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Iolani holds
onto top spot

Getting to the top of the mountain is tough enough.

Staying there requires an entirely new chapter in the book of Iolani boys basketball. The Raiders are two seasons removed from Bobby Nash's graduation, and one from Derrick Low's departure for Washington State. Still, they are 10-0 against Hawaii competition and remained a lock at No. 1 in today's Star-Bulletin Top 10.

Iolani has done it with timely shooting, excellent role playing, and mostly, tenacious defense. The Raiders' pressure defense is like no other in the islands, and was a big part of their 62-58 win over Male (Ky.) for fifth place in the Iolani Classic.

Defense is a key ingredient in the Iolani program, all the way down to the seventh-graders.

"We really don't teach the exact same defensive schemes all the way down. I have great faith in my lower-level coaches, and I tell them to teach and run what they think will make them successful," Iolani coach Mark Mugiishi said. "Most of them do teach pressure of some kind, and that helps me when the kids come up and we decide to pressure."

That's a big factor in a state where many coaches teach zone defense. Even pickup games in Hawaii are primarily zone, compared to mainland players, who more often play man defense.

At Iolani, the transition to relentless defensive pressure happened after Nash, a 6-6 forward-center, graduated. Left with a relatively small team, Iolani adapted.

"I base what we do with what we have. When we won the state championship in 1998 with the Anderson twins (Brad and Cord) and Kirk Uejio, we only played five guys," Mugiishi said. "And so as not to get foul trouble, we pretty much played zone the whole time."

This year's team, with sharpshooters Kyle Pape and Vinny Nip, uses a mix of screens and motion to free up spots. That makes it imperative for role players like Wally Marciel and Jon Takamura to set solid screens.

The strategy changes from year to year, group to group, but Iolani always adjusts.

"My philosophy is to put the kids in a situation that makes them most likely to be successful," Mugiishi said. "After all, that's what makes the game fun."

The Top 10 remained status quo for the top 3 teams: Iolani, Punahou and Campbell. However, Kahuku zoomed five spots to No. 4 after beating Mililani on the road. University moved up a notch to No. 8, and Radford made its debut in the poll. The Rams posted their second win over then-No. 5 Kamehameha in three weeks.

Tournaments tip off today: The Punahou Holiday Classic and Walter Wong Classic open this morning.

The Punahou tourney features No. 5 Baldwin, No. 8 University, ninth-ranked Radford and host Punahou. The tourney tips off at 9 a.m. today with Mililani and University High. The tourney concludes Thursday.

The Walter Wong Classic, at McCabe Gym, has a split format. Two 8-team tournaments will be played simultaneously.

Several of the Walter Wong teams are title contenders in their respective states.

» Edison (Calif.) is ranked No. 1 in the Central Section despite a 6-2 mark

» Holland Hall (Okla.) is 4-1

» Crescenta Valley (Calif.) is one of the top 3A teams in California

» Bishop (Calif.) is a favorite to win its sectional title.

» Hamamatsu Nishi (Japan) is ranked fifth in its region

» Assumption is a favorite to win the Canadian national title.

Host Saint Louis, which plays Hamamatsu Nishi at 7:30 p.m. today, has just one senior in Jack Miller. The 6-foot-3 senior is one of the state's top scorers.

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