MAKENA, Maui -- The state's athletic directors -- public and private -- will probably expand the size of both state basketball tournaments this weekend during their convention here. Special Events Arena
was made for prepsI'm glad they're going to treat both the boys' and girls' tournaments the same way -- increasing the number of participants to 16.
The next thing that the Hawaii High School Athletic Association must make certain of is that these two superbly played events have a worthy venue.
The Blaisdell is in executive director Dwight Toyama's immediate plans, but I'll say it again:
The Special Events Arena was made for prep basketball tournaments!
The only thing separating the HHSAA from the UH facility is the ridiculous cost of operating there.
I think the Special Events Arena might solve the HHSAA's problem with lagging attendance at these two tournaments lately.
Anyone who has been there will tell you they go there not just to see an event but to enjoy the atmosphere of the homey arena with its great acoustics and spectator-friendly features.
It's small enough to not make the prep teams feel overwhelmed and big enough to make them feel like the season-long campaign to reach the state tournament was worth it.
KIND of amazing when you think about this. There are two athletes from the northern shore of this island who are presently commanding the rapt attention of two big-league front offices:
Former Kahuku offensive lineman Chris Naeole, who just signed papers for the construction of a very expensive 4,000-square-foot home in New Orleans, and former Kamehameha Schools catcher Dane Sardinha, have the banks lining up to woo them.
Naeole, the No. 10 pick in the NFL draft out of Colorado, has yet to sign with the Saints and Sardinha, a projected first-rounder in the baseball draft who wound up a high second-rounder, is a long way from reaching a deal with the Kansas City Royals.
But both of these guys are considered can't-miss prospects and that's a pretty good plug for Hawaii's athleticism in those two sports.
Better believe that their Hawaiian backgrounds (both have native blood) as well as their on-field talents will intrigue many people and make them very marketable.
THE attention they draw will help open more doors of credibility for other Hawaii-based athletes. As inevitable ambassadors for the state, they also will be a boon to tourism.
Coincidentally, the mothers, Darneen Sardinha and Dottie Naeole, both work at Laie Elementary.
Of course, I'm not forgetting that Maryknoll's Ink Aleaga is also with the Saints (he's a free-agent linebacker) and Kahuku's Itula Mili (tight end) is in the Seattle Seahawks' fold (sixth round).
He wasn't our pick for all-state girls' basketball coach of the year, but Kalaheo's Chico Furtado was definitely a finalist for the distinction won ultimately by Punahou's Shelley Fey.
Furtado, whose fiery courtside demeanor as the veteran assistant to Pete Smith on the Kalaheo boys' varsity made him the least likely candidate to coach the girls, did a remarkable job with the Lady Mustangs.
He always had a boiler of intensity when it came to game time and some wondered how that would translate in girls' basketball. But Furtado developed a very special rapport with his young ladies, who would have walked through fire for him in the end. It was beautiful to see, especially when the Lady Mustangs came close to upsetting No. 1 seed Honokaa in the state semifinals.
May he be back in 1998 with the same style and even better results with never-say-die players like Stephanie Redman and Liz Trexler.