Comments on: Maryknoll supplants Kona, SHA gets little respect

By: Paul Honda

Paul Honda — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 07:52:33 +0000

Kamalu as a stretch 5 is what they do when Cravens is resting on the bench (pre-injury). But they’re not the same team defensively, and that’s what I was trying to say.

History shows Coach Furtado is more comfortable with a moderate pace and a strong defensive post. If he lets his small-ball unit run and run from start to finish, that would be a pleasant surprise.

By: Education First

Education First — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 23:55:21 +0000

And for the record, I am saying the Punahou Head Coach is the worst HC I have seen in Hawaii in a long time if not ever.

By: Education First

Education First — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 23:53:45 +0000

X factor: Center Isabella Cravens went down with a knee injury against Salesian. She has been the most formidable post defender I’ve seen this season and she’s on the cusp of becoming a useful scorer on the low post. You can the development coming. But if this is a serious injury, it changes the complexion of this team. They have plenty of depth. They could have any of their forwards step up as a center in zone when necessary, but they primarily play man defense anyway and can use a lot of help-side rotation. But losing Cravens would be like the Pelicans losing Anthony Davis or the Clippers losing DeAndre Jordan. Irreplaceable.

I don’t think this kid is like the Pelican’s losing Davis. Without Cravens, Maryknoll still has Kamalu, Chayse, Omori, etc. They have a lot. Without Davis who does the Pelicans have? Buddy Hield?

And Davis is a versatile player. He can play fast, he can play slow. He can play on the perimeter and he can play inside. He can guards pick and rolls and switch. he can also stick his man. Cravens, while a nice player does not have this kind of versatility.

If Furtado wanted, he could play Chayse or Kamalu at the 5, play small ball, and no team in the state would touch them. If they play fast they would be more dangerous.

By: Paul Honda

Paul Honda — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 07:53:52 +0000

In reply to bball fan. Thank you. All corrections are welcome and needed!

By: bball fan

bball fan — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 23:06:01 +0000

Sorry Paul, but Mililani beat Waiakea at the Waiakea tournament by that same score: 49-44. Mililani was actually on the verge of blowing them out, until Waiakea had a nice run in the second half to cut it to single digits.
I disagree that the voters are being lazy, where I think more of the basis for the beginning portion of the season relies heavily on the recent history and reputation of each program. The contenders will truly start to separate from the pack as the season progresses.
In my humble opinion, I have Maryknoll at #1 because it seems that their strengths are Konawaena’s weaknesses, size (provided Bella is going to be ok) and depth.