The past two seasons it was among the BIIF’s best road shows, yet there are some years it has to work hard not to stall. ADVERTISING The past two seasons it was among the BIIF’s best road shows, yet there
The past two seasons it was among the BIIF’s best road shows, yet there are some years it has to work hard not to stall.
Once again, Kohala’s boys basketball team is nothing if not well-traveled.
The pride of Kapaau is set to make its 10th preseason trip to Hilo on Saturday, and the Cowboys will turn around and open the regular season Monday at Keaau.
“That’s the norm,” coach Don Fernandez said. “Being in Kohala, you get what you get.”
The difference this year is the new-look Cowboys will have to trek even farther on the court to get where they want to go.
And make no mistake, as sure as Fernandez’s trademark Chuck Taylor high-tops, Kohala intends to be a player in the BIIF Division II race again.
“Like any year, you try to get to the playoffs, you try to win BIIFs,” Fernandez said. “It doesn’t matter if you are rebuilding, you’ve got to set high goals.
“Moral victories, that’s crazy. Do moral victories count as a win?”
He does, however, expect more growing pains as the Cowboys adapt to life on the run – Fernandez’s teams only know one speed on the court: fast.
“Sometimes it’s fun to watch and now it’s funny to watch,” Fernandez said, “because they’re trying to find their way. For the fans, it’s good because of the up-and-down pace.”
The Cowboys lost to Honokaa 73-42 on Friday at the Hilo High Holiday Prep Classic in a rematch of a 2015 BIIF semifinal that Kohala handily won 88-71.
The Cowboys said goodbye to their core and then some after last season, including four seniors who made first- or second-team all-BIIF as Kohala finished third at the HHSAA tournament. That group also won the BIIF title in 2014, finishing fourth in the state, led by point guard Kealen Figueroa.
There are a few holdovers, led by senior guard Chance Pang, who’s been a contributor the past three seasons.
“His job is to set an example,” Fernandez said. “Play hard, shoot when he is supposed to shoot, play hard on defense and hustle. The basic things we do.”
Junior forward Kama Emeliano-Solomon provides a physical presence and one of senior Kainalu Emeliano-Solomon’s strengths is defense. Maui Hook, a sophomore guard, showed promise last season when he was brought up from the junior varsity.
“The kids have different roles this season,” Fernandez said. “Some have had a look at varsity, but now they are going to get a big look at how quick and athletic it is.”
He’s been down this road before.
His 2009 team finished third in the state behind star point guard Brandon Bautista, who graduated and left the Cowboys to endure their share of growing pains. But thanks to an on-again, off-again feeder system, that rebuild was just a speed bump for the program.
“We’re trying to improve our defense, and I think if we can do that we can be fine,” Fernandez said. “It’s hard to sell some younger players on that part of the game. We’re trying to get them to realize that defense can create offense.
“This team has so much room to grow. That’s good.”
And with that, Fernandez and the Cowboys had to hit the road Friday afternoon. The first stop was to watch Kohala junior varsity play in Laupahoehoe in the evening.
The long-term destination is still to be determined.
