Best of the West

Baseball tourney showcases
top high school talent

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

The fifth annual Best of the West Baseball Tournament will return to Rainbow Stadium June 23-27 with six mainland teams and four Oahu teams.

The tournament, which has not attracted a great deal of local interest, nonetheless features some outstanding prep talent.

The Storm Club of Cincinnati, with a 29-year record of 1,437-331, can lay claim to 300 players receiving college scholarships -- 64 have been drafted by the pros.

Boston Red Sox starting third baseman Tim Naehring is a Storm Club alumnus.

The Central Valley All-Stars are guided by George McWhirter, the 1994 and 1995 United States Baseball Association coach of the year.

The other teams are the Martinez (Calif.) American Legion, Phoenix, the Tucson Stars, and the Santa Cruz (Calif.) Pirates.

The Hawaii teams are Leeward Hawaii, East Honolulu, West Oahu and an all-star team coached by Punahou's Pal Eldredge.

There is no admission charge.

MR. BASKETBALL'S SUMMER: It's enough to go to a guy's head.

Unfamiliar people have been greeting Ramsey Williams on the streets ever since his Mr. Basketball award in March.

But Williams said, "I'm the same old Ramsey."

That means he's still indulging his passion for the game, spending inordinate amounts of time with the basketball.

Besides shooting baskets for hours on end to maintain his extraordinary free-throw shooting accuracy (he was 19 of 21 in the state tournament), Williams is playing in a summer basketball league for Moanalua High School.

Occasionally, he drops by Paki Park in Waikiki to play a pickup game with some of the college players who flock there.

Williams said he will once again play for the Hawaii All-Stars in Las Vegas next month.

In the summer league, he joins state championship teammates Bryson Kamakura, Marvin Santiago, Brian Rosado-Galindo, and Brian Green.

Williams said one significant change he has made to his life recently is the purchase of bench press equipment for use at home.

Moanalua coach Eddie Maruyama has said that Williams needs to bulk up a bit for his senior season to be more attractive to college recruiters.

STATE TOURNAMENTS: The host leagues for next year's state tournaments were announced at the recent Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors' Association conference.

The Oahu Interscholastic Association will host girls' volleyball, boys' soccer, boys' basketball, swimming and baseball.

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu will host boys' volleyball, softball, girls' soccer, wrestling, and girls' basketball.

The Maui Interscholastic League will host cross country, track and field, and tennis.

The Big Island Interscholastic Federation hosts bowling and golf.

When two state tournaments begin the same week next year, one will begin on a Tuesday and the other on a Wednesday, according to a measure adopted by the HIADA conference.