Kaukahi Alameda, Rayson Padilla, Lamaku Pana, and the rest of the Hilo basketball players all remember last year’s BIIF Division I championship.
Waiakea put on its running shoes and sprinted past the Vikings 67-45, outscoring them 22-4 in transition points.
Transition defense is all about hustling back on defense, something the Viks didn’t do at least 11 times. It’s a painful reminder that will serve as motivation: Slack off and somebody steals your dinner.
The Vikings begin their quest for their first BIIF title since 2010 with their annual Hilo High/Holiday Prep Classic, starting Thursday at their gym.
They return four starters, all guards in: Alameda, Padilla, Mason Galima, and Guyson Ogata. Pana, a 6-foot senior center, logged significant time as did sophomore guards RJ Solmerin and Kasen Mehau.
Asked the penalty for forgetting to get back on defense, Alameda noted the obvious: “We’ll run laps, suicides.”
His two siblings, Angel (Hilo 2014 graduate) and Kekaulike (Kamehameha 2016) were standout volleyball players as liberos.
Angel, who once had 41 digs, served as Kekaulike’s motivation. His career-high was 26. Kaukahi’s motivation is Kiai Apele, Waiakea’s senior point guard and teammate on the Hoop Dreams club team, coached by Randy Apele.
They’re basketball twins. They can handle the ball, attack the rim, fire from long distance, and have the same savvy court vision. But Apele has won two BIIF titles. Alameda’s stomach is still empty.
“I’ve been here a long time,” Alameda said. “I’ll look to get my teammates more involved. Lamaku will help us. It’s like we haven’t lost anything at all.
“We’re all friends. There are no cliques. If we have a group chat and somebody says, ‘I’ve got the gym.’ We will all work out.”
Alameda never found the charm of volleyball. But as a senior, he said he’ll consider the sport of his siblings. Angel doesn’t have to worry about her family record. He jumps too high to be a libero.
Padilla announced himself with 25 points on 8 of 12 shooting in Hilo’s 48-39 win over Konawaena in the BIIF semifinals.
His mom, Stephanie Puu, got him involved in hoops. Padilla joined the Ballaz club team, coached by Vergelio Galima, whose kids are Mason and Veda Galima, when he was 7 years old.
“We’ve got good team chemistry,” Padilla said. “On offense, we want to move the ball and take a good shot. If we do that, we should be fine. We want to turn our defense into offense.”
His self-improvement is what separates good from great players.
“I’m more confident,” Padilla said. “Last year, I was hesitant. I’m more confident in myself.”
Pana is the son of Ben and Heidi Pana. His sisters, Aliyah and Alexis, were Viking standouts and played in college.
“They taught me there’s more to basketball than just scoring,” he said. “It’s about being a good teammate and a good leader.”
Aliyah was a forward with a toolbox of post moves. She’s taught her brother how to drop-step on the baseline and one of her personal favorites, the up-and-under move.
“I don’t do it as fast as her,” he said.
That can be corrected if he watches Kevin McHale on YouTube.
“I want to bring energy and lots of rebounds,” Pana said. “I want to keep a positive attitude to keep the team rolling.”
Pana is also a good distributor of praise.
“Kaukahi is a leader on the court and at practice,” Pana said. “He’s a positive player. He picks up everybody after they make a mistake and congratulates them when they do something good.”
Pana’s self-improvement is noticeable. He’s lost 12 pounds and looks like he’s in great shape and ready to run a marathon.
“My dad built me up,” he said. “We worked on speed, muscle, and vertical. He taught me how to take care of my body. I feel a lot faster. “
Of course, that will be helpful when he’s running back on transition defense.
Holiday Prep Classic
Vikings Gym
Thursday
Game 1: St. Joseph vs. Kohala, 3:30 p.m.
G2: Konawaena vs. King Kekaulike, 5 p.m.
G3: Punahou II vs. Kealakehe, 6:30 p.m.
G4: Keaau vs. Hilo, 8 p.m.
Friday
G5: L1 vs. L2, 3:30 p.m.
G6: L3 vs. L4, 5 p.m.
G7: W1 vs. W2, 6:30 p.m.
G8: W3 vs. W4, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Consolation: L5 vs. L6, 3:30 p.m.
Fifth: W5 vs. W6, 5 p.m.
Third: L7 vs. L8, 6:30 p.m.
Championship: W7 vs. W8, 8 p.m.