Tolby Saito grew up in a gym, and the family joke is he knows how to shoot a basketball better than ride a bike. ADVERTISING Tolby Saito grew up in a gym, and the family joke is he knows how
Tolby Saito grew up in a gym, and the family joke is he knows how to shoot a basketball better than ride a bike.
It’s those countless hours shooting and working on other parts of his game that led to a stellar season for the Pahoa senior point guard.
As a youngster, he shot until it was dark in the family’s driveway, holding a flashlight in one hand and hoisting jumpers with the other.
The 5-foot-9 Saito topped the BIIF in scoring with 27 points, and nearly averaged a quadruple-double with 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 steals per game during the season.
Saito was named the BIIF Division II Player of the Year, after sparking the Daggers to the league title, the school’s first since 2011.
“I just tried to be a good teammate, not worry about myself,” he said. “I always thought I could get better. I’d find something to improve on and I would try to improve.”
He was joined on the first team by Pahoa junior guard Keinan Agonias, who averaged 15 ppg, 4 rpg, and 5 apg.
Also on the first team were Kohala senior guard Kealen Figueroa and senior forward Hana Caravalho, and Hawaii Prep senior forward Nicky Palleschi.
Pahoa junior forward Kili Oliveira landed on the second team, and senior forward Torrell Thomas received honorable mention.
Saito’s production was because of a team effort, noted his coach and dad Marc Saito, who gave his starters, including guard Joel Rosario Jr., ironman minutes.
“Tolby kind of led the team and was the leader, even though that’s not one of his traits,” coach Saito said. “But he actually did it. His teammates were willing to do their roles. We had guys who were willing to block out every single night, and not worry about shooting.
“Tolby led the team in rebounding because Torrell and Kili blocked out like beasts. Kili was a big factor. He was an inside-out player, but he sacrificed to bang with the big guys. Other guys stepped up in different ways.”
The Dagger Four — Saito, Agonias, Thomas, and Oliveira — developed a strong chemistry, playing offseason ball with Konawaena coach Donny Awa’s Stingrays club team, and hanging out at the Saito house.
That camaraderie helped underdog Pahoa, with its short bench, defeat Kohala 75-62 for the BIIF Division II title.
“Our strategy all year was to stay out of foul trouble in the first half, and adjust in the second,” coach Saito said. “When we played Kohala, we didn’t run one set play, other than a back-court press break. It was straight up, just play.”
The Daggers got into foul trouble in the first half, but no one fouled out, and everyone made their share of big plays: Agonias had a game-high 28 points, Saito scored 19 and Oliveira added 15 points, including 12 in the second half.
It was a memorable season for the Daggers, who won a BIIF championship, worried about the lava flow, and watched Saito put on a shooting show almost every night.
But his dad looked beyond the big stats, and was most impressed with the little things his son did to make himself and his fellow Daggers stronger.
“He was more concerned about his teammates off the court,” Marc Saito said. “He had a lot of compassion for this teammates this year. It was more of what he could tell someone to make them have a better day.”
