BIIF basketball feature: Kona’s Victor brings a ton to the table

Victor is more than Molina’s minion; she is a master for ’Cats

By KEVIN JAKAHI

Hawaii Tribune-Herald

As a four-year starter and the tallest at 5 feet 10, Ihi Victor brings valuable experience and height to Konawaena but offers so much more.

When Victor is on the basketball court, she is mostly regarded as fellow senior Chanelle Molina’s full-time partner.

They’ve been the backbone of the Wildcats’ last three BIIF Division I championships and a HHSAA state title last season.

Their shared winning bond also extends to their second sport in volleyball. Both were key cogs on Kona’s two BIIF Division II crowns and two state championships.

Their partnership has worked well, despite contrasting personalities.

“I’m the more laid-back type,” said Victor, who has a 3.0 GPA and is weighing scholarship offers. “It’s always good to have Chanelle. She’s the most motivating person.”

Molina pointed out that her longtime teammate adds comic relief. It’s serious business extending a BIIF record 90-0 winning streak, but a light moment here and there brightens the mood.

“On the court, she’s quiet and gives you the results you would expect from a veteran,” Molina said. “Off the court, she’s a complete clown, and she’s very loud and outgoing.

“Something interesting about her is that she’s obsessed with Minions. She has a whole collection of pillows, blankets, and stuffed creatures of them in her room.”

After Victor watched the movie “Despicable Me,” she got hooked with the yellow, marshmallow-looking cartoon characters.

“I thought it was the cutest show because of the way they acted,” said Victor, who knows by heart that Minions are fiercely loyal, friendly, and fun-loving.

When Victor was growing up, she played baseball and basketball. In the seventh grade, she joined Konawaena coach Bobbie Awa’s Kona Stingrays basketball club team and met Molina.

“I was the only girl on the team, and we automatically became friends. Ever since then we’ve played together and became more like sisters,” Molina said.

When they became Konawaena freshmen, the first sport on schedule was volleyball. Victor had no interest but was roped in by Courtney Kaupu, who is part of a trivia question.

Who was the BIIF Player of the Year in the West division in 2013?

It wasn’t the freshman Molina but rather Kaupu, who’s now at Chaminade, along with 2012 Kamehameha graduate Bobbi Montibon.

Kaupu and the two freshmen forces led Kona to the state championship against Kamehameha-Kapalama and suffered a 45-39 overtime loss.

As juniors last season, Molina scored 27 points and Victor added 14 points as Konawaena defeated Lahainaluna 51-41 for the state championship.

“After losing our freshmen year, that was the best feeling for me and Chanelle that we finally got one,” Victor said. “It took us two years to get really close, and once we were in high school it was natural for us. Our chemistry was there.”

There’s still one more march for the Wildcats, who have captured the last seven BIIF championships. They’ve kept winning with different rosters, relying on the same old blueprint.

“It’s our team chemistry and work ethic,” Victor said. “We tend to push each other at practice and get on each other’s nerves. But it only helps us and mine would be Chanelle. She pushes me at practice and games. She’s kind of my go-to person.”

Good genes

Her dad Michael Victor IV is 6 feet and played football and basketball at Waiakea, and her mom Francine is 5-11 and played basketball, softball, and volleyball at St. Joseph.

Her junior sister Victoria is 5-9 and closing fast on a few more inches and is on the Konawaena volleyball team. Her brother Michael Victor V is 6-2 and a 2015 Konawaena graduate, who played football.

Athleticism runs in the family, but what Victor first learned from her dad, who was her youth coach, was an early lesson in team chemistry.

“One thing he always said was, ‘E-L-E.’ Everybody loves everybody,” Victor said. “That taught me that it’s family on the court, and you have to get along well with everybody.”

On the technical side, her dad was a stickler for details. Little did he know it would lead to much bigger things.

“I’m right-handed but my dad forced me to do layups with both hands when I was young,” Victor said. “I’m happy I can do both.”

In the Minion universe where everything is related, Molina’s favorite moment with her BFF isn’t a championship but a play of potential.

Take it away, Chanelle:

“Our freshmen year in the state quarterfinal against Mililani, she and I had a play when the game was tied in the fourth quarter with 10 seconds left. I drove in the middle lane and attracted three girls, and she was wide open on the backdoor. I dished it off to her, and she made it with her left hand, and we ended up winning the game (40-38).

“That feeling was unforgettable because it gave us a feeling that we can lead a team if we worked together.”

Similar stars

Here’s an NBA joke: Michael Jordan has been married twice, but all six of his rings have come with Scottie Pippen as his teammate.

Molina has two sisters, junior Celena and sophomore Cherilyn. But as best friends go, it’s Chanelle Molina and Ihi Victor, and Celena and Victoria Victor.

As Wildcat teammates, the veterans Molina and Victor have the largest collection of gold: five BIIF crowns and three state championships.

They’ve always done it together. Not once has either decided to drop a sport and try something different, like swinging a bat and missing baseballs.

When Molina sprained an ankle at the Title IX Tournament during the winter break and missed several BIIF games, her absence was a blessing in disguise.

Victor stepped into a leadership role. She was the one to guide all the youngsters: juniors Celena Molina and Mahi Kaawa, and sophomores Cherilyn and Mikayla Tablit.

“I didn’t find that leadership in me until Chanelle was out,” Victor said. “I’m happy that I got to show more than what I usually do. I had an opportunity to attack, drive the baseline, shoot a jumper, and shoot a 3-pointer.

“In practice, I had to tell the girls to crack down. Without Chanelle, I pushed the younger ones, and it was better for me.”

On a Pippen side note, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He was never the league’s MVP, but Pippen elevated his team.

Victor has been a part of the greatest run in BIIF history. Maybe the best thing about Victor is she doesn’t think about any of that.

Much like her Wildcat sister Chanelle Molina, Ihi Victor has the same mindset, which can be a far more powerful asset than experience or height.

“Anything can happen. For myself, I don’t want that feeling of my freshman year in that state championship game,” Victor said. “We take it day by day, and when we’re at practice we work harder.”