KEALAKEKUA — It’s a new season but pretty much the same story for the Konawaena girls basketball program.
The Wildcats enter their 2017-18 campaign as the defending state champions, looking to fill the void left behind by a departed Molina sister with a talented, but paper-thin roster that makes it almost a mystery how the team continues to find unparalleled success as a Division I state powerhouse.
One of the keys to Konawaena’s dominance over the last decade — which includes a triple-digit BIIF win streak, nine straight league titles and three consecutive state championships — is the heavy preseason schedule the team plays, set up by one of the best coaches in Hawaii, Bobbie Awa.
“I try to get as many preseason tournaments in as possible so we can find out how we match up with some of the best teams early on,” Awa said. “Practice is good, but it is better to get game experience so we can see how we improve week to week.”
The Wildcats have traveled to Oahu for a tournament this year at McKinley High School and played in Waiakea’s tournament last week. Through both those tournaments, Konawaena complied a 5-1 record, with their only loss coming in a Division I state championship rematch with Maryknoll.
Awa contributes that loss, which was by double digits, to a lack of size.
“We are small this year, and after the Maryknoll game we learned that we need to work on boxing out,” Awa said. “That game was a great learning experience for us. We also have a lot of tall teams coming into our tournament this week, so this will give us a chance to see how we are improving.”
The Wildcats’ annual Konawaena Invitational started Thursday, bringing some of the top teams from around the state to Kealakekua.
The Wildcats dominated the late game against Kahuku, who Awa believes will be a contender in D-I.
Konawaena will play two games today, the first against Kaimuki at 3:30 p.m. and then against Lahainaluna at 8 p.m. The Lunas are a perennial powerhouse and always in contention for a state title.
As for the tournament itself, the event is a big fundraiser for the Wildcats and provides a chance for even more playing time against tough teams.
“It’s nice to have this tournament and to bring in some really good teams in to play against,” Awa said. “We want to play the best teams in the state. Unfortunately we could not get any ILH teams in this year, but we have some good teams.”
The Konawaena tournament also includes BIIF teams Hilo and Honokaa, as well as Campbell and Moanalua, The tournament runs through Saturday, where the Wildcats will play Campbell on the final day at 2:30 p.m.
Championship build
Konawaena is returning quite a few starters from last year, but the team is young. With a nine-person varsity squad, the Wildcats have three seniors, two juniors, a sophomore and three freshmen.
Leading the squad this year is senior Cherilyn Molina, who will look to send the Wildcats to a another state title without her sisters, Chanelle and Celena. The two elder Molina sisters are now playing at Washington State, where Cherilyn will join them next year.
For the younger Molina, the key to her success this year will be staying healthy.
“She was pretty much out the entire season last year. This year we just need her to stay on the court so she can get better every game,” Awa said. “She was also in foul trouble a lot, so we need her to play smart. She is going to be our go-to person this year for scoring.”
Captaining Konawaena this year is senior Mikayla Tablit. She will lead the Wildcats from the point guard position.
“She is a vocal captain and she carried the team as far as I am concerned last season,” Awa said. “Her defense is her best attribute. She knows how to keep the man in front of her, work a five second count, and she does a good job of not reaching in.”
Tablit will be asked to play the post this year as well, despite only being 5-foot-6.
“We can put her inside and outside,” Awa said. “It’s a different game for her being inside, but she is willing to help the team out.”
As far as senior leadership goes, joining Cherilyn Molina and Tablit will be Honokaa transfer Kawena Kaohimaunu.
“She is still learning the system, but she is a great addition for us and brings the same leadership qualities that she possessed at Honokaa,” Awa said. “She is a workaholic. She does everything at 110 percent and she makes other girls work harder. She is also a good shooter, we just need to build up her confidence. She knows the quality of players she is playing around, and is a little hesitant, and we need her to shoot the ball when she gets it. She can be a scorer for us.”
Also starting this year are sophomore Caylie Kaupu and junior Tanniya Uchida.
Uchida was a dominant player in the Wildcats’ title run last year at the state tournament.
“She made some big shots for us and it was a confidence booster for her,” Awa said. “She is a crafty player.”
Kaupu was an all-BIIF selection a year ago and brings the height under the basket. She picked up plenty of experience starting in her freshman year at center.
“She is getting better and has embraced her inside game,” Awa said. “She has developed more moves and expanded her range, which is good for us. She just needs to be reminded that she is our big and will be relied upon to dominate inside.”
Rounding out the varsity squad this season are junior Moo Moo Fautanu and freshmen Kassie Alapai, Gabriela Kaipo and Jayla Medeiros.
“I am looking forward to giving the three freshmen more experience this year,” Awa said. “They are learning a lot by being at practice everyday.”
The Wildcats will once again start the season with a JV squad, filled of mostly players with little to no basketball experience. Over the last two years, Konawaena has had to cut the JV program midway through the season to bring up more players at the varsity level.
With so few numbers, Awa contributes the success of her program to her coaches.
“I have great coaches. I probably spend most of my time talking to the team, doing paperwork and setting up games. It’s my coaches who break down the game video and run the offense and defense,” Awa said. “The kids also buy into the program and believe in what we are doing. The girls know they have to work hard.”
Watching film is something that is relatively new for the Wildcats, brought in last year by co-head coach Dawnyelle Awa. It’s something she picked up during her time playing for Washington State, which has become a pipeline for Konawaena.
“Before we used to film our own games but rarely went through them,” Bobbie Awa said. “Now we really break down the film, and we learn things as coaches that we can implement in practice. It is a good tool.”
As for the BIIF season, Awa believes Hilo and Waiakea both return very strong squads. Awa tries to not schedule games with BIIF teams during the preseason. They will not play Hilo this weekend despite being in the same tournament.
“I don’t think Hilo’s numbers are very big, but they do return the Kawaha sisters, Mandi and Mindy,” Awa said. “Waiakea does not look like they missed a beat. They have good freshmen coming in and a transfer from Honokaa. They are pretty loaded and probably the most experienced team out there.”
Konawaena will open the regular season on Dec. 12 at Hilo. Their first regular season home game will be against Pahoa on Dec. 23.