Maiava getting
Division-I looks
Baldwin's Kaluka Maiava turned the heads of Hawaii football fans last year with his excellent play at linebacker.
This summer, the Bears' 5-foot-11, 220-pound senior is getting the notice of many college coaches.
Baldwin coach Chad Kauha'aha'a said yesterday that Maiava has early offers from eight Division I teams -- UCLA, Oregon, Wisconsin, Arizona, Washington, Brigham Young, Utah and UTEP.
"All of these schools have sent me and his parents letters saying they have a scholarship for him," Kauha'aha'a said. "Kaluka is a little overwhelmed by it and feeling the pressure, but I told him that's part of the game. His dad has been really good with him, telling him that it's best to focus on the upcoming season and decide what to do later."
Kauha'aha'a can't recall a player on Maui who has been more highly recruited than Maiava.
"And he's proven himself at camps this summer," the coach added. "He ranked high at his position -- No. 2 at the Nike camp in San Diego and in the top five at a Stanford camp. He was also named the most outstanding defensive player at a Colorado camp."
Kauha'aha'a knows some coaches think Maiava is too small to play linebacker in college.
"But that's not the case, really," he said. "I've seen guys who are smaller play the position well. He has a natural instinct to play football."
Maiava is on the mainland and plans to work out with former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth (a relative's friend) before returning to Maui.
He'll prepare for the upcoming season as the Bears defend their Maui Interscholastic League championship and try to make it farther than last year's loss to Saint Louis in the state Division I semifinals.
Soares drawing interest, too: Castle linebacker Blaze Soares is also getting a lot of attention from colleges.
Unlike Maiava, he doesn't have early offers, but he received letters of inquiry from Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon and Arizona.
"This is more than passing interest," Knights coach Nelson Maeda said. "The schools out there are very aware of Blaze. This is the first time a Castle player has received this much interest from top Division I schools."
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Soares was a sophomore two years ago when Castle advanced to the state final and lost to Saint Louis. This fall, he'll try to help the Knights get back to the state tournament.
"He's a very coachable, team-oriented player and he has great passion for the game," Maeda said. "He's always encouraging the younger kids and has a great work ethic and attitude. I think he'll be a big contributor and really help some college program."
Stay together, national leader says: There's been some informal talk about splitting public and private school competition at the league and state levels, but a prominent national official believes that such a move would be a step in the wrong direction.
"Our survey shows that over 90 percent of states have public and private schools playing under the same state association," said Bob Kanaby, the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Kanaby was asked about the pros and cons of the issue at the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference last month on the Big Island.
"My recommendation is to maintain dual representation under the Hawaii High School Athletic Association," Kanaby said. "Frankly, it's in the best interest of the young people. There is more diverse competition and it keeps people working together."
Kanaby knows of three states, including Maryland and Texas, that have separate public- and private-school state championships.
Liu thrilled to have coach: The Parker School swimming team looks to grow with 11-time Olympic medal winner Matt Biondi as the coach.
There was a chance Biondi wouldn't be back for another season after finishing up his first year at the helm last winter.
"He was also coaching girls water polo at Hawaii Preparatory Academy and he said he only wanted to coach one team for the upcoming year," Parker athletic director Keawe Liu said. "It worked out for us."
Liu said Biondi "did amazing things" for the three swimmers on the team.
Liu has first-hand knowledge of Biondi's ability to help swimmers improve.
"He completely changed my ability to swim faster -- and he did it in about 15 seconds," Liu said. "He looks at things you do and shows you a way to do it better and it works."
Seven athletes have shown interest in signing up for swimming next year, even though the Bulls don't have a pool for practices.
"But we're trying to make it happen. We've hired a master planner for a four- or eight-lane pool," said Liu, who added that the school is also working on getting a gym built.
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