Smith joins an exclusive list of players who were the Player of the Year by a newspaper despite not being a member of the state champion team that year. I thought the list would be longer.

2018: Tolu Smith, Kahuku
2014: Josh Burnett, Maryknoll
2010: Micah Christenson, Kamehameha (He shared it with Kainoa Chu)
2006: Okesene Ale, Kahuku
1994: Alika Smith, Kalaheo
1988: Jarrin Akana, Molokai
1982: Francis Fletcher, Maryknoll
1981: Sam Johnson, Moanalua
1980: Leroy Lutu, University

Ahhh a play on words. In my comment I never said Tolu was recruited. I said he is from the mainland, like his mother is from here. Only he, his family, and the basketball gods will ever know if he had any kind of “arrangements”, if you will, made. I’m sure some ILH ppl can confirm and shed some light on whether or not recruiting goes on for stud athletes here in the islands. But, since you brought up the word recruiting, do you think it’s just coincidence or not, that two out of town star athletes shows up to a basketball program that seemed to have lost all of their stud athletes. Not to mention to program where the head coach of that program has already had allegations of illegal recruitment thrown his way. Hmmmm, that’s just like the news printing things that they want the general public to read and believe. So it all comes back to This, is it truly a FAB15 or is it just a list of players whom the news people what you to believe is the FAB15. “FAKE NEWS” I say. Do research.

Putting a ban on first year players from winning recognition awards is absolutely lunacy. What other state does this? None. We would be a laughing stock as a state if we did that. First of all, out-of-state transfers are not new they have been coming to Hawai’i for decades. Most of them aren’t that great to begin with they come here thinking they’re gonna run the show and I would say the majority don’t become the all-stars they think they will be in this state. Second, you say the local kids should have a chance to be “recognized to move to the next level”. By giving them an award they got because another kid who was better was ineligible? That’s stupid. If kids aren’t competing against their counterparts in high school – local or not – they can kiss the “next level” good-bye because the next level is filled with kids from different states who are the best of the best. You want to make basketball better in Hawai’i, dedicate yourself to the sport from a young age. Don’t wait til high school to learn work ethic.

Yes, it is what it is but everyone has the right to their opinion, this is the subject at hand and we are all expressing our opinions. Maybe if it is all put out there then maybe next time this ridiculousness doesn’t happen again!

can it imagined what it would be like if Tolu Smith, 6′-10, from the mainland, playing on a D2 team whose father was the coach calling the shots! Now that’s a RRNationFL to belong to, where the Gatorade’s would be flowing!