New league a chance
for summer hoopla
Summer basketball league
By Neal Iwamoto
comprised of former local college players
Star-BulletinFor basketball fans, the sight of a cross-over dribble or rim-rattling dunk during the summer is rare. But a new semipro league is providing some of Hawaii's best basketball players with the opportunity to produce summer highlights while pursuing their hoop dreams. The inaugural season of the Pacific Basketball League tips off Tuesday when six teams, comprised mainly of former local college players, take the court at Palama Settlement Gym.
"I think it is going to be really exciting," said Laurence Laforga, president and founder of the league. "We have the best players that Hawaii has to offer."
The league will boast former UH standouts Jarrin Akana, Kalia McGee, Tim Sheppard, Chris Walz and Danny Furlong; James Williams of Hawaii Pacific, and former NCAA Division II Player of the Year George Gilmore of Chaminade.
Laforga, a former high school basketball player at Damien, was inspired to start a league in which Hawaii's best players can compete against each other and pursue their dreams of playing at a professional level.
"There is a general lack of exposure of players in the Pacific," he said
Laforga said he hopes the PBL will erase the misperception that Hawaii is lacking in basketball talent.
PBL commissioner Glenn Martin played in the Aloha State League, Hawaii's last semipro league during the late '60s and early '70s. He said that the absence of a semipro league has posed problems for Hawaii players who hope to reach the professional level.
"There are a lot of semipro leagues on the mainland where NBA scouts can find a diamond in the rough, but locals don't have the time and the money to go to the mainland," he said.
So when Laforga approached Martin last October to help him start a semipro league here, Martin was eager to help.
Laforga launched the league two months later with the support of numerous friends and 12 Hawaii small businesses, including his own, SLAM Enterprises.
Nearly 100 players showed up for tryouts in April to earn spots on six teams - the Honolulu Alii, Leeward Lightning, Makai Hurricanes, Mauka Boars, North Shore Blue Fins and Windward Trades.
Laforga's long-term vision for the league includes bringing teams over from China, Japan, and the Philippines for competition. His hope is that Asian teams eventually will merge into the league. He also said he is planning to bring games to the Neighbor Islands, much like the Hawaii Winter Baseball League.
Organizers expect an exciting first year for the league. A shot clock and man-to-man defenses will encourage entertaining matchups. As the organizers suggest, it'll be a brand of basketball similar to the NBA, but minus the selfish attitudes.
Martin said he is dismayed by the immature behavior that has plagued the NBA and trickled down to the college and high school levels. He said there will be no room for "Dennis Rodman antics" in this league.
"We're trying to show the public and the youth how the game should really be played - with determination, hustle, sportsmanship, and a respect and love for the game," he said.
The facts
What Pacific Basketball League
6:10 p.m.:Honolulu Alii vs. Leeward Lightning
7:20:Windward Trades vs. Mauka Boars
8:30:Makai Hurricanes vs. NorthShore Blue Fins
