LOOK out, basketball world. David Hallums is back -- and he's serious. It’s not all fun
and games for Hallums"Hey, we're going for the ring," Hallums shouts after his Honolulu Alii won the debut game of the Pacific Basketball League at Palama Settlement. "And the PBL is gonna get me ready for the next level."
With that, Hallums lets out a loud laugh. He knows he's not going to be playing professional basketball in this lifetime. But that doesn't mean he's in the semipro PBL just for fun.
The former University of Hawaii guard -- who always talked as good a game as he played (and that was pretty good) -- really is serious. About real life.
Hallums, 30, works two full-time jobs so that he and his wife, Annette, a nurse at Kuakini, can raise their daughter, Tiyana, and someday fulfill their dream of owning a home. Hallums also hopes to become a police officer.
The kind of jobs Hallums holds now tell a lot about him. During the day, he is a trainer at Work Hawaii, where he teaches kids to assimilate into the work force and succeed there. Then, he's on the graveyard shift at Safe Haven, where he helps "people who are under psychological evaluation and homeless people."
WHERE does the PBL fit in?
It seems there are basically two types of players in this league.
There are the young guys on break from pro leagues (like former Hawaii small-college stars Andy Gardiner and George Gilmore) or those who would like to get the exposure that might get them a shot at such a league in Europe, Asia or Australia -- or maybe even the CBA and NBA.
Then there are the older players like Hallums and former Chaminade great Tony Randolph (who works at the Koolau boys home), guys who are in the league for the fun of it, but also to help basketball in Hawaii and try to be role models for kids.
"David's a good man," says league commissioner Glenn Martin. "He brings a lot of personality to the league. And he's a success story as a local boy who made it to Division I."
Veterans like Hallums and Randolph also set the tone for a high maturity standard. That is one of Martin's main goals for the league, which has its second tripleheader tonight.
"The first night was terrific," Martin says. "Not one technical foul, not one argument with the referees."
THAT doesn't mean the games aren't physical.
In the first half on Monday, Hallums and Perry Lam -- the former Punahou all-stater who plays for the Leeward Lightning -- collided while chasing a loose ball. Hallums got the worse of it, suffering a huge gash on his head.
"I never even got hurt like that in football," says Hallums, who was an all-state quarterback at Pearl City. "I'm bleeding all over the court, my coach Dennis Sallas, who's barefoot, comes to check me out. I figure, if he can walk around barefoot, I can play."
Hallums led the Alii with 16 points as they edged the Lightning, 51-50.
Are you sure David? The scorekeeper says 11 points.
"Hey, I'm not into counting my points, but at my age, I'm scraping for every one I can get," says Hallums. "Don't rob me now!"
Then the big laugh again.
Somebody's obviously having fun here -- broken head or not.
"These guys, my coach and teammates, are great. Like Tony Randolph. He pulled off some wins against some teams I wouldn't even dream of being on the same court with in college, like Virginia. And he's telling me shoot more," says Hallums. "At UH, I was like the eighth option. I'm not used to this green light.
"Coach (Riley) Wallace used to tell me to find Reggie Cross. If Reggie's not open, find Chris (Gaines). If Chris isn't open, find Vince Smalls. If Vince isn't open, find the water boy.
"If the water boy wasn't open, then I was allowed to shoot. Maybe."
Seriously.
Dave Reardon is a magazine editor and freelance
writer who has covered Hawaii sports since 1977.
He can be reached via the Star-Bulletin or
by email at reardon@aloha.com.
