[ HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Megan Ching averaged 10.8 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals this season with Kamehameha.
MEGAN Ching isn't the typical basketball star. She eats ice cream before games and is extremely laid-back off the court. But something changes when the ball goes up in the air. Ms. Basketball Hawaii
Winning is the thing for Kamehameha's Ching
Young stars lead the first team
By Tim Crouse
tcrouse@starbulletin.com"I just know in basketball I don't like to lose," she said. "I get real emotional when it comes to winning and losing. I just always want to do well and not fail."
The 5-7 junior swing player helped Kamehameha do as well as it possibly could, leading the Warriors to the state championship last month.
The Star-Bulletin's Ms. Basketball Hawaii didn't put up incredible scoring numbers, but her all-around game dazzled opponents and coaches.
"She does whatever it takes to win," Iolani coach Glenn Takara said. "She might score one game, and the next game play defense or rebound."
Ching, who maintains a 4.0 GPA, averaged 10.8 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals this past season. In Kamehameha's final two games against Punahou -- the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and state championship games -- she had two double-doubles, averaging 10 points and 11 rebounds.
"Her mentality is to not give up. She doesn't give up on anything," said Kamehameha coach Clay Cockett -- the Star-Bulletin Coach of the Year.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kamehameha junior Megan Ching used her all-around game and basketball experience to help the Warriors to the state championship last month, the second title in her career.
It was the second state championship for Ching, who was a bench player as a freshman in 2000.
With the state title game against Punahou tied at 39 with under a minute left, Ching grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the putback to give the Warriors a 41-39 lead. Moments later, she was fouled and went to the free-throw line with two opportunities to extend Kamehameha's lead.
"(Assistant coach) Nani (Cockett) asked us, 'If you have to take those free throws would you be able to handle it,' and I wasn't sure because our team had missed a couple earlier," Ching said. "When I got to the line I didn't really think about anything and it came out good."
She sank both free throws and Ashley Ruff added two more as the Warriors held on for a 45-42 win.
"It was very meaningful, if not a little stressful, going through it this time because she had a larger part in it," said Megan's dad, Anthony, a 1971 Kamehameha graduate.
He helped his daughter learn the game and they still find time to play a little one-on-one.
"Periodically, we will go out and I will try to assert my parental and height dominance with her," said Anthony, who ran track for the Warriors. "She has grown to the point where she can now compete.
"That's the essence for any kid, the willingness and desire to compete."
Choosing the best part of basketball is easy for Ching.
"I enjoy the competition and I love playing with my team and having fun with them," she said. "I like competition. I don't like it when you blow out the other team. I like it when it's close -- like our Punahou game, it couldn't have gotten any closer -- and you have to come up with big plays. It's exciting."
Cockett was impressed with how Ching played within the system and remained in control on the court.
"She had an understanding of what she could and couldn't do," Cockett said. "She was asked to do a lot of things. She had to play point, rebound and at times post up and play inside."
Said McKinley coach Jesse Victorino: "She's not as big as the people she played against, maybe not as quick, but her intensity makes up for her lack of size. She was a team leader and she played great defense."
Ching's leadership was big for Kamehameha because of her experience level.
"A lot of the girls play different sports most of the year, so I think I brought the most basketball experience," Ching said.
A good work ethic off the court has helped Ching get to where she is.
"She's strong. She works hard, not just on the court. She works hard in the gym," Cockett said.
Ching said she enjoys going to the weight room.
"It makes you feel good, like you're working hard, and it gets your body in shape," Ching said. "A lot of times I need someone to go with me. Most times I have Elyse (Umeda)."
Ching plays with the Kalakaua club team in the summer, along with ILH competitors like Punahou's Umeda, Rachel Kane, Becky Hogue and Iolani's Ginger Gravelle.
Ching and Umeda are best friends and have been playing together since elementary school.
Umeda said Ching's best attribute on the court is her leadership.
"And she has a nice shot. She's been working hard on that," Umeda said. "It isn't that awkward to play against each other. Our coaches make us guard each other. It feels good to know she's your friend (even though you're playing against her)."
The day after the state title game, the two players had practice as Kalakaua teammates. Did Ching rub in Kamehameha's big win?
"No, she would never do that," Umeda said.
With all she did on the court for Kamehameha this season, Ching also found time to settle on the perfect pregame snack.
"A bunch of us would go down to Kam Shops and buy pints of cookie dough ice cream," she said. "That was our tradition. We even ate that before the state championship game."
Hawaii School Web Sites