National powers arrive for Iolani Classic
Fresh out of the box or not, local teams have rarely fared well against national powerhouses in the Iolani Classic.
That doesn't stop them from trying, of course. A few years back, current Washington State guard Derrick Low nearly led Iolani to an upset of Montrose Christian. With the tourney tipping off today, there are opportunities galore.
Roosevelt meets Mt. Vernon (N.Y.), Leilehua battles Mason County (Ky.), host Iolani faces Ji Lin (China) and Saint Louis takes on Rice (N.Y.), the top-ranked team in New York. Rice won the Iolani Classic in 2004.
Saint Louis has not played a nonconference game yet.
"We've only been able to get in 11 practices in a two-week period because of the late start with football," coach Delbert Tengan said.
The Crusaders are No. 6 in the Star-Bulletin Boys Basketball Top 10. Kalaheo, ranked third, will get a shot against Montrose Christian (Md.) tomorrow.
"That's gonna be rough. It should be an eye-opening experience," Mustangs coach Chico Furtado said.
Like Rice, Montrose Christian is one of a handful of nationally ranked teams in the prestigious tourney. Montrose, coached by veteran Stu Vetter, had many high finishes over the years in the tourney but no titles.
"We'll play our game and try to keep the thing as close as possible and see what happens," Furtado said. "The biggest problem when you play teams like this is taking care of the glass when you're outsized. Teams like Montrose and LeFlore have quickness and guys who jump out of the gym."
Konawaena (8-1) moved into the top 10 at No. 8. Austonn Lazoff, a 6-foot-2 transfer from Oregon, had a season-high 42 points in a win over Campbell. However, the 'Cats miss Kekoa Carvalho, who suffered a sprained ankle at practice last week. Carvalho is averaging 19 points, six rebounds and three steals per game. Without him, Konawaena lost its first game of the season.
Star-Bulletin Top 10
The top 10 high school boys basketball teams, according to a poll of coaches and media.
| Team, record |
Last game |
Next game |
Pts. |
Pvs. |
| 1. Punahou, 4-0 (17) |
none last week |
vs. Radford |
170 |
1 |
| 2. Iolani, 3-1 |
none last week |
Ji Lin (China) |
153 |
2 |
| 3. Kalaheo, 5-0 |
none last week |
vs. Montrose (Md.) |
136 |
3 |
| 4. KS-Hawaii, 7-0 |
beat Honokaa |
none this week |
92 |
6 |
| 5. Kamehameha, 6-2 |
beat Moanalua |
vs. Mililani |
84 |
9 |
| 6. Saint Louis, 0-0 |
none last week |
vs. Rice (N.Y.) |
83 |
5 |
| 7. Moanalua, 6-4 |
lost to Kamehameha |
vs. LeFlore (Ala.) |
78 |
4 |
| 8. Konawaena, 8-1 |
beat Waiakea |
none this week |
39 |
-- |
| 9. Mililani, 3-3 |
none last week |
at Kamehameha |
34 |
8 |
| 10. Baldwin, 3-2 |
none last week |
vs. Maui |
17 |
10 |
» Voted on by coaches and media from around the state
» First-place votes in parentheses
» 10 points for first-place vote, 9 for second, 8 for third; etc.
» Also received votes: Maryknoll 16, Mid-Pacific 15, Farrington 5, Honokaa 5, Kaimuki 4, Waiakea 3, McKinley 1
» No longer in top 10 (previous rank): Kaimuki (No. 7)
