Former Honokaa standout finds Oregon treasure

By JOHN DE GROOTE

Stephens Media Hawaii

Alika Alip has been the gem in Honokaa’s backcourt since his freshmen year, but now the former Big Island Interscholastic Federation standout is ready to take his game to the next level at Treasure Valley Community College in Oregon.

“I’m excited to get up there in September and get started,” said Alip, who signed a letter of intent last month. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and having new experiences.”

In his senior year, Alip averaged 12.3 points, 6.2 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game.

Alip credited his success to playing varsity all four years of his high school career.

“Playing varsity as a freshman really prepared me,” Alip said. “There were a lot of older guys I looked up to that set good examples for me. The challenging competition also got me ready.”

Treasure Valley recruited Alip consistently after seeing him play in a summer camp last year and despite having offers from other schools, Alip stuck with the school that showed him the most interest.

Another perk that comes with being a Chukar: Alip won’t have look too far for advice when it comes to pursuing his goal of eventually playing at a Division I college. According to Alip, two sophomore members of the Treasure Valley squad are set to transfer to Division I schools after the coming season.

While Alip was able to excel in the BIIF, he understands his game must evolve at the next level.

“The game is going to change a lot, especially in terms of size,” the 5-foot-9 Alip said. “Here, there are not a lot of bigs, but in college everyone is big. I will have to adjust to that.”

The coaching staff has told Alip he may see some playing time his freshman year, but the former Honokaa standout must still decide whether or not he wants to redshirt his first year on campus to adjust to the college game.

Treasure Valley, which competes in the East Division of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges, went 13-13 last season.