PAUL HONDA / PHONDA@STARBULLETIN.COM Kika Bukoski, right, was able to move to Oahu to be closer to his daughter Deven, a Kamehameha volleyball standout, and son Duke, who attends Saint Louis.

Kamehameha’s
versatile hammer

THE reflection in Deven Bukoski's eyes isn't always ablaze. Off the court, there's barely a ripple in that sea. No one would ever guess, one way or another, that the powerful 5-foot-11 outside hitter has endured more change than the average high school senior.

And better yet, she has excelled.

Bukoski is one of Kamehameha's hammers, a stronger, taller version of the player who helped Kamehameha reach the girls volleyball state tournament last year. She's already secured a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton, thanking 15 other schools for their offers.

Volleyball is, in many ways, her life force. She can't really talk about it in depth without confessing to the memory of last year's defeat.

TEN MONTHS AGO, Kamehameha ousted Waiakea, Kamehameha-Maui and Oahu Interscholastic Association champ Kahuku to reach the finals of the state championships.

"We should've won last year. I think we could have," Bukoski said. "Punahou was a good team, but I'll be disappointed if we don't win it this year."

Bukoski says this without malice, without raising her voice a single decibel. Well, maybe one or two decibels.

The Warriors were immensely talented, but relatively new to each other. Experience and chemistry were good, but not like this season.

PAUL HONDA / PHONDA@STARBULLETIN.COM Kamehameha's Deven Bukoski is focused on avenging last year's loss in the state final.

"We've all been playing together since last year, so we're on the same page," she noted.

Coach Chris Blake's arrival two years ago has made a difference.

"He has a way of coaching that can make the game less stressful. He can give us advice, tell us when we're doing something wrong, but he won't pick at it," Bukoski said. "I like him as a coach."

The Warriors jelled quite well last year, but the element of surprise has been extinguished.

"I think we snuck up on a lot of people last year, and even now, the less they see of us, they know about us," Blake said, referring possibly to Kamehameha's No. 4 ranking in this week's Star-Bulletin Top 10.

"That's other coaches and media's opinion of us, and it can be a driving point. Hopefully, that stuff will be resolved later in the season," said Blake, whose team is ranked behind Kahuku despite winning the Red Raiders' tournament recently.

Still, Blake prefers to be off the radar. That quiet approach might work. Bukoski has been relatively subdued recently due to a hip strain, but is healed up now.

"Deven's not a vocal leader, but a leader by example. She's always working hard. For us, she's in the middle, but probably her natural position is outside," Blake noted.

With 14 players who could probably start for almost any other team in the state, Blake is in an unenviable position.

"If you're looking at having a set lineup, yeah, it's tough, but it makes our practices better. If somebody's not performing that day, we don't hesitate to make that change," he said.

BUKOSKI IS ONE of six seniors on the squad. The other soon-to-be graduates are Kristal Tsukano, Tehane Kahalehau, Kaui Todd, Chauntelle Maduli and Leslie Aki. Tsukano is one of the top defensive players in the state, while Aki is extremely versatile, sliding between setter and outside hitter seamlessly. Maduli is a former starter who has gracefully accepted her role as a backup.

"They give us stabilization and confidence, and they help us bring the other kids along," Blake said. "But the other kids have been playing just about as much volleyball."

Junior Alexis Robbins and high-flying sophomore Kanani Herring give the Warriors perhaps the most athletic starting lineup in the state.

"We're just trying to get these girls to work and see the end of the road. They're so focused now, they sometimes forget the path they're on," said Blake, who is both direct and even-keeled. "It was easier for me as a player for someone to tell me what I need to know rather than beating around the bush."

CAL STATE FULLERTON wasn't joking around when it made Bukoski an offer after seeing her play in the Junior Olympics over the summer.

"I met the players when I went on my unofficial visit," she said. "I liked them."

Bukoski has a standing reach of 7 feet, 7 inches, which is why Kamehameha uses her as a middle blocker. Cal State Fullerton, though, plans to use her as an outside hitter. She's also gotten bigger and stronger in the past year thanks to a commitment to conditioning.

She also likes the West Coast, which is why she passed up offers from Rutgers, Clemson and George Mason, among others. St. Mary's was interested, but didn't have an offer on the table, and Bukoski took up Cal State Fullerton's offer before it was too late.

The club team that she traveled with, the Jammers, was a shining who's-who lineup of standouts. From Careena Onosai (Word of Life) to Dani Mafua (Mid-Pacific), it was a squad that had elite-level talent. That kind of quality and coaching, under Roland Tabagan, is part of the reason why Deven's father, Kika Bukoski, relocated his family from Maui to Oahu. Deven transferred from Kamehameha-Maui to the Kapalama campus as a freshman, living in the dorms.

When Deven's younger brother, Duke, began attending Saint Louis, Kika was left alone on Maui. Kika, a former state representative from Upcountry Maui, lost his last election, one of the Republicans who lost seats in the state house. That made it easier for him to make the move. He got a job transfer and landed in the heart of Honolulu.

DEVEN AND DUKE have stayed with their mother, Kimberly Norris, and their stepfather, Blair, since coming to Oahu. It's a cordial arrangement by all parties, says Kika, a Kauai native who lived on Oahu for years.

He still prefers Maui. Deven likes Honolulu.

"I guess I miss Maui, but the only reason I'd go there is if my dad was there," she said.

By his count, Kika has missed one, maybe two matches in Deven's club and high school career. The former UH football walk-on sits alone behind the Kamehameha bench, six rows up. Barely making a sound throughout matches, he's not adverse to small talk. His eyes, however, are always glued to the action. He saves his comments for later, when Deven is done playing.

"He's not loud, and he doesn't push me that hard," Deven said. "When he does, I just tell him."

She began playing at 9 when her dad helped form Imua Na Opio volleyball club. The team practiced in old Paia Gym with Norine Quinsat, mother of former UH Wahine player Nalani Yamashita, at the helm.

Once the sport soaked in, she was transformed.

"It kinda grew on me. With the people I started with, that made it easy to love the game," Bukoski said. "There were times when I thought, 'I don't want to do this.' But now I see why coach (Quinsat) did that."

Deven has never needed much pushing, according to her father. "She plays year-round and has never lost focus, never complains," he said. "She likes to be there (at practice) early. She even gets on me for being late."

The long hours and dedication have made Bukoski into a volleyball standout. Her unselfishness, however, comes from somewhere else, and it's rubbed off on her teammates.

"The team is versatile. And Deven is the epitome of it," Blake said. "For her to sacrifice for us to succeed, that's a sign of maturity and shows how selfless she is."