Video: Thunder 13U vs Owls

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Sunday funday

Solid workout today at McCully. Conditioning, ballhandling, shooting, halfcourt offense. Sweat Equity: Put in the sweat, the rewards follow. Nice work by Kyle Moraga, Joshua de Jesus, Kali'a Mielke, Hsien Pascua and Felcris Corpuz. WE LUB THIS GAME!

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

13U: H1 Thunder 50, Owls 32

Got a better turnout than expected this morning. A lot of guys were busy, but we were 7 strong: Ryan Higashionna, Jared Elwin,Felcris Jay Corpuz, Joshua de Jesus, Hsien Pascua, Walter Berthold and Kali'a Mielke. We led 36-8 at one point and pulled off the press after that. That gave us a chance to work on our man defense, which was good. We need a lot of work there. Overall, great hustle, great passing, great timing, great recognition. We got the ball inside to Kali‘a many times with just the right amount of patience and quickness. He was unstoppable today. So was Jared. Getting better every time.

Next: Practice, Sunday, 11:00 am, McCully gym. 

WE LUB THIS GAME!

13U game Saturday morning

Head's up, 13U. We play on Saturday, 9:30 am, Kilauea gym. We play the Owls.

Guys who need a ride, let me know 551-1054 ASAP. Coach Roy might not be able to drive because they have church.

I apologize. I did not see this on the schedule, but I asked the league directors to check for us and Greydon informed me that we have a game.

So be there 8:30 am for warmups outside and tip-off is 9:30 am. WE LUB THIS GAME!

P.S. Bring both uniforms.

Wednesday funday

Superb practice this afternoon at Makiki Park. Sunny, no wind, perfect. Got a lot of ballhandling, passing, on-ball work done. Got a lot of conditioning done. Kyle set a new personal low with a 5.15 fullcourt layup time. We did a lot of offensive positioning work (Princeton/UCLA). Finished with a ton of 3-point shooting. By the time they got warmed up, they hit 10 treys in 60 seconds during one of the sets and also made 5 in a row on another set. Good work, Thunder! Joshua de Jesus (Josh), Sierra Murobayashi, Ryan HIgashionna, Kyle Moraga.

Next: Practice, Thursday, 5:00 pm, Makiki Park. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Video: Thunder 13U vs Makakilo

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A good battle with one of our oldest rivals. The first time we met the Knights, it was CAL League in the early summer of 2012. We had the ball, down one point in the final seconds. Sifo missed an NBA-range 3-point shot. Kodee hustled for the rebound, put the ball back up from under the basket. The ball bounced three times on the rim, the buzzer sounded and the ball fell off for a miss. What a game that was.

We've had many great battles with Makakilo since. They're a different team now with a lot of new players, but still scrappy and smart. Well coached. This was a close game until the final quarter when our experience and execution on defense and offense took over. We were 10 deep, so we got a lot of fresh legs in the game from the opening tip. A great team win, 36-27.

13U: Thunder 36, Makakilo 27

We were 10 strong and had our bigs, Chris Afe and Kali'a Mielke, which makes a huge difference. There have been times when we've played some of our best basketball with a platoon system. Kyle Moraga and Tanielu Mosi Afe have the ability to get on rolls whether we have a strong 5 or a platoon 5 (a mix of younger/older players).

Great hustle was the biggest key today. We pulled away in the second half against a scrappy team. Good work and another solid team win. We got tough defense from everybody: Felcris Jay Corpuz, Joshua de Jesus, Hsien Pascua, Micah Visoria, Ryan Higashionna, Javan Montiho.

Next: Practice, Monday and Tuesday, 5:00 pm, Makiki Park. WE LUB THIS GAME!

17U: Boom 43, Thunder 31

We fell behind early, 17-4 after one quarter. Then we battled back to within 5 or 6 in the second half. A lot of mental errors, sloppy passes ... but the good news is we got good games from Isaiah and Kalen Shaq Donnelly. Overall, not bad, but we did not play a smart game at times. With so many 13U guys supplementing the 17U roster, playing smart against a good Boom team is always a must.

Next up, 13U plays Makakilo, 2:40 pm. We're 9 strong right now. Looking forward to playing one of our toughest rivals.

Video: Thunder 13U vs Kalakaua

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13U: Thunder 34, Kalakaua 33

The hustle was there, but we lacked chemistry and timing as a team, and several of us are rusty (or sick) individually. We were lucky to get this win, down in the first half, rallying in the second half, and then nearly giving the game away at the end. I expect great things from our Thunder, but when the work ethic isn't there, I'm not surprised that we struggled.

We probably had more turnovers than baskets. Unless the work ethic returns, we will continue to be stagnant and erratic. How hungry are you, Thunder? The PAA playoffs are around the corner. Are we going to bring our best? Or will be be satisfied with sloppy basketball?

There are few real gifts in this world, and success as a team is never handed down to anybody. It is earned. Time to earn it, Thunder.

Next:
Sunday - 17U game, 12 pm, Kilauea gym. Warmups 11:00 am.
Sunday - 13U game, 2:40 pm, Kilauea gym. Warmups 1:40 pm.
Monday - Practice, 5:00 pm, Makiki Park.
Tuesday - Practice, 5:00 pm, Makiki Park.

Whoever needs a ride, let me know (551-1054). Coach Roy and I will pick up everybody and make sure we start practicing as a team again.

Tuesday funday, game Thur

Really good workout on Tuesday with Hsien, Ed and Javan. We got about 90 minutes of drills in, mostly shooting, some on-ball defense, on-ball offense.

Next: Thunder 13U vs. Kalakaua, 6:15 p.m., Kilauea gym. Warmups 5:15 p.m. at Kilauea gym. If you need a ride, let me know (551-1054) or call Coach Roy. WE LUB THIS GAME!

Sunday funday, practice Tuesday

Solid workout on Sunday at McCully. Got a lot of shooting, conditioning in. Felcris Jay Corpuz, Javan Montiho, Kali'a Mielke, Kyle Moraga and Joshua de Jesus. WE LUB THIS GAME! Next practice Tuesday 5:00 pm Kalakaua.