Chanelle Molina’s latest basketball season was a mission more than anything else, with Grandma Imee always in her heart.
Imelda “Imee” Molina had been ailing from cancer and passed away on Jan. 28. She was 64.
She was born in the Philippines and worked as a housekeeper in the hotel industry, where hard work and a friendly smile are required.
Grandma Imee is survived by her husband Rudy, and their six sons, including Allan. He and wife Rose have three children: Chanelle, Celena and Cherilyn, a Konawaena junior, sophomore and freshman, respectively.
Each Molina Wildcat has inherited Grandma Imee’s passion to work hard and even better they enjoy pushing each other.
“My sisters and I go at in practice. We’re so competitive that we work to make each other better,” Chanelle said. “We try to beat each other in every drill and don’t let each other slack. We fight here and there to the point where our teammates have to break us up. Everyone compares us to each other, which only raises our competitive spirit.”
The Konawaena junior repeated as the BIIF Division I Player of the Year, in a vote by the league’s coaches.
She was joined on the All-BIIF Division I first team by sisters Celena and Cherilyn, Konawaena senior Aloha Salem, and Hilo junior Alexis Pana.
Chanelle Molina, a 5-foot-7 guard, sparked the Wildcats over Lahainaluna 51-41 in the HHSAA state championship back in February.
It was the only piece missing on her career achievement list, and puts her into exclusive Wildcat state champion company.
Molina is now on the school’s basketball Mt. Rushmore along with Wildcat greats Nancy Hoist, Jessica Hanato, Hina Kimitete, Jazzmin Awa-Williams, Mana Hopkins, Dawnyelle Awa and Lia Galderia.
Besides a state champion, Molina is also the latest gatekeeper for the team’s unbeaten streak that started in 2009 when Awa and Galderia were freshmen.
From 2009 to ’15, the Wildcats are 80-0 in BIIF competition with league crowns seven straight years, and state titles in 2009, ’11, ’12 and ’15.
That pretty much stamps coach Bobbie Awa’s program as the greatest and most accomplished in league history in any sport. Konawaena also won state championships in 2004 and ’07.
Molina separates herself from the others with her dominance in her second sport.
In volleyball, she’s the reigning BIIF Division II Player of the Year, and the Wildcats are the two-time defending state champion.
Molina has cleared the bases to complete her career grand slam major: a state title in each sport and a league player of the year honor in each as well.
The Molinas are the only set of three sisters in the history of the HHSAA to win a state championship in two sports.
Tall, tough foe
The MIL champion Lunas were taller across the board than the Wildcats, and equally athletic, especially with a trapping defense designed to stifle the oldest Molina.
Still, she torched Lahainaluna with a game-high 27 points on 11 of 17 shooting, scoring in the post with her slashing work from the elbow, and the perimeter.
Molina also gave the Lunas a taste of their own medicine, delivering tough-nosed defense. She was shorter than the Valley Isle trees, but grabbed eight rebounds.
She was highly efficient with three assists and no turnovers. Molina had only two personal fouls, playing under control in a pressure-packed kitchen.
How did the Wildcats chop down a bigger and more physical team?
Well, they did it before. In December at the Iolani Classic on Oahu, Konawaena upset two nationally ranked powerhouses.
“Our team’s confidence thrived in the Iolani Classic. There were 6 feet girls on all the rosters that we had to go up against,” Molina said. “We were underdogs the whole tournament because we were very undersized. We played really well and surpassed everyone’s expectations. It boosted our confidence and competitive level going into the season.”
One for Grandma Imee
In a Magic Johnson sort of way, Molina’s best gift is that she makes others better, and her favorite assist is highlighting her sisters.
Take Celena for example. She’s 5-8 with really soft hands and long arms. She has a skill-set better suited for her first sport, volleyball.
But even though she starting playing basketball at 12 years old, Celena had eight points on 3 of 9 shooting, and battled for nine rebounds against the muscular Lunas.
Cherilyn had two points, no assists and one turnover in 23 minutes, not necessarily filling up the stat sheet, but providing the ’Cats with another sound ball-handler.
“Our coaches taught Celena the basic fundamentals and she learned fast,” Molina said. “She’s not afraid to bang in the paint. She’s very aggressive when it comes to defending girls in the post, and she outrebounds girls twice her size and height.
“She can finish very well when she is put in a position to score. She does the little things people don’t recognize on the court. She’s a key in our offense and defense.
“Cherilyn is a pure point guard. Her ball-handling is great and some people say that it’s better than mine. She has a good sense of vision on the court. She doesn’t play like a freshman. She has a high IQ for the game, and nice composure for her age.”
Molina also credited her parents, who both work in the hotel industry, for supporting the three sisters to play basketball and volleyball on the mainland to gain exposure.
When she reflected on the season, Molina looked at Grandma Imee as the family’s glue and a driving force for a memorable state championship.
“Every game means something to us because not only are we playing for our school, and community, but also for my mama, who passed away in late January,” Molina said. “She meant the world to us. She nurtured us from when we were young until now.
“She was always very proud of us, and was our biggest fan, by far. My sisters and I had a goal from the beginning of the season to win the basketball state title for her.”
