With apologies to Ka’u graduate Pua Kailiawa, who completed her eligibility at the University of Hawaii in 2014, women’s college basketball coaches usually aren’t flocking to Pahala to find talent. ADVERTISING With apologies to Ka’u graduate Pua Kailiawa, who completed
With apologies to Ka’u graduate Pua Kailiawa, who completed her eligibility at the University of Hawaii in 2014, women’s college basketball coaches usually aren’t flocking to Pahala to find talent.
So when Trojans coach Cy Lopez answered his phone a few months ago and was greeted by a recruiter, he figured it was some kind of joke.
“I thought it was was a crank call,” he said. “I was like, “Who is this?”
But Pierce College meant serious business, and these days when Lopez is coaching youngsters in Ka’u, he says they tell him, “I want to be just like Denisha.”
Denisha Navarro, in addition to being a student body president and a member of the National Honor Society, recently signed her national letter of intent to play basketball on an athletic scholarship at Pierce, a community college in Tacoma, Washington.
Navarro’s idea all along was to head to the Pacific Northwest after graduation, “with or without a scholarship.” The opportunity at Pierce provides her with a first destination on a longer journey.
“I intended to move so I could make a better life for myself and to get a good education,” Navarro said in a statement. “Getting to play college ball at the same time is a privilege and bonus. On my trip, I loved the city life and how different it was compared to Hawaii.”
She plans to get her associates degree from Pierce in diagnostics and health and hopes to transfer to Seattle University to get her bachelors degree in athletic training. Her long-term goal is to move back to the islands and work at a high school.
Perhaps one day she’ll follow in the footsteps of one of her role models, Ka’u athletic director Kalei Namohala, who was formerly an athletic trainer at Waiakea.
“My passion has always been sports,” Navarro said, “and I’ve been inspired by (Kalei).”
Lopez and his wife, girls basketball assistant Jen Makuakane, deserve kudos as well.
Pierce coaches noticed Navarro’s profile on a recruiting web site, and after Lopez got the call, he and Makuakane quickly put together a highlight tape and made sure Navarro was prepared to impress when she went on a recruiting visit that ultimately netted her a scholarship offer.
“We worked her to the ground to make sure she was ready,” Lopez said. “We pushed her way harder than she had ever been pushed in practice.”
Navarro and the Trojans made modest gains in Lopez’s three seasons at the helm, winning one game in 2013, two in 2014 and three last season. Navarro was the Trojans’ leading scorer two seasons ago, and she led the team in assists and rebounds in 2015 while playing both guard spots and small forward.
One of Navarro’s best attributes is court awareness, and sometimes that meant ignoring the score. There is a saying that losing builds character – but Lopez says losing reveals it. Navarro was at her best when the Trojans were taking their worst beatings against the likes of Konawaena and Hilo.
“Some of my players, before we got on the court, it looked like we’d lost already,” he said. “But not Denisha. No matter if we were down by 40, she hustled and helped bring the team to another level. She didn’t panic.
“I know she can do it at the next level if she works hard. She knows how to hustle and push herself to the limit.”
