Chanelle Molina’s basketball idol is Michael Jordan, who had a killer instinct in championship games, just like the Konawaena senior.
Chanelle Molina’s basketball idol is Michael Jordan, who had a killer instinct in championship games, just like the Konawaena senior.
But Molina has more in common with Magic Johnson, bestowed with the label of making his teammates better.
That’s the best description for the 5-foot-7 guard, who constantly pushed herself and her teammates to the point where hard work became muscle memory.
Magic retired in 1996 before Molina was born. But the pass-first point guard is immortalized with YouTube videos.
Molina was voted the BIIF Division I Player of the Year, capping her career as the most accomplished athlete in league history.
Joining Molina on the first team are sister and sophomore guard Cherilyn Molina, senior teammate forward Ihi Victor, Hilo seniors Lexi Pana and Sharlei Graham-Bernisto, and Honokaa senior Kizzah Maltezo.
Konawaena junior forward Celena Molina received honorable mention as well as sophomore guard Mikayla Tablit.
Konawaena’s Bobbie Awa was named the BIIF Coach of the Year.
Molina went 4 for 4 for being named to the All-BIIF first team, and 3 for 4 for being selected the player of the year. (As a freshman, her teammate Courtney Kaupu was the POY.)
She also won two HHSAA Division I state championships, along with four BIIF titles and is part of the greatest run in league history: Konawaena is 92-0 over the last eight years.
Then throw in her laundry list for volleyball, where Molina was the most dominant player in the league’s Division II history.
Molina went 3 for 4 being named to the All-BIIF first team. (As a freshman, she was on the second team.) She was the POY as a junior and senior.
The Wildcats captured the Division II state title her sophomore and junior seasons, the first for the school, and BIIF crowns her junior and senior years.
But back to basketball, where Molina will continue at Washington State.
Gold presence
Molina missed seven BIIF games after hurting her left ankle during the winter break at the Title IX tournament in Washington, D.C.
Her first game back was the regular-season finale against Hilo at the Vikings’ gym, where Molina estimated her ankle at 60 percent.
She couldn’t cut, jump or accelerate. Basically, Molina was a stationary player. Still, her best skill — making her teammates better — is her constant shadow.
Molina came off the bench and scored just seven points. However, points were never a concern for Magic or Molina. Her presence alone is worth pure gold.
“When Chanelle came out, we were clapping. We feel more comfortable when she’s on the court,” Cherilyn Molina said that night.
No surprise, the Wildcats beat the Viking 46-39 in a game that never seemed a threat to Konawaena’s long BIIF winning streak.
Awa had the same perspective as Cherilyn Molina, who led the way that night with 20 points.
“When Chanelle is on the court, the girls can feel it, and they’re more comfortable,” Awa said then.
The next Friday in the BIIF semifinals, Molina didn’t play. Her ankle health estimate of 60 percent was probably a tad optimistic. Konawaena took care of Waiakea 60-19.
The next night, Molina scored 13 points, looked a little closer to 50 percent to full health, and rode shotgun to Victor’s 16 points in Kona’s 56-32 win over Hilo for an eighth consecutive BIIF championship.
Just bring it
Then at states, Molina put mind over matter. She put it out of her mind that her ankle was far from 100 percent.
She just channeled her MJ killer instinct.
In the quarterfinal 51-27 rout over Punahou (the 2014 state champion), Molina shot 4 of 8 from the field, scored nine points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and played 30 minutes.
In the semifinal 63-25 blowout against Kaiser, she hit 3 of 6 shots, had eight points and eight boards, a game-high six assists, and played 29 minutes.
Molina saved her best for her final prep game: a 44-34 state championship win over Maryknoll with 24 points on 8 of 11 shooting, including 8 of 9 on free throws. She also played all 32 minutes.
That cemented her legacy as the BIIF’s most accomplished player and coach Bobbie Awa’s program (seven state titles, 14 BIIF crowns in the last 15 years) as the greatest in league history.
Next wave
So what’s next for the Wildcats, who graduate key starters in Molina and Victor?
“The team will still be strong next year,” Molina said. “Celena will step in for Ihi as a big, and Cherilyn and Mikayla will work together to fill my spot.
“Celena will crash boards, defend bigs, score, and bring aggressiveness. Cherilyn will take care of the ball, dish assists, score, and bring leadership. Same thing with Cherilyn.”
Donny and Bobbie Awa’s Kona Stingrays club program keeps producing hoop gems. Next in line are two incoming freshmen, current eighth graders Anastasia Tuifua and Caiyle Kaupu.
If the Kaupu last name sounds familiar, that’s because she’s the younger sister of Courtney Kaupu, a 5-9 junior forward at Chaminade.
“The two new starters will be incoming freshmen who played in the Stingrays program,” Molina said. “Caiyle will be a big, as well as Anastasia. They’re both around Ihi’s height (5 feet 11).
“Next year’s ’Cats will continue to keep winning games in the BIIF, and I believe they can take a third state title if they work hard in the offseason and get the chemistry going.”
Like MJ and Magic, Molina and Victor led by example. The two Wildcats have been partners all four years. They’ll be gone but not forgotten.
“Ihi and I left footsteps that the other girls can follow,” Molina said. “We showed them what it takes to win a BIIF and state title, and that is to work hard, never settle for less, keep pushing each other in practice, and stay composed when you play.”