KAILUA-KONA — With the sounds of squeaking shoes on the hard court and refs whistles serving as the soundtrack for anxiety-filled free throws, summertime basketball was in full swing at the World Youth Basketball Tournament on Wednesday.
The youth tournament kicked off with an explosive first game at Kekuaokalani Gymnasium between Kaba (Calif.) and Southside (Maui) in a Boys Junior Division game. After being down at half, Kaba staged a big comeback thanks to sharp shooting and stingy defense, coming away with a 58-53 win.
“We trained really hard for this, so to get a win in the first game is nice,” 10-year-old Kaba player Paolo Doplito said. “We just kept playing and followed our game plan. We started making our shots and locked down on defense.”
Kaba — which is short for Kababayan and translates from Filipino to “fellow countrymen” — is debuting at the event. The non-profit group based out of Orange County is dedicated to using love of basketball to unite Filipino-American youth in the area.
Other games Wednesday included Blue Tsunami knocking off the Lakeland Raptors in the Girls High School Division 35-32. The Raptors also dropped their second game of the day to the Stingrays 56-32.
NSP beat Southside 42-10 in the Boys Junior Division, and the day wrapped up with the Lady Barons downing the Stingrays 73-41 in the Girls 13-14 Division.
The tournament has become known for a diverse field in recent years, with teams coming from as far as New Zealand, China and Canada to compete against Hawaii and US mainland teams. The WYBT boasts NBA alum like Andrew Bogut, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith and recent NBA champion J.R. Smith.
But regardless of what happens on the court, the WYBT teams get the nice bonus of being able to enjoy all of what the Big Island has to offer, win or lose.
The tournament’s opening ceremonies were a hit, with performers putting on a Polynesian show for the visiting teams.
Thursday is an off day where the teams will go on a circle island tour.
“It was a great surprise for the whole team to come to Hawaii,” Doplito said. “I’m looking forward to hanging with my friends and going around the island.”
The action picks back up Friday at Kekuaokalani Gym and the first leg of the tourney wraps up July 31. The tournament continues rolling with a second stint of games from Aug. 3-7.