Windward Staff, Players Behind Farrington Hoops Tourney
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usThe long arm of Windward basketball extends this week to Kalihi’s Farrington High School, site of the California Hotel AOP Classic Thursday through Saturday.
The new tournament, hosted by Academy of the Pacific, was created by former Kalaheo and University of Hawaii-Hilo standout Ryan Hogue, a Kailua resident and tournament director.
“It’s a bit of a Windward tournament,“said Hogue,also the AOP athletic director.“Organized basketball is so strong on the Windward side that we have coaches and kids spread throughout the island. It all starts with the youth programs in Kailua - and playing in the KBA (Kailua Basketball Association).”
In addition to the heavy presence of players and coaches with Windward connections,the tourney’s eight-team field is diverse and plainly first-rate.
“It’s a diverse field, and we won’t have schools playing teams they’re going to see in their regular seasons,” Hogue said.
Highlight of the field is Iolani, which boasts a pair of standouts from Kailua in Kainoa Scheer and Josiah Sukumaran. It’s the defending DI state champion and winner of the ILH title last February.
The field also has OIA Division I champion Moanalua and Kauai, which holds the Kauai Interscholastic Federation title. Host AOP, which is coached by longtime Kalaheo assistant Wally Marciel (Hogue is an assistant on the staff), made it all the way to the state DII semifinals last February and is making the leap to Division I in its ILH format.
The AOP Dolphins won the Pearl City Pre-Season Tournament recently and also are heavy with Kailua residents in Micah Dunhour, Kona Makoula and Wilson Macleod.
Farrington’s own coaching staff is almost entirely Windward: Head coach Alan Silva played for Kailua High School’s football team, and assistants Rocky Silva and Kaleo Morton live in the community. The newest on Silva’s staff is former long-time UH assistant Len Scaduto, who is in the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame, having spent 29 years at Oak Lawn Community High in suburban Chicago.
Hogue acknowledged that key people have come through to develop the California Hotel AOP Classic, notably from Farrington.
“We’re in the same bracket, but we’re working hard together,” said Hogue.“We’ve already agreed with Farrington that this will be an annual event.We have quality teams and think every game will be a good game.”
It will include a 3-point shooting contest as well as a dunk contest, and is fan-friendly.Among the raffle items are three TV sets, three DVD players and innumerable gift baskets.The biggest prize, to be raffled off at half-time of Saturday’s championship game, is a five-day travel package for two to Las Vegas, provided by the California Hotel. Retired Hawaii coach Riley Wallace is employed at the hotel and was instrumental in obtaining the prize.
Preparations for the tournament have been part of the fun for AOP. “We wanted to host a tournament for our kids to first, be a part of a good tournament and second, so we as a school could work as a collaborative team,” Hogue said. “The whole school is involved in helping - from our development office and the head of our school.
“Our yearbook staff is putting together the game programs with kids doing all of the art work.It’s been great in that sense - to display our kids’talents and to teach them some real life tools.”
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