Roxburgh was always solid for Kohala

By BILL O’REAR

Tribune-Herald sports editor

Since respect is earned, Kohala’s Christopher Roxburgh definitely caught the eye of West Hawaii coaches during the 2011-12 Big Island Interscholastic Federation boys basketball season.

Roxburgh, a 6-foot-3 senior, was selected the BIIF’s West Player of the Year in the voting of the league’s head coaches. The versatile forward/center did it all for the Cowboys — providing leadership, scoring, rebounding and defense in an outstanding final season wearing the black and gold.

Roxburgh helped the Cowboys stun D-II top seed Pahoa in the BIIF playoff semifinals before eventually falling to D-II champion Hawaii Prep in the league title game at Hilo Civic. Kohala went on to play in the state D-II tournament in Honolulu, losing to eventual champion Kalaheo in the opening round of the eight-team event.

But Roxburgh was the foundation to Kohala’s success and veteran Cowboys coach Don Fernandez relied on his soft-spoken senior to lead the way.

“Chris is such a nice kid,” Fernandez said. “He was a steady and calm player, he never got rattled. He played through every moment and kept our young kids in the game with his leadership.

“I wish he would have talked a little more, but he led by example in practice and on the court. He was so valuable to us — he played every position, even point guard when we needed help there. He was so versatile and a big reason why we had a solid year and got the state berth in the end.”

Roxburgh edged Hawaii Prep’s Dakota Berman in the voting.

Berman, a sharpshooting senior guard, was one of the state’s top 3-point shooters and provided the talented Ka Makani with a consistent deep threat and valuable leadership. He seemed to have his biggest games or make his biggest shots at the most clutch times. His driving layup against St. Joseph in the D-II playoffs lifted the Ka Makani over the Cardinals and into the title game.

Hawaii Prep then beat Kohala for the D-II crown, the first basketball league title in the school’s proud history.

Roxburgh and Berman were joined on the first team, based on order of voting, by Konawaena’s Kenan Gaspar, Honokaa’s Alika Alip and Hawaii Prep’s Tyler Van Kirk.

Gaspar, a 6-0 junior guard, was a consistent scorer and defender for coach Donny Awa’s young Wildcats. The hustling Gaspar had a potent 3-point shot and was especially dangerous with Konawaena needing an offensive spark or when the game was on the line.

Alip, a 5-7 junior point guard, ran coach Cheyenne Meyer’s disciplined halfcourt offense, providing leadership, scoring and strong ballhandling as the young Dragons advanced to the BIIF D-II playoffs. He also played a key role in Honokaa’s tough defense, often battling the top guards in the league on even terms.

Van Kirk, a 6-3 senior forward, was a force in the middle for the Ka Makani. He steadily improved throughout the season while providing consistent scoring, solid defense and rugged rebounding in Hawaii Prep’s championship run.

Fernandez was chosen the West Coach of the Year. He led the Cowboys to a strong regular season and had them pumped up to upset heavily favored Pahoa in the BIIF D-II playoff semifinals. The win lifted Kohala into the tourney final against Hawaii Prep and clinched a state-tournament berth for the hustling Cowboys.

“It’s nice to be honored by your peers, but I’m kind of surprised to get Coach of the Year,” Fernandez said. “I thought the HPA coaches (co-head coaches Dave Huntington and Fred Wawmer) did a better job than us.”

But the longtime Kohala coach praised his assistants — James Marquez, Kihei Kapeliela and Kona Fernandez — for helping motivate the Cowboys.

“It’s a tribute to my coaching staff,” Fernandez said of getting the award. “They made the players believe in themselves and stick together in what was an up-and-down season. But I’m proud of the players’ efforts. To come in and beat Pahoa to get a state tournament berth was rewarding for them and our coaches.”

The second team includes, in order of voting, Kealakehe’s Deion Utrera, Konawaena’s Jonah Bredeson, Kealakehe’s Jacob Ontiveros and Kohala’s Christian Kapeleila and Makana Kualii.

Utrera, a quick 5-6 junior point guard, pushed the Waveriders’ attack with his clever ballhandling skills and ability to score or find an open teammate on the break or in a halfcourt set. He poured in a season-high 42 points in a win over Honokaa and proved to be a difficult guard for any team in the league to contain.

Bredeson, a 6-0 sophomore forward, showed why he’s one of the top underclassmen in the league while providing the Wildcats with steady scoring, rebounding and defense. The southpaw could score from deep, on a pull-up jumper or take it all the way to the basket.

Ontiveros, a 6-1 senior forward, could play any position on the court while providing the Waveriders with quality leadership, scoring, rebounding and defense. But it was also his all-out hustle that inspired his teammates to play harder and made Kealakehe a dangerous foe in the league playoffs.

Kapeliela, a 5-9 junior point guard, was rock steady in handling the ball for the Cowboys. But he also was one of the West top 3-point marksmen, a deadly free-throw shooter and a solid defender in Kohala’s multiple defensive sets. “He gained a lot of confidence as the season wore on and did some good things for us,” Fernandez said.

Kualii, a 5-10 senior forward, was constant motion in the Cowboys’ offensive and defensive schemes. But it was his scoring, defense and timely rebounding that often helped spark the team as Kohala finished the regular season on a strong note and went on to upset Pahoa in the league playoffs.

“Makana gave us a lot of fire on defense,” Fernandez said. “He was never afraid of anybody we played and was a strong-minded person, whether we were on offense or defense.”

(Note: The All-BIIF teams were selected through voting of the league head coaches with votes tabulated by BIIF basketball coordinator Kalei Namohala, the Ka‘u athletic director.)