or calling me 551-1054 - BEFORE practice and games.)

Let's take advantage of this time to master our teamwork, improve our skills and unify as a force of great basketball. It happens one day at a time, one rep at a time. It doesn't happen unless you are there. WE LOVE THIS GAME!!

Video: Thunder vs Mililani Storm (JV)

Highlights


Full game footage


vs Mililani Storm (JV) 5/24/2015
Ikaika League final
∆∆ Full game H1 Thunder vs Mililani Storm (JV) 5/24/2015 - YouTube
http://youtu.be/ieqC_kNQuMA
∆∆ Highlights ▶ H1 Thunder vs Mililani Storm highlights (JV) 5/24/2015 - YouTube
http://youtu.be/hLtbNW_Qh34
Video: Brandon Higashionna.
Score: Thunder 41, Storm 30.

Video: Thunder vs Hawaii Storm (JV)

Highlights


Full game footage


vs Hawaii Storm (JV) 5/23/2015
Ikaika League semifinal
∆∆ Full game ▶ H1 Thunder vs Hawaii Storm (JV) 5/23/2015 - YouTube
http://youtu.be/sCzDZD5ngv4
∆∆ Highlights ▶ H1 Thunder vs Hawaii Storm highlights (JV) 5/23/2015 - YouTube
http://youtu.be/FrUuwixGEE4
Video: Brandon Higashionna.
Score: Thunder 32, Storm 20.

Video: Thunder vs Hawaii Storm (Inter)

Highlights


Full game footage



vs Hawaii Storm (Inter) 5/23/2015
Ikaika League semifinal
∆∆ Full game http://youtu.be/fIOtXFCyzQo
∆∆ Highlights ▶ H1 Thunder vs Hawaii Storm highlights (Inter) 5/21/2015 - YouTube
http://youtu.be/IlbMf7U90zA
Video: Brandon Higashionna.
Score: Storm 49, Thunder 48.

REMINDER: BRING BOTH UNIFORMS

Why? You'll see.

Note: We are going to run, run, run in this game. For the guys who have been missing a lot of practices and may be out of shape, don't worry. Run with all you've got, and we'll keep rotating fresh legs into the game. Let's have fun in the last battle of Ikaika League spring season. And score LOTS of points, If H4C wants to run with us, that's fine, too. But we will definitely RUN AND GUN :)
WE LUB THIS GAAAAAAAME!!!

Thursday Pickup Route

5:00 pm - Josh D, Micah, Chaz.
5:05 pm - Felcris.
5:15 pm - Chris?
5:55 pm - Stretching/warmups at Lanakila District Park gym outside court.
6:55 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Hoops4Christ (Ikaika Intermediate League third-place game).

Wednesday Funday

It's a beautiful thing when the windy season passes and we can shoot, shoot and shoot some more. Started with ballhandling drills, more guys trickled in and we got in a pretty healthy number of shooting reps, plus basic low-post and wing drills. Finished off with drills off two of our read plays against man defense. It wasn't 5-on-5 like I prefer, but we got some solid work in, from the tallest to the smallest. GOOD WORK, THUNDER.

Lineup: DJ, Sierra, Jason, Jonah, Michael, Evan, Kapaa, Tenchi.

Not available: Micah (?), Keanu (football), Kyle (?), Chase (weight training),Jared (?), Ryan (school project), Josh D (?), Mosi (football), Josh R (school football/basketball), Jance (sick), Skyler (?), Jayden (school), Chris(football), Kali'a (football), Felcris (?), Radyn (injured), Colin (school practice), Chaz (?), Trinity (school practice), Jhevin (drumming lesson), Walter (school).

Thursday, May 28
5:55 pm - Stretching/warmups at Lanakila Gym outside court.
6:55 pm - vs. Hoops4Christ (Ikaika Intermediate League).

Friday, May 29
No practice.

Saturday, May 30
10:00 am - Practice at Makiki Park.

Sunday, May 31
4:00 pm - Optional shooting practice at Makiki Park.

*** WE START SUMMER LEAGUE SEASON ON THURSDAY, JUNE 4.

Aiea tournaments (JV, Inter)

## Aiea JV Tournament, June 12-14 ##
## Aiea Intermediate Tournament, July 10-12 ##
I've asked Rob Godinez of the Aiea Blazers to reserve us a spot in each tournament. Hopefully, he still has spots open.

Thunder players, please confirm if you can or cannot play in these tournaments. There is also the NJB Hawaii Summer Classic on July 15-19. Deadline to enter that isn't for another few weeks. Their divisions are 14U and 17U. We don't have to play in these tournaments since we're busy enough with Kalani, Le Jardin and CAL leagues. Plus we may travel. Take  look below and tell me if you guys want to play in the tournaments.

NOTE: Entry fee for each Aiea tournament is $300, so each player would chip in $30 per tourney (four games or more). NJB charges $350 per team.

>> Updated Combined Schedule <<
NOTE: Adds CAL 13U League game on 6/12

Thursday, May 28, 6:55 pm - vs Hoops4Christ, Ikaika League (Inter) third-place game, Lanakila gym

Thursday, June 4, 6:10 pm - vs Roosevelt (Kalani Varsity League)

Friday, June 12, 5:30 pm - vs Kiawe Heat (CAL 13U Gold)
Friday, June 12, TBA - Aiea Blazers JV Tournament (5:00-9:30 pm)
Saturday, June 13, 10:00 am - vs Kaiser (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Saturday, June 13, TBA - Aiea Blazers JV Tournament (9:00 am-4:00 pm)
Sunday, June 14, TBA - Aiea Blazers JV Tournament (9:00 am-4:00 pm)

Tuesday, June 16, 7:00 pm - vs Kamehameha (Kalani Varsity League)
Thursday, June 18, 6:10 pm - vs Storm (Kalani Varsity League)

Monday, June 22, 5:00 pm - vs Le Jardin (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Tuesday, June 23, 7:50 pm - vs Lanakila (Kalani Varsity League)
Thursday, June 25, 7:00 pm - vs Damien (Kalani Varsity League)
Saturday, June 27, 11:00 am - vs Lanakila Baptist (Le Jardin JV/16U League)

Monday, June 29, 8:00 pm - vs Kailua (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Tuesday, June 30, 4:30 pm - vs Maryknoll (Kalani Varsity League)
Wednesday, July 1, 6:00 pm - vs HBA (Le Jardin JV/16U League)

Monday, July 6, 7:00 pm - vs Hawaii Raiders (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Tuesday, July 7, 4:30 pm - vs HBA (Kalani Varsity League)
Wednesday, July 8, 6:00 pm - vs Maryknoll (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Thursday, July 9, 7:50 pm - vs Punahou (Kalani Varsity League)
Friday, July 10, TBA - Aiea Blazers Intermediate Tournament (5:00 pm - 9:30 pm)
Saturday, July 11, 12:00 pm - vs Mililani (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Saturday, July 11, TBA - Aiea Blazers Intermediate Tournament (9:00 am-4:00 pm)
Sunday, July 12, TBA - Aiea Blazers Intermediate Tournament (9:00 am-4:00 pm

Monday, July 13, 8:00 pm - vs Punahou (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Tuesday, July 14, 6:10 pm - vs University (Kalani Varsity League)
Wednesday, July 15, TBA - NJB Hawaii Summer Classic
Thursday, July 16, TBA - NJB Hawaii Summer Classic
Friday, July 17, TBA - NJB Hawaii Summer Classic
Saturday, July 18, 11:00 am - vs Island Pacific (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Saturday, July 18, TBA - NJB Hawaii Summer Classic
Sunday, July 19, TBA - NJB Hawaii Summer Classic

Tuesday, July 21 - One-day playoff (Kalani Varsity League)
> 4:00 pm - 10th vs 9th
> 4:50 pm - 8th vs 7th
> 5:40 pm - 6th vs 5th
> 6:30 pm - 4th vs 3rd
> 7:20 pm - 2nd vs 1st
> 8:10 pm - 12th vs 11th
Wednesday, July 22, 8:00 pm - vs Castle (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
Saturday, July 25 - Playoffs (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
> 10:00 am - Game 1, 4th vs 5th
> 11:00 am - Game 2, 3rd vs 6th
> 12:00 pm - Game 3, 2nd vs 7th
> 1:00 pm - Game 4, 1st vs 8th

Monday, July 27 - Semifinals (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
> 6:00 pm - Winner Game 2 vs Winner Game 3
> 7:00 pm - Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 4
(Championship, 3rd place game day/time TBA)

Wednesday, July 29 - Final and 3rd place (Le Jardin JV/16U League)
> 6:00 pm - Third place
> 7:00 pm - Championship

Maui wowee?

Just talked with the tournament director of the Maui Summer Classic (July 21-25), Marcus Rogers, by phone. He came recommended by a friend of mine, Todd Rickard, who helps with the tournament and is also the head coach of the Lahainaluna High School girls team. 

Plusses:
• Most of our Thunder players have never been to Maui, so this would be a nice experience.

• Coach Rogers said he'd give us a big discount for being 1) a local team and 2) bringing two teams. Instead of paying $650, each team (Intermediate and JV) would pay $500 each.

• This is a big one. Coach Rogers said he'd be willing to let our two juniors, Michael and Keanu, play on our JV team as long as it's clear that we're not deliberately trying to stack up. We don't have a lot of seniors and juniors — the Varsity Division allows seniors who are graduating — so he's willing to be flexible.

• If we decided and could afford to fly up a Varsity team, most of the guys would be from our current JV and Inter rosters. Coach Rogers said he'd give us another discount for fielding 3 teams. Each would pay $450 instead of $500.

• If we do take two teams up, since many of our guys play in both Inter and JV Divisions, Coach Rogers is willing to have us play back-to-back so that we don't have to rush between sites in Lahaina and Kahului. Convenience is always good.

Minuses:
• I haven't checked into condos and hotels on Maui yet, but generally Maui is pricey. Then again, so is Kona and we got an incredible deal last year at that condo. Nothing like having a lot of space, a big kitchen and all the luxury of a condo.

• If Coach Rogers and his staff see us play and deem that we're too strong for the Intermediate or JV Divisions, he will move us up. He doesn't want to see teams consistently losing or winning by 30 points, he said, and will do what's best for everybody. I'm fine with that.

• Even with the discounts, it's not a cheap excursion to Maui. The budget is somewhere around $6,000 to $7,000 for the stay (July 21-25, return home July 26).

• The Kalani and Le Jardin leagues will be in playoff mode that week. Kalani's one-game playoff for all 12 teams is on Tuesday, July 21. At Le Jardin, we have a regular-season game on Wednesday, July 22, then playoff games (if we make the top 8) starting on Saturday, July 25. If we travel that week, hopefully we can work something out, but nothing is guaranteed.

Players, parents, friends - your feedback, please.

This Week (May 26-31)

Tuesday, May 26
No practice.

Wednesday, May 27
4:30 pm - Practice at Makiki Park. Pau 6:30.

Thursday, May 28
5:55 pm - Stretching/warmups at Lanakila Gym outside court.
6:55 pm - vs. Hoops4Christ (Ikaika Intermediate League).

Friday, May 29
No practice.

Saturday, May 30
10:00 am - Practice at Makiki Park.

Sunday, May 31
4:00 pm - Optional shooting practice at Makiki Park.

CAL League update

Found out during the potluck on Monday that CAL (Compete & Learn) Basketball League has squeezed us into the 13-Under Division. The league is cancelling its 15U Division, which makes sense because most teams at that age range are playing in JV Leagues, including us.

CAL 13U will begin next Monday (June 1), but our team doesn't play on that day. We'll have 7 games. Game dates are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

This is good news for our younger guys, a prayer answered, really. We don't have have a deep roster with our 13U; many of our eighth graders have turned 14 or are about to. But we have enough experience, skill and heart remaining to compete in the 13U Gold Division once again.

Roster (uniform number, name, age)
#6 Ryan Higashionna (13)
#9 Lorelai Ramos (9)
#12 Jance Apuya (12)
#14 Skyler Kawakami-Bechtel (12)
#17 Jayden Ramos (12)
#24 Jonah Gormley (13)
#34 Chaz Enos (11)
#54 Trinity Martin (13)
#88 Walter Berthold (13)
Jason (13)

Memorial Day Potluck

BIG, BIG MAHALOS to all our parents and friends who gave their time, their energy, their cooking (mmmm...), their resources, their mileage on the road to give our H1 Thunder keiki a day of fun at Waikiki Natatorium on Memorial Day.

One of my little theorems is that the less a head coach has to speak, the more fun everyone else has. It's not a cop-out, just a reality that if everyone from the youngest player to parents and supporters are thinking alike in a very positive way, good and great things can happen. Seeing everybody enjoy the rest time, the great food and, most of all, providing our youngsters a chance to enjoy the beach and each other's company, is always awesome.

Big mahalo to Coach Bo, who brought his grill early in the morning and stayed for breakfast. Please keep him in your prayers. He reinjured is back a few days ago and was in extreme pain before going to the hospital the night before the potluck, where he got a shot. He had no medication (ran out) and will be going to his doctor today. He went home from the potluck early so he could rest up. Coach Bo reminded me a month ago that it was time for another potluck, then he couldn't enjoy it. Take care, brother Bo!

Big mahalo to Coach Larry, aka Chef Larry, and Nathan for manning the grill all day. Hot, smoky, tiring. But also skilled on the grill. Thanks guys.

Big mahalo to Mrs. Chang and Sanford, who joined us at the potluck around lunch time. Her wisdom and encouragement are a big reason why we've continued on with our younger Thunder in the past 2-3 years. Thank you, Mrs. Chang, for donating big time to help with the cost of food for the potluck :)

So many parents brought more essential resources like tables and tents. There was so much outstanding home-cooked food it felt like an outdoor restaurant. Ramos Ohana, Martin Ohana, Moraga Ohana and everyone who took the time to make their great dishes (or pick the food up from restaurants), thank you so much. It was tasty and kept everyone filled up from morning to evening :)

Some of our Thunder had other plans on Memorial Day, but I was thinking a lot about them. There's always next potluck, whenever that would be. God is good.