FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Among his accolades, Brad Lawson had 26 kills in the state final win over Punahou.

Rising to the occasion

Iolani's 6-7 senior Brad Lawson stood above the crowd in 2008

Mike Among Coach of the year

For that performance and many others, coaches and media voted Lawson as Star-Bulletin player of the year in today's All-State Fab 15 team. Lawson outpointed Punahou libero/setter Erik Shoji for the top honor.

The panel also voted Mike Among of Iolani as coach of the year.

Lawson and his teammates lived the Iolani credo of "One Team," so much so that he deflected praise and individual recognition by choice. Iolani fell to Punahou twice in the regular season, but Lawson's penchant for music - he founded a rock band called Summasounds - was one of the many inspirational sources for Iolani's title run.

His favorite warm-up tune, "Renegades of Funk" by Rage Against the Machine, has a classic line that echoed the Raiders' postseason roll.

"No matter how hard you try, you can't stop us now."

Punahou landed five players on the Fab 15, but to a man, each gave Lawson big props.

"Brad is good, but not only because of his hitting," Shoji said. "His overall game is pretty complete. That makes him more than a hitter. He's dangerous from all over the court."

Buffanblu coach Rick Tune, no stranger to the world of elite, towering outside hitters, paid Lawson the highest compliment.

"He was the most dominant player in the state. From an offensive standpoint, he's probably the best I've seen in 15 years," Tune said. "He can single-handedly take over a match."

Lawson has a different volleyball blueprint than previous player of the year Spencer McLachlin, now a 6-6 hitter at Stanford.

"Spencer was a better ball-control guy, a better passer and blocker, and he had different kinds of shots," Tune said. "But in terms of power, (Lawson has) a quick arm and great vision. Spencer was very fluid and smooth, like Freddy Robbins, but Brad reminds me a lot of Mike Lambert."

Tune and his staff spent countless hours drawing up strategies to counter Lawson and his band of resilient Raiders.

"When you know the ball is going to somebody and you can't stop him - and we have a good defense - there's not much you can do. He's just a great kid, a hard worker. He's very competitive, but he does it in the right way," Tune added.

Lawson was surprised about the honor.

"I thought Erik was great all-around. He sets, hits, plays defense," Lawson said. "There was one play in the finals, I hit off the block and it went over him. He turned around and got it one-handed."

Among and the Raiders survived their share of adversity during the season and never lost their cool.

"To keep his guys focused up to the end, anytime you come through that, it's great," Tune said of his rival and friend.

Lawson and Shoji - arguably the most versatile player in the state - will join McLachlin at Stanford this fall. Also waiting for their arrival is Shoji's older brother, Kawika, the starting setter.

"Stanford is going to have a special team next year," Tune said.

Erik Shoji Flawless setter and libero with unmatched skills   Maddison McKibbon Hard-hitting junior led the Buffanblu's offensive attack   Anthony Robinson Superb athlete moved from setter to hitter seamlessly   Chandler Kaaa Multi-skilled senior stabilized Warriors' attack   Joby Ramos New to setter, Ramos is one of only three sophomores in the Fab 15   Kaina Palama Powerful senior anchored Rough Riders at the net   Henry Cassiday Two-sport standout has two more years to blast defenses   Skyler Tajima Heralded by foes as an outstanding libero   Taylor Crabb His emergence powered a dominant regular season for Punahou   Logan Nowak The lone freshman in the Fab 15 played at a level beyond his years   Aaron Robinsom Superb setter, passer and hitter for the OIA champions   Jeremy Kaimikaua Provided clutch play and senior leadership for Buffanblu   Clifton Asuncion Native of Kapaa became a reliable offensive weapon for Kamehameha   Kenneth Rewick Extremely gifted and athletic, could be best returnee in state for ’09