|
THERE has got to be a reason Hawaii-Hilo has not lost a home game to Division II competition this year.
Hilo has more local players
than any other in the stateBy Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.comIt could be the home referees, it could be the growing fan base or it could be that Hilo is a pretty good basketball team. Whatever the reason for the Vulcans' home dominance, part of it is they have to win at home because it is their home.
The Vulcans will entertain Hawaii Pacific tonight and tomorrow with the Pacific West Conference title on the line. Hilo has been eliminated but takes comfort in the fact that HPU will have to break its spell to advance past the regular season.
"We still have some goals left, you can call us spoilers or whatever you want," Hilo coach Jeff Law said. "We can still be the winningest head-to-head team in Hawaii, it's got to be one of our goals. We still have not lost at home, and we don't want to start now."
The Vulcans take their home court seriously, partly because it truly does represent home. This year, Jeff Law has put together a team of Hawaii boys in a league that has surprisingly few. Of the other three Hawaii teams, only Hawaii Pacific's Jacob Avilla played his high school ball in the state. Brigham Young-Hawaii has Keli'i Naihe, who was born in Honolulu but played his prep ball in Texas, while Chaminade is completely void of local faces.
The Vulcans, on the other hand, rely on Scott Prather of Maui, Kyle Bartholomew of Waiakea and Ryan Hogue of Kalaheo and have three more Hawaii products stashed on the scout team. The Vulcans have three times as many local faces as the rest of the league combined and it was not by design. But it became apparent early this season that it is something the Vulcans can't do without.
"There's the three who are on scholarship who have surprised a lot of people," Law said. "That seems to be the way it is with local kids, they work hard. They don't expect anything because they know they have to earn what they get."
And they come relatively cheap.
"Usually you just have to be willing to give them (local players) a scholarship," Law said. "Sure there are some who we have no shot, but for the rest of them, if they don't play for us, they probably won't get to play anywhere."
Local players come so cheap because of a lack of exposure and because there are no junior colleges in the state to sand off the rough edges and prepare a player for NCAA basketball. If a coach is willing and has the patience to do that bodywork himself, he is rewarded with a leader down the road. The easier alternative is to pick up a JUCO kid from the mainland and go straight into teaching the finer aspects of basketball. All things being equal, local kids don't have a chance.
Luckily for the ones who want to stay home, all things are not equal as long as they can recognize it.
"When I have a need, I look local first because it is easier," Law said. "There are a lot of decent players at Paki Park who don't have a lot of options. There are also a lot of them there who are not nearly as good as they think they are, who think that a form letter from the mainland means something. Kids on the mainland play differently than local kids, but different doesn't necessarily mean better."
Because the core of the team understands the local hoop wars and the importance of beating HPU every time they play, the Vulcans will most certainly not roll over for the Sea Warriors.
And the us vs. them mentality won't change anytime soon, because in addition to the local kids he saw during the state tournament recently, Law has three more local products serving on the scout team, including Prather's possible replacement, Kimo Keiter-Charles.
"Our kids understand the importance of these two games, or at least they better," Law said. "They appreciate what it means to defend our floor against HPU, they have been around it."
Head-to-head records of the four Hawaii Division II schools Hawaii standings
Team W L Remaining BYUH 4 3 2 games at CU Chaminade 4 3 2 vs. BYUH HPU 3 4 2 at UHH Hilo 3 4 2 vs. HPU
