Punahou freshman Shawna-Lei Kuehu led the Buffanblu to a 22-1 record, including 10-0 in the ILH.
Young and gifted
Punahou’s Shawna-Lei Kuehu
is the Star-Bulletin Player
of the Year
SHE garnered just two of 14 potential first-place ballots, but it didn't matter.
Shawna-Lei Kuehu simply played beyond her years. The 5-foot-9 Punahou center collected 182 total points and was voted by a panel of coaches and media as the Star-Bulletin's Ms. Basketball 2005. Only a freshman, she outpointed the nearest competition by 10 points.
Kuehu was the anchor of a Punahou team that went 22-1, including 10-0 in the brutally tough Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
At the state-championship tournament, she led the Buffanblu in wins over Roosevelt, Honokaa and defending champ Konawaena en route to the title.
"She plays within herself," Punahou coach Mike Taylor said. "When we need points, she'll score. When we need rebounding and defense, she'll do that. Or leading a fast break. Those things, you'll usually see in your senior group.
"Over the course of the season, she learned to trust in her teammates to succeed. She's so extremely talented and gifted, patient, yet aggressive. She lets the game come to her.
"You don't have to tell her much. She has that feel for the game that you can't teach or coach," he said.
The soft-spoken standout may be loath to trumpet her individual achievements, but her effect was pure excellence. A combination of athleticism and fundamental skills, Kuehu had no peer in the post. She is also versatile enough to play any position on the floor, though it wasn't exactly necessary at Punahou.
Perhaps most telling about Kuehu's ability to handle pressure was her performance at the state tourney. There, she averaged 16.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 2 steals per game -- all topping her regular-season numbers. She also shot 64 percent from the field at states after averaging 55 percent during ILH play.
Voters also selected Kuehu to the All-Defensive Team, where she was second overall.
She outpointed Keisha Kanekoa of Honokaa (172 points), Jessica Hanato of Konawaena (170) and teammate Shanna-Lei Dacanay (170) for the top honor.
Kanekoa, a 5-6 guard, was the heart and soul of a Honokaa team that reached the semifinals of the state tourney. Her floor leadership and ability to create her own shot were just two aspects of a well-rounded game. Like Kuehu, she received two first-place votes.
She averaged 16.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4 assists per game at states. She shot 45 percent from the field and 74 percent from the foul line while playing all but 1 minute in four games.
Hanato, a 5-6 senior, expanded her shooting range this year and became a multiple threat offensively. Her work on defense, however, had few peers. Strong enough to defend in the post, but agile enough to create turnovers on the perimeter, Hanato collected four first-place ballots.
The Linfield-bound guard shot 48 percent from the field and 83 percent from the line at the state tournament. She averaged 13 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4 steals per game.
Dacanay, however, could easily have been named player of the year, as well. The 5-3 senior had the most first-place ballots (five) and made clutch play after clutch play for the state champions. Her deft 3-point shooting touch and penchant for big steals in key Punahou rallies kept the Buffanblu in front of the ILH pack all season long.
Her production dropped a bit at the state tourney (10 points per game, 30 percent field-goal shooting), but she still came up with key plays (4.3 assists, 3.3 steals per game) as her team's floor general. Dacanay will suit up for Washington University in St. Louis next season.
Fab 15 voting
Panelists were the same media and coaches who voted in the Star-Bulletin's Top 10 poll during the season. The All-Defensive Team points were: five for a No. 1 vote, four for a No. 2, and so on. Coach of the Year points were: three for a No. 1 vote, two for a No. 2 and one for a No. 3.
Honorable mention
| Player | School | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. | Pts. |
| Kari Heers | Honokaa | F | 5-9 | Sr. | 31 |
| Hina Kimitete | Konawaena | G | 5-4 | Sr. | 24 |
| Kilioe Aliifua | Kaiser | C | 5-11 | Sr. | 21 |
| Jamie Mattos | KS-Hawaii | G | 5-7 | Jr. | 20 |
| Siutiti Takai | St. Francis | C | 6-0 | Jr. | 16 |
| Holly Saito | St. Andrew's | G | 5-5 | Sr. | 14 |
| Artevia Wily | Kahuku | G | 5-5 | Jr. | 14 |
| Camilla Ah-Hoy | Kahuku | G | 5-8 | Jr. | 14 |
| Shanadee Canon | Kalaheo | G | 5-7 | Jr. | 13 |
| Kelci Fushikoshi | Lahainaluna | G | 5-7 | Sr. | 11 |
| Jamie Smith | Iolani | F | 5-11 | Fr. | 9 |
| Sherice Ajifu | Mid-Pacific | G | 5-5 | Sr. | 7 |
| Shaena-Lyn Kuehu | Punahou | G/F | 5-9 | Fr. | 7 |
| Caasi Nakasone | St. Andrew's | G | 5-4 | Sr. | 7 |
| Nicole Fu | Maryknoll | G | 5-5 | So. | 6 |
| Shannon Miyashiro | Roosevelt | C | 5-8 | Jr. | 6 |
| C'ani Kealoha | Farrington | G | 5-5 | So. | 5 |
| Samantha Saito | Sacred Hearts | G | 5-2 | Jr. | 5 |
| Shaina Siliga | Kalaheo | G | 5-6 | Sr. | 4 |
| Sophie Merrifield | Punahou | F | 5-10 | Jr. | 3 |
| Jessica Akamine | Maryknoll | G/F | 5-7 | Sr. | 3 |
| Wila Lavea | Honokaa | C | 5-10 | Jr. | 2 |
| Jasmine Vieira | Mid-Pacific | G/F | 5-8 | Sr. | 2 |
| Alana Wall | Iolani | F | 5-11 | Jr. | 2 |
| Ashley Medcalf | Christian Acad. | F | 5-8 | Fr. | 1 |
Coach of the Year
| Mike Taylor | Punahou | 27 |
| Daphne Honma | Honokaa | 25 |
| Bobbie Awa | Konawaena | 16 |
| Kimo Miller | KS-Hawaii | 7 |
| Darold Imanaka | Kalani | 4 |
| Wendy Anae | Kahuku | 2 |
| Bobby Keanini | Roosevelt | 1 |
| Paul Tanaka | St. Francis | 1 |
| Jenic Tumaneng | Farrington | 1 |
All-Defensive Team voting
| Christine Takara | Punahou | 37 |
| Shawna-Lei Kuehu | Punahou | 14 |
| Jessica Hanato | Konawaena | 10 |
| Nicole Lehner | Kaiser | 10 |
| Aisha Ale | Kahuku | 8 |
Punahou’s Taylor earns
Coach of the Year award
With each new chapter, Mike Taylor wrote another twist.
As his Punahou Buffanblu evolved, he added more and more.
By season's end, Punahou's vast pool of youth, experience and depth blended into a state champion. That is why coaches and media voted Taylor the Coach of the Year in the Star-Bulletin's balloting. Taylor edged Honokaa's Daphne Honma in a race that came down to the final ballots.
"It's a tremendous honor for our entire staff," Taylor said. "I feel blessed to have assistants like Alan Ching and Alan Lum. Their basketball minds are so powerful, so informative. I think also this award is a reflection of the kind of team we had."
Returnees stepped up in more important roles, and newcomers fit right in from the start. Senior leadership, however, was the glue.
"Christine (Takara), Tessa (Sonobe) and Shanna (Dacanay) made the transition so easy," he said of the seniors. "They're so calm, even-keeled and positive, and as coaches, we relied on that, too."
The Buffanblu responded beautifully with a 22-1 season.
"We started with a whole new offense at the beginning of the year because now we had a post player. That took awhile to get used to," Taylor noted.
Opposing coaches were hard-pressed to match up with Taylor, Lum and Ching. The trio has been together for two decades. All three are elementary school teachers. Taylor and Lum teach at Punahou in the same building.
"We meet before school, during lunch, after school, working on things," Taylor said. "Throwing in different wrinkles, it's a credit to Alan Lum. He's a whiz and finds different ways to get the ball to different people at spots where they can be successful."
Taylor finished with 27 points in the voting. Honma tallied 25 points. Honokaa (22-6), the Big Island Interscholastic Federation runner-up, knocked out Kaiser and Lahainaluna before losing to Punahou. Honokaa beat Kahuku for third.
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