Sunday, May 27, 2001
[ BASKETBALL ]
Five days after coaching Aiea High School to its first-ever girls basketball state title, Fran Villarmia-Kahawai was on the court again. Players, coaches
mingle in JamboreeBy Grace Wen
Star-BulletinBut this time it was as a player.
Kahawai played in the eighth annual Mufi Hannemann Basketball Jamboree -- a showcase of state basketball talent ranging from a 12-and-under division to the combined high school and college alumni all-star teams.
The all-day event, which benefits the Gender Equity Sports Club and is hosted by Iolani School, showcased some unusual player combinations, as most of the girls played on teams with players they had competed against all season.
"It's nice to see the camaraderie between all the different age groups, the different schools," said Moanalua athletic director Dana Dias, a member of the selection committee. "It's a nice venue for the girls to not only be opponents but teammates too."
Villarmia-Kahawai played on a team with two of her own players, Jasmine Dias and Kylee Nakamura, and prep players Amber Lee of McKinley, Heather Gonsalves of Kalaheo and Milia Macfarlane of Punahou. Crystal Lee and Chris Bertao joined Villarmia-Kahawai on the alumni side for the team coached by Honokaa's Daphne Honma.
Though she didn't score any points, Villarmia-Kahawai grinned from ear to ear when she scrambled and forced a jump ball with 10 seconds left in the first game. Despite the hustling effort, her team lost 48-31 against the squad coached by Punahou's Shelley Fey and dropped into the consolation match.
"It's the start of my workouts," joked Kahawai. "I had a hard time being quiet on the bench. I had to remember that I'm not a coach, I'm a player."
Her players ought to know. Aritta Lane played against her coach in the first game.
"Coach Fran kept talking to me," Lane said. "She was trying to give me advice while I was trying to play. I told her I couldn't hear her."
Lane couldn't hear because she was busy leading the team in scoring with 13 points. She didn't play in the championship though, since she had to leave early to buy her graduation dress and attend Aiea's graduation ceremonies later in the afternoon.
Kahawai and Lane weren't the only coach-player combination to play against each other.
In the championship game, Fey and sophomore center Becky Hogue competed head-to-head.
"(It felt) wonderful actually," said Hogue, a six-time Jamboree participant. "She hasn't played me in awhile. It feels good, that competitive spirit. Just getting out here and playing with the girls is a lot of fun."
Fey didn't score any points, but she did manage to pull down a few rebounds and grab a steal, as her team triumphed 44-40 in overtime. Roosevelt's Jodi Nakashima hit a 3-pointer from five feet behind the arc with a second left on the shot clock to send the game into the extra period.
"I practice shooting from far away 'cause throughout our whole season at Roosevelt, nobody let me shoot on the line so I have to extend my range," Nakashima said. "I didn't know I was going to get to shoot the last shot.
"(The jamboree) is fun. You get to play with different kinds of people, different styles, and it's fun to play with the tall people because at Roosevelt we don't have tall people."