[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
Iolani field truly classic
The preseason tourney is loaded
with more great teams than usual
Every year, Iolani Classic tournament director Glenn Young tries to outdo the previous year's tournament by bringing in more talent from the mainland.
It's safe to say he's achieved that goal this year.
The two-time defending Classic champion Fairfax Lions of Los Angeles return, but standing in their way are three of the top 14 teams in the USA Today Super 25 Boys basketball rankings -- No. 1-ranked Oak Hill Academy (Va.), No. 7 Montrose Christian (Md.) and No. 14 Mount Vernon (N.Y.) -- as well as perennial Hawaii powers Kalaheo and the host Raiders, the two-time defending state champions.
Recruits
2003 Iolani Classic participants who have committed to D-I schools:Dwayne Anderson, St. John's: Villanova
Keith Benjamin, Mount Vernon: Pittsburgh
Brian Johnson, Oak Hill: Louisville
Derrick Low, Iolani: Washington St.
Churchill Odia: Montrose, Xavier
Jason Rich, Dr. Phillips: Florida St.
Josh Shipp, Fairfax: UCLA
Josh Smith, Oak Hill: Indiana
Tunji Soroye, Montrose: Virginia
Dayshawn Wright, Oak Hill: Syracuse
"This is the premier tournament in Hawaii," Kalaheo coach Chico Furtado said.
The Classic has hosted several future NBA stars, including Jerry Stackhouse, Chris Mills, Tyson Chandler and Dennis Scott. There's plenty of individual talent again this year, with at least 10 who have made Division I commitments, as well as a host of other nationally ranked players.
Fairfax is ranked 18th in the USA Today rankings. The Lions are led by 6-foot-6 senior forward Joshua Shipp, who has committed to UCLA, and 6-8 junior center Jamal Boykin, considered by many recruiting services to be the top junior prospect in California. Both made the all-tournament team last year.
"They killed us," Iolani coach Mark Mugiishi said. "Boykin is an awesome presence inside and a fierce rebounder, and Shipp is just an all-around great player."
Iolani and Fairfax played each other in both of the last two tournaments, including a 61-59 Fairfax win in 2001.
"We've played some tough games with them," Mugiishi said. "Playing in these types of games and hosting this tournament is one of the main reasons our program has grown."
For Fairfax, the road toward a title will be anything but easy, as the Lions have plenty of competition. It includes top-ranked Oak Hill, which won tournament titles in '89 and '99, and is averaging more than 100 points a game this season.
While the school does not have a returning starter from last year's 31-4 team, it has picked up three transfers who have signed with major colleges. Brian Johnson, a 6-9 forward, has committed to Louisville; 6-9 Josh Smith will play college basketball at Indiana; and 6-6 guard Dayshawn Wright has given a commitment to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse.
Montrose Christian is a regular in the Classic, with two second-place finishes in the past three years. The Mustangs are led by 6-6 point guard and Xavier commit Churchill Odia, who averaged 12 points and 10 boards a game, as well as 6-11 Tunji Soroye, who has committed to Virginia.
Playing at the Blaisdell Center to accommodate more fans has been talked about, but just hasn't worked out. All games will still take place at Iolani.
"We tried to change venues before," Young said. "However, the costs are so high and the logistics of it, especially with Iolani having such good facilities now, just doesn't make it work out financially."
Even with a smaller gym, the tournament brings in some of the top talent nationwide, which is much more difficult than it seems.
"Every year, the top teams choose between an all-expenses paid trip to Florida (for a tournament), or to pay their own way to come here," Young said. "Fortunately Hawaii's an attraction, especially at Christmas time, so teams are excited to come here."
It can be easy to overlook the local teams with all the big-name mainland teams coming in. But Hawaii has put forth its best high school teams to compete with the mainland schools.
Along with the host Raiders, the Kalaheo Mustangs are another local team looking to gain valuable experience early in the season, as well as hopefully beating a mainland team or two.
"In the long run, playing in this tournament is beneficial to our team, as long as we play well," said Furtado, the long-time Kalaheo girls coach who is in his first year as boys coach. "However, if we get beat by 40 and don't play well, then that won't help us too much."
Things won't be easy for Kalaheo, which opens play Wednesday against Dr. Phillips of Florida, which beat No. 9 Edgewater earlier this season.
"We've done well in the past, so we'll see what happens," Furtado said.
The Classic begins tomorrow with games starting at 3:30 p.m. and running through Saturday, with the championship game scheduled to take place at 8 p.m.
