Video: Thunder vs Kealakehe (varsity)

vs Kealakehe 7/25/2014 (Big West/HISOA Varsity)
video: Nathan Higashionna
score: Thunder 51, Kealakehe 40

Video: Thunder vs Rise Above V (varsity)

Big West Conference Officials/HISOA (Hawaii Island Sports Officials Association) Varsity Exhibition Tournament. Friday, July 25, 2014. Kekuaokalani Gymnasium, Kailua-Kona.
video: Nathan Higashionna
score: Thunder 38, Rise (Hilo Vikings) 20

Kohala 65, H1 Thunder 52 (varsity)

Big West Conference Officials/HISOA Varsity Tournament, Kailua-Kona
Our Thunder kids gave Kohala's varsity squad a battle from start to finish. We were sluggish and out of sync — not running our offense — and fell behind 8-0. We rallied to tie it at 15-all or so.

It was somewhere around 25-all when Kohala started pulling away bit by bit. They're a veteran varsity team with a smart, tough PG (#12 Kellen Figueroa) who is very "competitive." We stayed within 6-8 points for most of the second half, but Kohala made shots (#21 has a nice pullup jumper) and we had some offensive mini-droughts.

Still a hearty effort by our 14U (plus Radyn). Ray had a good game out of the high post with tough drives against bigger guys, hitting shots or finding open teammates.

One thing about playing against "competitive" players, we all will have to learn to laugh when they drop f-bombs and other colorful language at us. The referees won't hear it because the older players say it loud enough for you to hear, but not loud enough for the refs to hear it.

How we REACT matters more than what actually happened. Referees catch the reaction, not the initial f-bomb or push (or whatever). Laugh it off. Show the referee good body language. Talk to me and our other coaches. But don't let anyone control your reaction in a negative way.

The more experience our players gain, the better we can respond in a way that helps our team rather than hurts it. It doesn't happen overnight, but learning to react and respond wisely is so important. It's the difference between winning a close game and losing a close game. That's the real nature of battle.

FWIW, Kellen apologized to me after the game. He knows he doesn't need the cussing as part of his game. He's good enough without it. He'll learn as he grows as a player and person. I'm more concerned with our guys, learning to handle any situation. We're young — mostly 13 and 14 — and we're going to learn along the way. That's the truth and we keep moving forward.

The guys are still in good spirits despite the loss. No harm in a learning experience, facing a tough, older team. We get better faster that way.
 

Now we head up to Waimea, Honokaa, Waipio Valley. If we have time, maybe Kohala.

Then we trace our way back through Waikoloa, where the boys want to swim at the huge pool (with a slide) where Chase, Ray and their dads are staying. If that doesn't work out (might be crowded), we'll hit nearby Hapuna Beach.

No games the rest of the day and night, so the guys will have all the fun, free time they've wanted.

Next: Sunday, 11:45 am - H1 Thunder vs. Bay Area Renegades (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym.
Sunday, 7:15 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Islanders (WYBT 14U).
WE LUB THIS GAME!

H1 Thunder 51, Kealakehe 40 (varsity)

Big West Conference Officials/HISOA Varsity Tournament, Kailua-Kona
We played without Chris (sore throat, dehydration), but we did a decent job against Kealakehe's big guys. Our fullcourt pressure made the biggest difference, all-out hustle and defense.

Kealakehe inserted a bunch of young players midway through the second half, probably 12 to 13 years old, so we left our youngest lineup (12, 13) on the floor for a long stretch. Very long. They did solid work.

This leaves us with one game to play in this tourney. I'd love for us to play two games on Saturday, but the kids are eager to explore places and hit the pool. Takes more free time to do that. They've earned it.

Lineup: Micah Visoria, Javan Montiho, Kapaa Nishimura, Chase Santos, Radyn Kaleikini, Tanielu Mosi Afe, Colin Micah Ramos, Felcris Jay CorpuzAhadain, Ryan Higashionna, Jared Elwin, Josh M DE Jesus.

Next: Saturday, 9:00 am - H1 Thunder vs. Kohala (varsity), Kekuaokalani gym.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

H1 Thunder 38, Rise Above V (Hilo Vikings) 20 (varsity)

Big West Conference/HISOA Varsity Tournament, Kailua-Kona
Despite the early-morning wake-up, the guys were energetic and cohesive all morning. By the time we hit the court for the 12:30 pm tip-off, they were ready. All 13 Thunder played strong (most of the time) defensively against a taller, bigger team.

As for the condo units, spectacular. To me, anyway, a guy who grew up in tiny Honolulu apartments. The A/C is cranking at 68 degrees while it's about 90 outside. I'm more of a Kona Seaside guy, but this is easy to get used to.

Lineup: Javan Montiho, Gabriel Porras, Colin Micah Ramos, Josh M DE Jesus, Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain, Micah Visoria, Jared Elwin, Ryan Higashionna, Kapaa Nishimura, Chris Afe, Radyn Kaleikini, Chase Santos, Tanielu Mosi Afe.

BIG MAHALO to Uncle Nathan for shooting game video, driving one of the vans and generally looking after all of us. His people skills really helped at the airport this morning.

Also, BIG MAHALO to Coach Kalei and Coach Rod for sharing their ride with some of the guys.

Next: Saturday, 5:30 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Kealakehe (varsity), Kekuaokalani gym.
Sunday, 9:00 am - H1 Thunder vs. Kohala (varsity), Kekuaokalani gym.
WE LUB THIS GAAAAAAAAME! 

Updated Combined Game Schedule 7/21

We'll try to get some shooting practice, maybe one or two hill runs in this week.

Monday, July 21
7:10 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Kiawe Heat (CAL 13U), Kilauea gym
8:00 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Sharks (CAL 15U), Kilauea gym

Tuesday, July 22

10:00 am - Optional hill run & bonus workout, Palolo Valley

5:00 pm - Shooting practice, Makiki Park

Wednesday, July 23
6:20 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Pearl City All-Stars (CAL 13U), Kilauea gym
7:10 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Hoops4Christ (CAL 15U), Kilauea gym

Thursday, July 24

10:00 am - Optional hill run & bonus workout, Palolo Valley

5:00 pm - Shooting practice, Makiki Park

Friday, July 25
5:15 am - Meet at airport
6:48 am - Fly to Kona
12:30 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Rise Above V (Big West/HISOA Varsity), Kekuaokalani gym
3:30 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Pai‘ea (Big West/HISOA Varsity), Kekuaokalani gym
8:00 pm - WYBT Hawaii Invitational opening ceremony, Kekuaokalani gym

Saturday, July 26
9:00 am - H1 Thunder vs. Kohala (Big West/HISOA Varsity), Kekuaokalani gym

Sunday, July 27
11:45 am - H1 Thunder vs. Bay Area Renegades (WYBT Hawaii Invitational 14U), Kekuaokalani gym
7:15 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Kona Islanders (WYBT Hawaii Invitational 14U), Kekuaokalani gym

Monday, July 28
4:00 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Kauai (WYBT Hawaii Invitational 14U), Kekuaokalani gym
6:00 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Kona Stingrays (WYBT Hawaii Invitational 14U), Kekuaokalani gym

Tuesday, July 29
10:30 am - H1 Thunder vs. LA Titans (WYBT Hawaii Invitational 14U), Kekuaokalani gym
9:19 pm - Fly home to HNL

This Week / Next Week

Wednesday, 7:20 pm - H1 Thunder vs. Kona Stingrays (NJB Classic 14U), Palama gym. Warmups/stretching 6:20 pm.
Thursday, 10:00 am - Optional hill run, Carlos Long St. (Palolo)
Thursday, 5:00 pm - Practice, Makiki Park
Friday, 5:30 pm - H1 Thunder vs. HomeGrown (CAL 15U), Kilauea gym
Saturday, 9:00 am - H1 Thunder vs. Team Lihue (NJB Classic 14U), Palolo gym. Warmups/stretching, 8:00 am.
Saturday/Sunday - NJB Classic playoffs, TBA

Monday, July 21, 7:10 pm - Thunder vs. Kiawe Heat (CAL 13U), Kilauea gym
Monday, July 21, 8:00 pm - Thunder vs. Sharks (CAL 15U), Kilauea gym
Tuesday, 10:00 am - Optional hill run, Carlos Long St. (Palolo)
Tuesday, 5:00 pm - Optional shooting practice, Makiki Park
Wednesday, July 23, 5:30 pm - Thunder vs. Hoops4Christ (CAL 15U), Kilauea gym
Thursday, July 24, 10:00 am - Optional hill run, Carlos Long St. (Palolo)
Thursday, July 25, 5:00 pm - Optional shooting practice, Makiki Park
Friday, July 25, 5:15 am - Meet at Airport (Hawaiian Airlines)
Friday, July 25, 6:48 am - Fly to Kona
Friday, July 25, 12:00 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (Big West/HISOA Varsity), site TBA
Friday, July 25, 3:00 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (Big West/HISOA Varsity), site TBA
Saturday, July 26, 12:00 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (Big West/HISOA Varsity), site TBA
Saturday, July 26, 3:00 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (Big West/HISOA Varsity), site TBA
Sunday, July 27, 11:45 am - Thunder vs. Bay Area Renegades (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym
Sunday, July 27, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Kona Islanders (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym
Monday, July 28, 4:00 pm - Thunder vs. Kauai (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym
Monday, July 28, 6:00 pm - Thunder vs. Kona Stingrays (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym
Tuesday, July 29, 10:30 am - Thunder vs. LA Titans (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym
Tuesday, July 29, 9:19 pm - Fly to Honolulu

Combined Schedule (updated 7/14 8:45 pm)

Adds the NJB Classic 14U schedule and changes to the WYBT 14U schedule (they added a fifth team).
No schedule yet for the Big West/HISOA Varsity Tourney, but there will be 4 games in that two-day event.

Wednesday, July 16, 7:20 pm - Thunder vs. Kona Stingrays (NJB Classic 14U), Palama gym

Friday, July 18, 5:30 pm - Thunder vs. HomeGrown (CAL 13U), Kilauea gym

Saturday, July 19, 9:00 am - Thunder vs. Team Lihue (NJB Classic 14U), Palolo gym

Saturday, July 19 - Playoffs TBA (NJB Classic 14U)

Sunday, July 20 - Playoffs TBA (NJB Classic 14U), Manoa gym

Monday, July 21, 7:10 pm - Thunder vs. Kiawe Heat (CAL 13U), Kilauea gym

Monday, July 21, 8:00 pm - Thunder vs. Sharks (CAL 15U), Kilauea gym

Wednesday, July 23, 5:30 pm - Thunder vs. Hoops4Christ (CAL 15U), Kilauea gym

Friday, July 25, 12:00 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (Big West/HISOA Varsity), site TBA

Friday, July 25, 3:00 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (Big West/HISOA Varsity), site TBA

Saturday, July 26, 12:00 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (Big West/HISOA Varsity), site TBA

Saturday, July 26, 3:00 pm - Thunder vs. TBA (Big West/HISOA Varsity), site TBA

Sunday, July 27, 11:45 am - Thunder vs. Bay Area Renegades (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym

Sunday, July 27, 7:15 pm - Thunder vs. Kona Islanders (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym

Monday, July 28, 4:00 pm - Thunder vs. Kauai (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym

Monday, July 28, 6:00 pm - Thunder vs. Kona Stingrays (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym

Tuesday, July 29, 10:30 am - Thunder vs. LA Titans (WYBT 14U), Kekuaokalani gym

2 Days to Game Day

It's been more than a week since we played a game. It was a good break after a busy month of action. We got some conditioning work in, some practice time in. We practice this afternoon, have an optional conditioning working tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, and another team practice Tue afternoon. The guys who go to optional conditioning Tues AM will get a much lighter load of conditioning at practice. I just want to make practices available to everybody, especially with some guys busy in the afternoon or morning.

We'll have our schedule for the NJB Classic when I go to the coaches meeting on Tuesday night. From Wednesday to Sunday, expect to play 1 or 2 games per day/night, not including the CAL 13U game on Friday. And right after the tourney is pau on Sunday, we have CAL 13U and 15U games on Monday.

Get in shape, be in shape. Fun times are ahead, Thunder!
WE LUB THIS GAME!

Travel Update 7/6 (updated again 11:15 am)

Las Vegas trip is practically dead in the water. Not enough players, not enough adults (only me). We just needed one more adult and 4 more players. Airfare is reasonable ($615 round trip), but this is a total long shot now.

Kona trip is alive and well. Though the car wash wasn't profitable (bad weather), we'll push through with fundraisers. The Kona travel roster is below with some updates on players who have committed.

We have not fundraised enough to cover expenses, so unless you have financial hardship status, please chip in ASAP. Per traveler: Air fare $175, auto rental: $20, hotel/condo $160, 14U tourney fee $50. Players will bring their own food money. For the rest of us, hello McDonald's dollar menu!

I'm waiting for confirmation on one of the players' departure day. Then I'll order the plane tickets and reserve either condo unit(s) or hotel rooms this morning.

Keanu Pratt - yes (varsity)
Radyn Kaleikini - yes (varsity) (flying with dad)
Tanielu Mosi Afe - yes (varsity/14U)
Chase Santos - yes (varsity/14U)
Gabriel Porras - yes (varsity/14U)
Josh M DE Jesus - yes (varsity/14U)
Kapaa Nishimura - yes (14U only, arrives in Kona 7/27)
Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain - yes (varsity/14U)
Colin Ramos - yes (varsity/14U)
Javan Montiho - yes (varsity/14U)
Chris Afe - yes (varsity/14U)
Micah Visoria - yes (varsity/14U)
Ryan Higashionna - yes (varsity/14U)
* Nathan Higashionna - yes (coach/chaperone)
* Paul Honda - yes (coach)

Varsity means these guys will travel early Friday, July 25 and arrive in Kona in the morning. First game in the Big West Officials/HISOA varsity tournament will be around noon. The WYBT 14U Tournament begins on Sunday, July 27 with a noon-time game.

If our fundraisers do well, extra funds will go toward the new uniforms and the cost of previous leagues/tournaments, and future leagues/tournaments. Beyond that, we'll be fundraising for 2015 travel (Bigfoot and Under One Roof tournaments in Las Vegas, Kona tournaments, etc.)

Arriving later?
Josh Roberts/Henry Roberts
Carl Montiho
Ray Ramos

Not traveling
Haka Johnson (Saint Louis travel)
Kanehe Nishimura (band camp)
Kyle Moraga (Lanakila 17U travel)
Jared Elwin
Sierra Murobayashi (Islanderz girls travel)
Thomas Baptiste
Walter Berthold

Note: We'll probably have to rent two condo units since the travel group numbers 16 now. (Not including the guys who arrive later.)

Update 7/6 11:15 am - Kalei (Chase's dad) informed me this morning about a possible group discount rate from Hawaiian Airlines. I called them and learned that the office that handles group rates is closed on Sundays. As much as I want to book EVERYTHING this morning, I'm going to wait until Monday AM. I also signed up for Hawaiian Miles for the first time. Not sure if that helps us, but it can't hurt.

Also called Castle Resorts, and the lady who handles group rates for them is also not in her office until Monday. So that's another waiting game. I called Kona Bali Kai for the heck of it and they said they have two 2-bedroom units available for July 25-29. But again, they recommended that I call the generic 1-800 number, which will lead back to the group-rate lady who has Sundays off.

Either Kona Bali Kai or the other condo in Waikoloa would be great. (Both are owned by Castle Resorts.)

Ground transportation will be two mini-vans courtesy of Coach Carl and his connections. He has the gift.

Travel Update 7/3

This is not a long shot anymore, but it will take some doing.

1. Fundraiser (car wash) monies will go directly toward the Kona trip (July 25-29). Expenses for the Kona trip, not including food (players will bring their own food money), add up to $4,200 (2 varsity players, 6 14U players, 2 adults). That includes air fare, hotel/condo, auto rental, 14U tourney entry fee. Flight reservations are still available for the early morning of July 25 (Friday), but they're going fast and we really need parents to chip in to pay for that and auto ASAP.

Add two or three more 14U players (and it looks like that's going to happen), and that's another $175 each (round trip) to the total cost.

2. Travel agent (Danny Chiu of Royal Adventure) quoted a price of $615 round trip to Las Vegas in mid-July. That helps a lot if we send a team there for the Bigfoot Las Vegas Live tourney July 16-20. A tournament official I talked to this morning said we could actually start on the second day (Thursday, July 17) and save hotel cost since we would be traveling a long way. Cost for a LV trip (July 16-20), not including food (players pay for their own) would be $7,750. That's an estimate that would fluctuate depending on auto rental cost.

The cost of the Las Vegas trip will be covered by me (via the loan I recently obtained). This week's car wash fundraiser money will not go toward this expense since there's a limited number of players who can go.

3. So you're reading this right. I want us to be at two tournaments. Obviously, we can only take 8 players to the Vegas tourney due to costs, but the Kona trip is open to everybody who wants to go, as long as the cost is under control. Right now, we have two committed players for the varsity tourney and eight committed players for the 14U and varsity tournaments.

There are a lot of moving parts to all this, so don't be surprised if we can't square up on some things and the Vegas trip doesn't happen. That would be fine, too. We could just focus on Kona. But I want our best to be tested by the best every year. It's worth the attempt.

Travel update 7/2

Wednesday, July 2 update

** I NEED TO KNOW FROM EVERYBODY WHETHER HE IS COMMITTED TO THE KONA TRIP OR NOT. Also need to collect from players who can afford to chip in for air fare ($171), car rental ($25) and tournament (14U, $50). (If you're playing in the varsity tourney, no fee. They let us in free as a courtesy).

I need specifics so I can reserve plane seats ASAP. It's the difference between flying out at 8:00 am and 5:00 am. It's the difference between having barely enough seats and not having any flights available at all.

I'm heading to the credit union this afternoon. Haven't heard back from my loan lady since leaving her a message on Monday. Hopefully, we can all chip in for the Kona trip and won't need any extra funds or cushion backup money. But it's good to have just in case, so I'm going down there.

Also, I haven't quit yet on the idea of a mainland trip. Last check, flights to Vegas are still around $643 round trip. Budgeting it out, we'd need about $9,000 to play there — ideally the Bigfoot Las Vegas Live tournament July 16-20. That's a tourney that draws college recruiters for the 17U/16U games. We'd be in 14U, but the experience and competition would be great for our guys.

If a $5,000 loan makes sense (max allowed for me), I chip in another $2,000, then we'd need just another $2,000 to make the mainland trip feasible. If not (it's a long shot), then the Kona trip is appealing (and roughly half the cost of a mainland trip). Nobody's said to me that they don't like a sunny place with lots of sights to see and lots of basketball to play. Coach Carl and Auntie Julie are helping with logistics, looking at the possibility of a time-share condo (2 bedrooms, kitchen) up the road from Kona in Waikoloa. The price might be similar to the hotel rate I got from Kona Seaside, so it's a real possibility. One unit with everybody together beats three separate hotel rooms, no kitchen.

(In a perfect world, we'd do the mainland trip AND the Kona trip. But it is what it is.)

The Big West Officials/HISOA Varsity Tournament will be on July 25-26. I got confirmation from HISOA chief Mason Souza today. That's Friday and Saturday, two games on each day. They haven't decided yet on the bracketing format. Hopefully, it's a championship format since they already have at least eight teams.

WYBT (14U Division) will not start on July 26 as previously scheduled. They've pushed back to a Sunday, July 27 starting date. We'll play five games in three days. The opening ceremony is Saturday, July 26, 8:00 pm. The tournament is really big about the opening ceremony.

Then, on Sunday, July 27, we play Los Angeles at 11:45 am. Then we play San Francisco 7:15 pm. Tentatively scheduled for one game on Monday and two on Tuesday before we fly home Tuesday night. The other two teams are Kona Stingrays and Kauai. If they don't add another team, we'll probably play two games on Monday and be done.

WE LUB THIS GAME!