In the span of one week, the Punahou Buffanblu have gotten to know the Windward side quite well.

The pre-Christmas trek to Kahuku. Friday night's voyage to King Armory in Kaneohe. A Saturday morning swing to Kalaheo. All for the love of basketball.

Dan Hale's defending state championship team has taken plenty of turns in the lineup, too. Football players Dalton Hilliard, Kimo Makaula, Sean McFadden, Manti Te'o and Robby Toma arrived to basketball practice late because of the state tournament—and the school's first state title on the gridiron.

As of today, Te'o and Toma leave for Florida and the Under Armour All-American Bowl, another week out of the mix.

Hale shrugs about his revolving door.

“;I've never had to juggle like this,”; he said.

Even with the hubbub, the Buffanblu are 6-2 in nonconference play. Coaches and media voted Punahou to a No. 2 ranking in the Star-Bulletin Boys Basketball Preseason Top 10.

“;That's actually pretty generous. We're still finding ourselves,”; Hale said.

The drive to Kalaheo was necessary because lighting at King Armory, site of the Merv Lopes Classic, was still out after Friday's blackout. Punahou defeated Wasilla (Alaska), alma mater of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

On paper: Last year's team went 24-4 (10-3 ILH) and this year's team could surpass those numbers. Punahou's weaponry is loaded even with the loss of Kameron Steinhoff, the Star-Bulletin player of the year, and shotblocker Trevor Crabb to graduation.

Hilliard and Toma may be the quickest guard tandem around. Hilliard, a high-leaping 6-foot senior, has hit double-digit scoring often since his return.

Now a junior, forward Henry Cassiday nearly led the Buffanblu to the James Alegre Invitational title two weeks ago. With Makaula (6-3, 225 pounds), Te'o (6-3, 235) and a rotation of bigs, the Buffanblu are big, deep and skilled.

There's more experience with guard Shane Yoshiyama, forward Kai Gaddis (6-1) and center Casey Shibuya (6-3). Freshmen Deforest Buckner and Malik Johnson, both 6-5, are an added twist.

“;They'll both be in the mix,”; Hale said of the freshmen. “;They're still learning the game. Deforest is more of a back-to-the-basket player with a nice little jumper. Malik is probably at his best facing the basket. He's still adjusting to the physical nature of the game. They'll be mainstays in the years to come.”;

The skinny: Finding minutes for his personnel is not an issue, Hale said.

“;More than that, bringing together the new guys with the returnees, for everyone to find their roles,”; he said. “;That's going to be the tale of our season.

Makaula has 3-point range, but his role so far has been to provide strength in the low post, particularly with Te'o busy and hurt (hand).

“;He's stepped up. He's always had a nice shot, but more than ever, we need his size to bang with these other teams,”; Hale said.

Getting their basketball legs, he added, is key for the football kids. That shortcoming showed in a 61-59 loss at No. 5 Kahuku.

“;Kahuku shot well. That team is great. We fought back into it with hustle plays,”; Hale said.

Punahou's only other loss was to Kamehameha in the final of the James Alegre Invitational, before the football players returned.

Once the team is in sync—late January might be a fair timetable—all-out pressure defense will likely be the norm again.

“;We'll definitely keep some pressure on them. We want to maximize our athletic guys as much as we can,”; said Hale, who used a 1-3-1 zone trap last year to keep foes off balance.

The temptation to run full time is there, but Hale knows they will have to execute in the half-court game against highly skilled teams like Iolani and Kamehameha.

Finding the right balance of playing time will be crucial to the team's chemistry. Time is short: The Interscholastic League of Honolulu opener with Kamehameha is barely a week away. Hale would love to get enough minutes for his youngest players, Johnson and Buckner.

“;I'm going to lose six or seven guys, so we want them to be ready for next year,”; he said.

X factor: Taylor Crabb had a solid preseason. Agile and long, the forward will miss a week or so while he participates in the U.S. Junior national team volleyball camp in Colorado.