Like last year, senior guard Taylor Pocock will be the focal point, handed the same job of carrying her inexperienced Keaau girls basketball team, which at least has a fair fight to reach its goal.
Last season, the Cougars finished 3-7 in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I standings. Kealakehe was 0-10.
Guess which team missed the four-team BIIF Division I tournament?
Due to the East-West format, Keaau was in a musical-chairs fight with Hilo and Waiakea for two postseason spots. Over in the West division, Konawaena and Kealakehe had guaranteed berths.
A year later, Keaau coach Mark Pocock is still scratching his head about that logic. The league returned to a round-robin format, which means four teams reach the playoffs on their own merit. (East No. 1 seed Hilo clobbered West No. 2 Kealakehe 81-18.)
Another meaningful aspect to Keaau’s season is it’s the last time for the Pocock father-daughter tandem. Taylor could have graduated early as a junior because she had enough credits. But she decided to extend that family coaching bond one more season, hoping for more memorable moments.
“My dad has been coaching me since I was 5 years old,” Taylor said. “This year is really important. It’s the one final thing to keep us close together. I want to work my hardest and make him proud and have him know that he taught me well.”
Last season, Taylor received honorable mention on the All-BIIF East team. The only other Cougar honored was graduated senior guard Maedina Ongais-Kilaulani, who was voted to the second team and is at Hawaii Community College.
The two shared not only the bulk of the basketball experience but also a determination to push hard in the classroom. Taylor, who was home-schooled by mom Kelly Pocock in middle school, has a 4.0 grade-point average.
Furthermore, she’s one step ahead of her class. She’s taking college courses at UH-Hilo under the Department of Education’s running start program and plans to major in biology with aspirations as a nurse practitioner.
“My mom home-schooled me and it was definitely harder,” Taylor said. “But I developed a good work ethic and it eased my way into high school (at Kau as a freshman and sophomore). My parents have always stressed to me how important academics are. But it’s important to have fun, too.”
Mark Pocock was the Kau coach for five years, and in his second year at Keaau he’s discovered that despite a bigger enrollment (900 compared to 250 students) roster stability is never guaranteed. Sometimes, Cougars players, including starters, don’t return for any number of reasons.
But one thing that doesn’t change is the coach’s commitment to push his players to work hard on the court and, more importantly, in the classroom.
“We want to get the girls focused in every practice. For us, it’s a learning process,” he said of the constant rebuilding project. “We need them to absorb what we’re teaching and bring it on the court. Our goal is to make the BIIF playoffs. At least, we get to play everybody and we missed it last year, even though we weren’t winless.
“We need a combined effort from every girl. Any time you’re on the court we need 100 percent, no matter if it’s two minutes or 32 minutes. We want them to leave everything on the court. I want to hear the girls say, ‘I gave my best.’ That’s what I want.
“I want our girls to work hard in the classroom. Academic to athletic scholarship money is 4 to 1. Our girls may not get a basketball scholarship, but they always have a chance with their work in the classroom. That’s where their future lies.”