KAILUA-KONA — With the sounds of squeaking shoes on the hard court and refs whistles in the air serving as the soundtrack for anxiety-filled free throws, summertime basketball was in full swing at the World Youth Basketball Tournament on Wednesday.
KAILUA-KONA — With the sounds of squeaking shoes on the hard court and refs whistles in the air serving as the soundtrack for anxiety-filled free throws, summertime basketball was in full swing at the World Youth Basketball Tournament on Wednesday.
The youth tournament kicked off with an explosive first game at Kekuaokalani Gymnasium between Kaba (Calif.) and Southside (Maui) in a Boys Junior Division game. After being down at half, Kaba staged a big comeback thanks to sharp shooting and stingy defense, coming away with a 58-53 win.
“We trained really hard for this, so to get a win in the first game is nice,” 10-year-old Kaba player Paolo Doplito said. “We just kept playing and followed our game plan. We started making our shots and locked down on defense.”
Kaba — which is short for Kababayan and translates from Filipino to “fellow countrymen” — is debuting at the event. The non-profit group based our of Orange County, California is dedicated to using love of basketball to unite Filipino-American youth in the area.
The tournament has become known for a diverse field in recent years, with teams coming from as far as New Zealand, China and Canada to compete against Hawaii and US mainland teams. The WYBT boasts NBA alum like Andrew Bogut, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith and recent NBA champion J.R. Smith.
But regardless of what happens on the court, the WYBT teams get the nice bonus of being able to enjoy all of what the Big Island has to offer, win or lose. Thursday is an off day where the teams will go on an circle island tour.
“It was a great surprise for the whole team to come to Hawaii,” Doplito said. “I’m looking forward to hanging with my friends and going around the island.”
The action picks back up Friday at Kekuaokalani gym and the first leg of the tourney wraps up July 31. The tournament continues rolling with a second stint of games from Aug. 3-7.