Sports Notebook

Memorial service for longtime coach set for Sunday

A memorial service for former Kaimuki and University High basketball coach Tom Costain will be held on Sunday.

The ceremony begins at 11 a.m.

"It's a celebration of life. We want it to be a joyful occasion," said Judy Walsh, one of Costain's sisters. Costain was a longtime head coach and assistant for Kaimuki boys and University girls basketball programs. He recently returned to assist Mona Fa'asoa with the Kaimuki girls program.

Costain passed away in July during his annual trip back home to Maine. He was 63.

"We were so grateful when (athletic director) Fred Lee allowed us to use the gym," Walsh said. "He spent so many hours there. If he were talking to me right now, he'd be happy that the service is at Kaimuki. He just loved working with the kids, helping them along."

Casual attire is expected. In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted by the Kaimuki and University (Exploratory Lab School) athletic departments, as well as the Oahu Interscholastic Association.

HUB turns game into Classic fund-raiser: Some folks call it an all-star game.

Herbert Kaopua has a broader perspective. The chairman of the Hawaii Union Builders Foundation plans to expand the horizons of the annual high school game. The HUB Goodwill Classic has been renamed the HUB Goodwill Senior Bowl.

Last year's game was televised live, on OC 16, for the first time. This year, on the 15th anniversary of the game, the HUB will provide the 100 selected players a week of activities similar to what college teams participate in during bowl weeks.

That includes a team-building activity at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park and a banquet at Hard Rock Cafe. The game will be played Dec. 9 at Aloha Stadium.

In addition to a bowl-week atmosphere for players, Kaopua saw a need for the game to assist Hawaii's teams and organizations. Tickets to the game can be sold as fund-raising projects. For every $5 ticket sold, an organization will receive $4.

"His son was selling M&M's as a fund-raiser a while ago," said Tau Harrington, the game's director of marketing and promotions. "He learned that they weren't getting much back for selling the M&M's."

The fund-raising opportunity was available for athletic departments in recent years, but has been opened up to any school club or qualifying non-profit community organization this year.

"We are pleased to offer this opportunity to more people," Kaopua said. "The game is great for our student-athletes and the community, but the fund-raising component is really our primary motivation. That is a key part of our foundation's mission."

For fund-raising information, call Susan Fukunaga at 538-1505.

Tickets are also available by calling the OIA at 421-4394 or the Interscholastic League of Honolulu at 441-3992.