Throughout Hawaii, the name Manliguis is synonymous with basketball.
For more than 60 years, someone with the Manliguis name played or coached boys’ or girls’ basketball for Hilo High School.
The family legacy, however, was cemented by two brothers, Al and Larry Manliguis, who came from a sugar plantation camp in Onomea, a few miles north of Hilo town.
Al, now 94, and Larry, who died at age 65 of cancer in 2007, coached the Vikings boys for 48 years between them, winning 31 Big Island Interscholastic Federation titles and three state titles. In fact, Hilo is the only team not from Oahu to win any Hawaii High School Athletic Association boys basketball titles from statehood until the state split schools into Division I and Division II categories.
Between them, the pair also notched almost 1,000 victories and provided a lifetime of memories for multiple generations of Hiloans.
The Manliguis style was fan-friendly and exciting — full-court pressure and an uptempo offense.
The dynamic duo will be honored with a testimonial buffet luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, at Nani Maui Restaurant and Garden. Organizers, who call themselves “Friends of Coaches Al and Larry Manliguis,” describe the event as a “grassroots effort.”
Tickets are $55, available at Sports Line Hawaii in Hilo, payable with or a check written to “cash.” Space is limited and a capacity crowd is anticipated. Tickets are also available by calling (808) 895-0552 or (808) 896-7855.
Al Manliguis starred on Hilo’s territorial championship teams of the 1940s, spurning recruitment offers from wealthy alumni at private Honolulu powerhouses Punahou and Kamehameha. Named the Hawaii Territorial Basketball Tournament’s Most Valuable Player in 1948, he became a four-year starter for the University of Hawaii at Manoa Rainbows and was named the team’s Most Inspirational Player his senior year.
Al started his coaching career at Laupahoehoe High School in 1956 before assuming the reins at Hilo in 1958, where he presided over a Big Island hoops dynasty for 26 years. He led the Vikings to a state title in 1964 with a 63-55 victory over Punahou. That championship team featured younger brother Cal Manliguis — who also went on to become a coach — as a standout player. The spunky Hilo team also notched two runner-up finishes at states with Al Manliguis at the helm, in 1973 and 1977.
Equally impressive, the Viks claimed 20 BIIF titles during his tenure.
Self-described as “old school” and “a stern disciplinarian,” Al was a studious coach, learning from his coaches, such as Ung Soy “Beans” Ah Fook — whom he played for at both Hilo and UH — as well as attending clinics by big-name national coaches.
He’s reputed to have told his players, “If you guys have to learn by losing all the games, that’s how we’re going to do it.”
His teams clearly responded to his team-first philosophy, often defeating taller opponents with pressure, speed and the will to win.
Larry Manliguis also played at Hilo, first for Bud Scott and his junior and senior seasons for his older brother. He was a three-year starter, a BIIF first-team All-Star and a member of Al’s first BIIF championship team.
From 1960-’62, Larry played two seasons for the Rainbows, then transferred to Cal State-Long Beach to pursue an education degree.
He returned to his high school alma mater as an assistant coach to brother Al from 1976-’83 before becoming head coach in 1984.
In typical Manliguis style, brother Larry’s teams staked their claim to two HHSAA titles — a 59-44 upset win over Kalaheo in 1991, and a 68-55 victory over a taller, more physical St. Louis squad in 2000.
And in 1992, the Viks almost pulled off a repeat state title, falling just short in overtime to Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama, 76-73.
As it had been under Al Manliguis, the younger brother’s Vikings were a dominant force on the Island of Hawaii, taking 11 BIIF titles.
Larry Manliguis was low-key and outwardly calm, but beneath the laid-back exterior burned a passion and intensity equal to his older brother’s.
He once decided a star player who wasn’t injured wouldn’t suit up for a crucial league game.
Asked by a Hilo sports broadcaster why the player wasn’t dressed, Larry Manliguis replied the player “decided he didn’t need to come to practice.”
“So I told him he didn’t need to come to the game, either,” the coach added, matter of factly.
The message that talent alone wasn’t enough was received, and the player worked himself back into the coach’s good graces.
Both brothers won numerous Coach of the Year awards and have been inducted into the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame.
Al, a longtime teacher, counselor, bowling coach and driver ed instructor at Hilo High, was honored with the Hilo High School Distinguished Service Award in 2012.
His community service included being a Boy Scouts volunteer and leading a support group of prostate cancer survivors from 2001-2019. The group met regularly at Cafe 100 until the novel coronavirus pandemic shelved it.
In addition, Al was featured in the 2005 book “The Lessons of Aloha: Stories of the Human Spirit.”
In 2000, Larry Manliguis was Hawaii’s first recipient of the prestigious National Federation of State High School Association West Region’s Coach of the Year Award.
He was a longtime employee of the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council, an organization with the mission “to prevent, alleviate and eliminate poverty in Hawaii County.” Larry also volunteered in community action programs that emphasized economic support and opportunity.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.