Throwback 2014: WYBT 14U Champs

WYBT 14U Champions (Kona).
It's January 1, so yes, 2014 is throwback era now. Here's our squad that travelled to Kona. We went 2-1 in the Big West Officials/HISOA Varsity Tournament with wins over Hilo and Kealakehe and a close loss to Kohala. Our only guy older than 14 was Radyn (15).

After that, the team won the WYBT Hawaii Invitational 14U Tournament with a 5-0 record, beating Bay Area Renegades, Hanakila (Kauai), Kona Stingrays, Kona Islanders and LA TItans. Awesome trip. Memories for life!

Where are they now: (front) Micah Visoria - Stevenson Middle School guard & H1 Thunder 13U guard/co-captain, Colin Micah Ramos - H1 Thunder 13U guard/forward/co-captain; Felcris Jay Corpuz Ahadain - Kalakaua Middle School guard & H1 Thunder 13U guard; Josh M DE Jesus - Kalakaua Middle School guard/forward & Lanakila G/F (CAL middle school silver division); Ryan Higashionna - Kaimuki Middle School G/F & H1 Thunder 13U G/F, co-captain; Jared Elwin - freshman on Roosevelt varsity, H1 Thunder 15U/17U; Javan Montiho - H1 Thunder 13U guard; (back) Tanielu Mosi Afe, G/F for Farrington JV, H1 Thunder 15U/17U; Gabriel Porras- F for Kalani JV, H1 Thunder 15U; Kapaa Nishimura - G/F for Kalani varsity, H1 Thunder 15U/17U; Radyn Kaleikini - G/F for University High varsity; Chase Santos - F for Kalani JV, H1 Thunder 15U; Chris Afe- F/C for H1 Thunder 13U/15U/17U.

Video: 6 treys vs Hanakila (14U)

World Youth Basketball Tournament (WYBT) Hawaii Invitational, 14-Under Division. Monday, July 28, 2014. Kekuaokalani Gymnasium, Kailua-Kona.
Video: Nathan Higashionna.

Video: 5 treys vs Bay Area (14U)

World Youth Basketball Tournament (WYBT) Hawaii Invitational, 14-Under Division. Sunday, July 27, 2014. Kekuaokalani Gymnasium, Kailua-Kona.
Video: Nathan Higashionna.

Video: Thunder vs LA Titans (14U)

Uploaded on Aug 10, 2014
World Youth Basketball Tournament (WYBT) Hawaii Invitational, 14-Under Division. Tuesday, July 29, 2014. Kekuaokalani Gymnasium, Kailua-Kona.
Video: Ray Ramos.
score: Thunder 72, Titans 61

Video: Thunder vs Kona Stingrays (14U)

vs Kona Stingrays 7/28/2014 (WYBT 14U)
video: Ray Ramos
score: Thunder 68, Stingrays 54

Video: Thunder vs Hanakila (14U)

vs Hanakila (Kapaa) 7/28/2014 (WYBT 14U)
video: Nathan Higashionna
score: Thunder 65, Hanakila 50

Video: Thunder vs Bay Area (14U)

vs Bay Area Renegades 7/27/2014 (WYBT 14U)
video: Nathan Higashionna
score: Thunder 63, Renegades 58

Video: Thunder vs Islanders (14U)

vs Islanders (Kona) 7/27/2014 (WYBT 14U)
video: Nathan Higashionna
score: Thunder 69, Islanders 45

Post-game 7/28

After 4 wins at the WYBT, we're one game away from going undefeated. But right now, the boys feel like champs after a big win over the tough Kona Stingrays. We're at Waikoloa where the kids are swimming in the humongous pool at the place where some of the parents and kids are staying.
This pool is incredible. Just laying here on a long chair, even in the dark, feels like we're living large. So does staying in the condo back in Kailua-Kona. Gonna miss that place, but we've got great memories to last a lifetime thanks to the parents, friends, supporters who helped make this trip possible. WE LUB YOU MAAN!!

H1 Thunder 68, Kona Stingrays 54 (14U)

WYBT 14U Tournament, Kailua-Kona
After splitting two games with the Stingrays last week at the NJB Classic, our guys were very motivated today. Losing to them by 26 in that tourney's third-place game must've really bothered them. They came out playing hard, a little too aggressive at times. We came back from a 7-point deficit, but trailed 31-29 at halftime.

The Stingrays' 3-point shooters killed us in the first half. Though they were missing a few players — I think they are committed to football and/or were from Honokaa during the NJB tourney — they were still incredibly smart with ball movement. In a lot of ways, they're like us and we're like them.

We trailed at the half 31-29. We went to man defense exclusively in the second half, dropping the press entirely. The guys picked up their level of defensive intensity and turned the game around. Tani got a lot of passes on the break for layups when we opened the lead to 49-33.

Chase's back tightened up in warmups, but we got strong play from Colin in his place. Jared was superb defensively and offensively, knocking down four or five treys in the second half while covering the PG. Kapaa gave us the usual multi-skilled performance with rebounding, great close-out defense on shooters, work at the point and wings.

Chris was key from the start with several low-post power moves for buckets. That opened up opportunities for our other guys when the double teams arrived. It took some time for us to figure out how to attack a man defense with so much help in the paint, but the guys did it with a lot of penetration and kick-outs.

Tani sat most of the last 10 or so minutes with a bruise on his shin, but our reserves (13U) came in and executed well again. They held their own against big teams this year, and they did enough for us tonight with Chase out and Tani slightly dinged up.

All in all, it was a big win for a team that had back-to-back games (with a 60-minute rest break). Beating the Stingrays is never, never easy. We're just fortunate that we played one of our best games of the year in the Stingrays' turf. There will be epic battles with them in the future, I'm 100% sure of that.

The guys were so stoked after the win. They were so gratified, much more than I expected. They might still be celebrating now, at least in their spirit and mood as a team. Can't blame them. They took all of my direction and a lot of my criticism and kept answering with great plays, great hustle, GREAT HEART. Lub these guys!

Tani put it like this after the game: "The Stingrays are just like us, coach." I agree. They practice hard, work together, play aggressively on both ends of the court, move the ball, share the ball and can shoot the 3 with the best of them. But the intangibles matter to both teams: playing clean, hard basketball. No trash talking. Just loving the game and loving their teammates.

Next: Tuesday, 10:30 am - H1 Thunder vs. LA Titans (WYBT 14U).

WE LUB THIS GAME!

H1 Thunder 65, Hanakila (Kauai) 50 (14U)

WYBT 14U Tournament, Kailua-Kona
We led all the way, though Hanakila was physical and determined. We had a double-digit lead, but it dwindled to about 6 or 8 in the second half before we went on a run. Again, our reserves (13U) did a solid job in maintaining the cushion most times, giving our starters plenty of rest for the later matchup with the Kona Stingrays.

Chris finally got back on the court after battling a sore throat and somedehydration. He finally started tanking a LOT of water and Gatorade and was a force in the paint against Hanakila's 6-5 big boy. Our assistants/dads were quick to point out who Hanakila's long-range shooters were and we did a solid job keeping them covered and challenged on almost every shot.

Great defense once again. I don't know what it is about traveling off island, but it seems to bring out the best in us as a team and family. We're now 3-0 in this tourney with two games left.

WE LUB THIS GAME!

Sunday attire

Thunder, please bring both uniforms to the WYBT games today. No idea what colors the other teams wear. We'll take a team photo in the blue uniforms before or after our first game. Sunday best!
WE LUB THIS GAME!

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!

Kona trip: Collecting air fare, etc.

Kona Trip head count

In: Radyn Kaleikini (varsity), Keanu Pratt (varsity), Felcris Ahadain (varsity/14U), Kali‘a Mielke (varsity/14U), Kapaa Nishimura (varsity/14U).

Not sure: Tanielu Mosi Afe, Chris Afe, Ryan Higashionna, Javan Montiho, Joshua De Jesus, Micah Visoria, Colin Ramos, Chase Santos, Jared Elwin, Josh Roberts, Haka Johnson, Gabriel Porras, Walter Berthold, Jefferey Wood. 

Not available: Kyle Moraga, Kanehe Nishimura, Sierra Murobayashi, Thomas Baptiste Takahashi.

Howzit everybody! July is here and I need to lock down reservations for the trip to Kona. We play to leave on July 24 (or July 25 depending on the schedule I'll find out about today) for the HISOA/Big West Conference Officials Varsity Tournament. The WYBT 14U features two teams from California and follows the varsity tourney.

Hawaiian Airlines is offering $171 round trip, but tickets are getting snatched up so we have to move quickly. If you can pay for air fare ($171, mini-van rental $25) and are playing in the 14U tourney ($50 per player for entry fee), please bring it to me ASAP.

If you can't afford to pay for a portion or at all, just let me know. Like I told the guys after yesterday's game, I was broke as heck as a kid. Single mom, food stamps, housing assistance. But I was at every fundraiser for my Pop Warner and basketball teams. So please don't back off and skip the trip just because you ain't rich. We'll work and earn it together!

As of Monday night, Radyn and Anu committed to play in the varsity tournament. Haven't heard back from Haka. Kanehe is not available (band camp). That means our varsity team will still be a lot like the Thunder squad playing in the current Kalani Summer League. We'll be fine.

Right after that tourney is pau (July 24-25), we'll start play in the WYBT 14U Tournament (July 26-28). We'll fly back home on the night of the 28th. I'd love for all of us to stay an extra day and tour the entire island, but hotel room rates are not cheap and that would set us back another $400-500 (counting auto rental and food).

So turn in your trip money tonight after the game at Kalani or tomorrow after the game at Maryknoll. Fun times ahead!

WE LUB THIS GAME!