The 4th annual HiLyfe Spring Jam basketball tournament started with a simple concept: play different teams rather than battle the same old faces.
The four-day tournament is for grades 9 to 10 and below, bringing together 15 teams from Oahu, Maui, and Kauai.
“Originally, we did a girls division to help bring up the girls program on the Big Island,” tourney organizer Donald Yamada said. “We wanted more games and to not only compete against each other.”
He also started a boys travel team with players from BIIF schools (Hilo, Kamehameha, Pahoa, St. Joseph, Waiakea) and reached out to neighbor island teams for advice.
The Kauai Thunder invited Yamada’s HiLyfe club to play on the Garden Island. The Thunder started coming in the Spring Jam’s second year.
“It was the same thing with Maui. We went up and played there,” Yamada said. “We went to Kona and played in the Stingrays tournament.”
Through the power of social media, the Oahu clubs followed HiLyfe, and another connection was born.
Now, the Spring Jam has turned in a reunion. HiLyfe won its age division at a tournament on the Valley Isle.
Yamada’s coaching counterpart on Maui is Cliff Alakai, who runs the Kahului Falcons. Kahului recently won the island’s Menehune championship.
In the opening round, HiLyfe takes on the Kahului Falcons in the boys 4-6 grade division.
Maybe in the foreseeable future, some of those players will meet at the HHSAA tournament.
“There’s only P&R (Parks and Recreation) and Randy Apele’s Rising Star League here,” Yamada said. “Those are pretty much the two main leagues for clubs and programs.
“I’m looking for this to grow and help out our teams down here. We beat each other up left and right and only play each other. We want to bring other teams down here, so we don’t have to go traveling all the time. It’ll keep our basketball going higher and higher until they reach high school.”
Yamada is also hoping local fans catch Spring Jam fever.
“It’s exciting to watch our Big Island kids play and see the good kids we have coming up,” he said. “For the fans and parents, they can watch the kids to see how good they can be or will be as they grow. I want to keep growing this until the day I die.”
Girls division coaches: Fly Girls, Clayton Honma and James Lukzen; Kauai Lightening, John Quinones; Maui Sparks, 6th grade, Bill Thorton; Maui Sparks, 8-10 grade, Vic Aguirre; FRO, Daphne Honma; Proformance, Kyle Pape and Derrick Low; Hoop Dream, Dominic Pacheco.
Boys division coaches: HiLyfe, 6th grade, Matt Summer; Kauai Thunder, 6th, Lee Gusman; Kauai Thunder, 8th, Chad Plowman; Kahului Falcons, Cliff Alakai; Hoop Life, Aloali’i Yasso; Man Up, Jason Mandaquit; HiLyfe, 8th, Donald Yamada; Team IMUA, Mea Wong.
For more information on the tournament, email hilyfebasketball@gmail.com.
Schedule
Panaewa Gym
Wednesday, March 21
Court 1
Girls grades 4-6: FRO vs. Maui Sparks, 3 p.m.
Girls 7-8: Fly Girls vs. Kauai Lightening, 4 p.m.
Mix 4-6: Kauai Thunder B vs. Maui Sparks G
Boys 4-6: HiLyfe vs. Kahului Falcons, 6 p.m.
Boys 4-6: Hoop Life vs. Kauai Thunder, 7 p.m.
Court 2
Boys 7-8 grades
Stray Katz vs. Kauai Thunder, 3 p.m.
Man Up vs. Kahului Falcons, 4 p.m.
Team IMUA vs. Kauai Thunder, 5 p.m.
Manu Up vs. Stray Katz, 6 p.m.
HiLyfe vs. Team IMUA, 7 p.m.
Court 3
Girls 9-10
Hoop Dreams vs. Maui Sparks, 3 p.m.
Proformance vs. FRO, 4 p.m.
Laupahoehoe vs. Stingrays, 5 p.m.
Girls 7-8
FRO vs. Kauai Lightening, 6 p.m.
Stingrays vs. Maui Sparks, 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 22
Court 1
Boys 4-6: Hoop Life vs. Kahului Falcons, 3 p.m.
Girls 4-6: Fly Girls vs. Maui Sparks, 4 p.m.
Boys 4-6: HiLyfe vs. Kauai Thunder, 5 p.m.
Mix 4-6: Fly Girls vs. Kahului Thunder, 6 p.m.
Girls 4-6: Maui Sparks vs. Kauai Lightening, 7 p.m.
Court 2
Boys 7-8
Man Up vs. Kauai Thunder, 3 p.m.
HiLyfe vs. Kahului Thunder, 4 p.m.
Team Imua vs. Stray Katz, 5 p.m.
HiLyfe vs. Man Up, 6 p.m.
Team IMUA vs. Kahului Falcons, 7 p.m.
Court 3
Girls 9-10
Hoop Dreams vs. Laupahoehoe, 3 p.m.
Stingrays vs. Proformance, 4 p.m.
FRO vs. Maui Sparks, 5 p.m.
Girls 7-8
FRO vs. Stingrays, 6 p.m.
Hoop Dreams vs. Maui Sparks, 7 p.m.
Friday, March 23
Court 1
Girls 4-6: Fly Girls vs. Kauai Lightening, 3 p.m.
Boys 4-6: Hoop Life vs. HiLyfe, 4 p.m.
Girls 4-6: Fly Girls vs. Maui Sparks, 5 p.m.
Girls 7-8: FRO vs. Hoop Dreams, 6 p.m.
Boys 4-6: Kauai Thunder vs. Kahului Falcons, 7 p.m.
Court 2
Boys 7-8
Stray Katz vs. Kahului Falcons, 3 p.m.
HiLyfe vs. Kauai Thunder, 4 p.m.
Man Up vs. Team IMUA, 5 p.m.
Kauai Thunder vs. Kahului Falcons, 5 p.m.
Mix 7-8
HiLyfe B vs. Maui Sparks G, 7 p.m.
Court 3
Girls 9-10
Maui Sparks vs. Laupahoehoe, 3 p.m.
Proformance vs. Hoop Dreams, 4 p.m.
FRO vs. Laupahoehoe, 5 p.m.
Proformance vs. Maui Sparks, 6 p.m.
FRO vs. Hoop Dreams, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 24
Court 3
Boys 7-8
HiLyfe vs. Stray Katz, 8 a.m.