Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 6, 1 June 1988 — First Maui County Title in 40 Years [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

First Maui County Title in 40 Years

Parents Honor Championship Squad with Banquet

By Kenny Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA "I appreciate all the accolades, aeelaim, attention and writeups but let me tell you that all this would not have been possible without my teammates standing here before you tonight." This is the way a sincere, humble and modest Jarinn Akana, 1988 Player of the Year and eocaptain of the Moloka'i High School basketbal! team, put it to 200 people who attended a recognition dinner Friday, Apr. 22, at the Moloka'i Yacht Club. The delicious buffet roast beef dinner was sponsored by parents of the players in recognition of the team's achievement during the 1987-88 basketball season when it won the Maui Interscholastic League championship and went on to finish fourth in the state tournament, feats considered improbable for rural Moloka'i, or Lana'i for that matter. Mufi Hanneman, executive vice president of C. Brewer and Company based in Ka'u on Hawaii, was the guest speaker. Hanneman, who starred at Iolani School and later Harvard University, was the 1972 Player of the Year and all-tournament team member. Here are some of the reasons why the parents felt the team should be honored: • This is the first Moloka'i team to win a Maui County basketball title in 40 years. Seven members of the 1948 team attended an assembly at the school and met with members of this year's team. The 1948 team was led by their eoaeh, Robert Fukuda, and included O'ahu State Rep. Mits Shito, Maui County Councilman Pat Kawano, Kiyoshi Watanabe, Tolentino Reyes, Otto and Paul Joao and Harold Yamamoto. Shito and Moloka'i Rep. Bill Pfeil presented resolutions honoring the team. • Akana is the first neighbor islander named Player of the Year. • Akana is the first neighbor islander to lead tournament scorers with 80 points in three games. • Molokai finished 15th out of a field of 16 entries in the pre-season McDonald's-Iolani classic tournament with Akana breaking a five-year scoring record over four games, amassing 121 points to 117 by highly heralded California prep star Chris Mills. Moloka'i did not finish in its accustomed last plaee. Hanneman, who gave up working the malasadas booth at Iolani carnival to meet his commitment to the Moloka'i school, said in brief remarks that high school sports builds character and develops leadership ability. "Not everyone goes beyond high school so you do everything you ean because it's going to put you in good stead for the game of life. It is a sense of rapport that you develop," he explained. He gave tribute to the team for its tenacity and never give up spirit. "I saw you play only one game and that was against University High. You really made me proud of you and prouder still that I was given the privilege of coming here to talk to you. You showed me a quality I will never forget," Hanneman declared. Eaeh team member was presented with an engraved plaque with a team photo to be later affixed. The top of the plaque contains a pieee of the basketball net whieh was cut from the MIL championship game. Principal Clifford Horita, who has been at Moloka'i for 22 years, made the presentations. He jokingly remarked that the Farmers will be beating the bushes for 6-7 or 6-8 players but in the end will settle for quality over height. Tallest players on the team are 6-2 California transfer Kaleo Fili and 6-1 Carter Davis, both of whom return. Coach Moses Kim Jr. presented special jackets to Assistant Coach Ron Kimball, 1972 graduate of Kamehameha Schools, and to Roy Horner, 1969 Kamehameha graduate who is an insurance agent on Moloka'i and Bishop of the Ho'olehua Ward of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). Horner, who was the banquet's master of ceremonies, also volunteered his services as team counselor and handling some of the logistics. Horner said the business community has been very supp>ortive of Kim's program, enabling the team to raise money through a series of weekend

car washes. Niek Akana, former intercollegiate boxing ehampion and father of Jarinn, coordinated the banquet. He is a part time staffer at Moloka'i High and works the second half of the day as a real estate agent for Kaunakakai Realty. Entertainment was fūrnished by Sterling Kalua, Freddie Reyes and Eben Kaapuni.

Nine of the 1 2-member championship Moloka'i High School basketball team are shown here at a recognition banquet at the Moloka'i Yacht Club. From left to right are Robert Ragasa. Junior Ragasa, Artemio Trinidad, Peter Trinidad, Kaleo Fili, Jarinn Akana, Carter Davis, Donny Sayaboc and Joe Kalipi. The other three were unable to attend because of a track meet on Maui.

Mufi Hanneman