Featured

Walter Marciel would have made a great chef. People skills. Knowledge of his environment. Makes do with great or so-so ingredients. At Kailua, Marciel has superb ingredients this season, a mix of size, height, guards with offensive and defensive skills. When the Surfriders stunned defending state champion ‘Iolani in the semifinal round of the Surfrider Holiday Classic, it took awhile before it made sense. Kailua has just enough height and girth to give any team — even ‘Iolani with 6-foot-9 […]

Punahou is the last Hawaii team standing in its holiday basketball tournament. The second-ranked Buffanblu advanced to the semifinals of the Punahou Invitational on Wednesday, beating old friends Wilson of Oregon. The Buffanblu face Santa Margarita (Calif.) in tonight’s semifinal. Bishop Hendricken and Sequioa are in the other semifinal. Hawaii teams went 3-5 on the second day, with Kamehameha beating Damien 67-40. Punahou 65, Wilson (Ore.) 54 Chris Kobayashi hit five 3-pointers and scored 25 points as the Buffanblu blitzed […]

The Punahou Basketball Invitational has begun, and will run through Friday. The Buffanblu, who won the tournament last year 68-54 over Kaiser, open tonight at 8 p.m. against Hamamatsu Tech. Punahou has won six of the last seven titles, with its only loss in that span coming to Kalaheo 41-40 in the 2014 championship. No. 2 Punahou will have plenty of competition in this one, with tournament mainstay Wilson (Ore.) looming in the second round if it can get past […]

The road home has been a long, successful one for Samuta Avea. He grew up making long drives from Laie to town, playing youth basketball and showing the athleticism and skill set that made him, possibly, the most versatile homegrown player since Junior Ale. Since returning from a one-year stint at Bingham (Utah), where he helped the team win a state title, Avea has signed with Hawaii and is dealing with an offseason ankle injury that hasn’t fully healed yet. […]

Dan Fotu has been on a few journeys thanks to basketball and an adventurous spirit. No trip was a long as the one he made two weeks ago, flying from Auckland, New Zealand to Suva, Fiji to Honolulu, Hawaii. And, of course, a ride to Laie. Fotu has been here before, a young pre-teen watching older brother Isaac Fotu play basketball for Hawaii. Dan always loved the game, but had no expectations of playing high school ball in the islands. […]