RONEN ZILBERMAN / RZILBERMAN@STARBULLETIN.COM
Mililani co-head coach Steven McGehee said Brent Murakami "is a very aggressive player and his leadership is his strength, by far."
Trojan Horse
Brent Murakami is one reason
Mililani will again be a contender
for the state boys soccer title
Brent Murakami had to pay his dues before he could become a leader on the soccer field. Not that he minded too much. As a freshman, he was just happy to be on the Mililani varsity, playing alongside older brother Blaine.
"He probably picked on me the most, but all of that pays off in the end," Brent Murakami said.
"I know he was trying to help me. I've really been influenced by my brother both athletically and academically, and I really wanted to play with him."
Listen carefully, and it's not hard to pick up on what makes Murakami a success on the soccer field. His inner drive to improve his game and his workman-like approach have a way of rubbing off on others, making him ideally suited to be a leader -- kind of like a big brother.
"As captain, you put the team first," he said.
"We'd all like to win another state championship -- everyone wants it -- but we just try to work hard. I ask for the best of myself and my teammates. We work for each other. If I don't work hard, I'm letting them down; and if they don't work hard, they're letting me down.
"I think every high school has aspirations of being a state champion," he continued. "That's our goal every year. But if we don't win, and we've tried our best, then there's not much you can say. The players here have a desire to get better. I think it's all about the amount of work you put into your play. You see a product at the end of the season."
With three straight state titles, the Trojans are perhaps firmly entrenched in the position of preseason favorite. That was all but assured, given the return of Murakami and teammate Justin Kim, both of whom have played alongside each other as midfielders since before they enrolled at Mililani.
"Starting from when we were really young, Justin and I have been on a lot of teams together," Brent said. "We play the same position, so we're always in the game together, and we're best of friends off of the field, so that helps.
"On the soccer field, we seem like we have a connection," he continued. "We've played together so much that we just click -- it's natural. He's a phenomenal player, so a lot of the credit for that has to go to him. I'm sure he'll be playing Division I somewhere next year."
Murakami will likely be playing Div. III soccer next season. Although he could not receive a soccer scholarship by attending a D-III school, his academic standing will likely earn him an academic scholarship to pay for his education.
"I'm pretty much looking forward to going to the mainland," said Murakami, who has a 3.9 grade-point average. "I'm looking at business marketing, and if that falls through, athletic training. I'm looking at schools academically first, and if they have a soccer team, then that's a benefit."
Mililani co-head coaches Jeff Yamamoto and Steven McGehee will miss his calming presence next season as much as his soccer skills.
"He's a nice kid with a lot of friends," Yamamoto said. "People look up to him -- teachers look up to him. I think he sets a standard in school, and it carries over into his work and his play."
You won't get any argument from McGehee.
"Physically, he's very strong for his size, McGehee said. "He's not very tall, but he'll never quit on anything -- he's a very aggressive player. His leadership is his strength, by far. He's a legacy in a sense. His brother was in the program here and a captain here. He's done a good job of keeping up the honor of the team."
Murakami's interest in soccer is "all-consuming," but it wasn't always that way.
Brent's father, Neil, played football and baseball at Campbell, making Blaine the first in the family to play soccer.
"There was no soccer experience in the family," Brent said. "My brother kind of led the way for us. I've played basketball for fun, but as far as serious sports, I've really only played soccer. My grandpa wanted me to play baseball, but none of us play baseball. We all play soccer."
After beginning at age 4 with indoor soccer, Brent took up outdoor soccer and played until he was 10 when he almost gave up the sport.
"There was a time when I was going to quit because I was on the heavier side," he said.
"One of my coaches (Stan Tada) decided to pick me up as a goalkeeper because I had size. I was a goalkeeper for a while. When I went back into the field, maybe at (age) 13, I really started to enjoy soccer. Over time, from the amount of soccer we started to play, the weight dropped off."
"Since my eighth grade year, I started really getting into the game -- this is all-consuming," he continued. "Time-wise, when I'm not playing high school, I'm playing club. There's really no time to have another interest aside from keeping your school work up.
"There was a point where I was kind of burned out, but I just kind of knew that I belonged here.
"Right now, I'm really enjoying soccer."
