The Aloha spirit lured the Hawaii Hammerheads to Hilo, where the American Basketball Association expansion team will make its permanent home.
The Hammerheads start their inaugural season with a two-game series on the road, Nov. 26-27, at the Louisiana Cajun All-Stars and the Shreveport Flight.
Then the Hammerheads’ 18-game schedule will close with 16 contests at home, including 14 at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium and two in Kailua-Kona.
The Hammerheads make their Big Island debut against the Jacksonville (Fla.) Giants, the ABA defending champion, on Saturday, Jan. 7 in Kailua-Kona.
Then the two-game series closes on Sunday, Jan. 8 at Hilo Civic, giving East Hawaii local fans their first opportunity to watch professional basketball.
“The Big Island embraced the team as its own from the first phone call we had with county officials and the residents of Hilo,” said Kevin Williams, president of basketball operations. “We believe this is the perfect partnership for the team to grow and be a major part of the community.”
Williams isn’t from Hawaii. He’s from Houston and played ball at Huston-Tillotson University in Texas. But he understands the Aloha spirit because one of his players is Aukai Wong, a 2005 Hilo graduate, also a sharp-shooter and sound counsel.
The Hammerheads chief pointed out that he doesn’t want the team to be a bunch of strangers to the local community. It helps that Wong’s personality makes anyone he meets feel like a new best friend.
“We would like to thank the people of Hilo for welcoming the team with open arms and making us feel a part of their family,” Williams said. “Our players are looking forward to being an active part of the community and working with the kids to grow the game of basketball.
“From community service to providing affordable family fun entertainment, we will work every day on and off the court to make the Big Island proud to say they are home to the Hawaii Hammerheads.”
Wong, a 6-foot-3 guard, was the expansion team’s first signee and will serve as a drawing card for local fans.
“Aukai is the perfect piece to build a championship contender with. He is one of the best shooters I have ever seen,” Williams said. “He is the ultimate teammate, and I know his game is perfect for the uptempo pace of the ABA. He is a crafty guard with the heart of a lion, and we know every night playing in front of his hometown fans he will bring 100 percent effort.
“I spoke with him recently, and he is excited to be playing in his hometown and having the Hilo community come out and support him and the team.”
Beast of schedule
In early January, local fans on both sides of the island are in for an entertaining treat because the Hammerheads play the league’s toughest beast. The Giant have won three of the last five ABA championships.
“We wanted to bring the best team to the Big Island to show the fans the caliber of basketball played in the ABA,” Williams said. “The Giants averaged over 140 points last season, and they return 10 players from last season, including ABA MVP 7-foot Jermaine “Slim” Bell. I know this will be a difficult game for us, but we will be ready for them.”
The team’s unofficial slogan is “It’s Hammertime.” No, there’s no copyright infringement from MC Hammer. A good song to play at games would be “U Can’t Touch This,” especially if the Hammerheads are winning.
But as far as Hawaii’s schedule goes, TLC’s hit song, “No Scrubs,” aptly applies because only lions and tigers are being invited to dinner.
“Our second weekend, we host the New Jersey Express, a powerhouse team in the ABA having made it to the Elite 8 the last four years and Northeast Division Champions the last three seasons,” Williams said. “We will host six of the Elite 8 teams from last season. We will have no games off. That’s what we want, and what the fans and our sponsors want.”
Wong and waterfalls
“Our team features Aukai Wong and Brandon Matano (former UH player), a high-flyer from Oahu, and we recently signed 6-10 forward Joel Feigler from Hawaii Pacific University,” Williams said. “We will have eight high-quality players coming from the mainland to partner up with our awesome trio. The Hammerheads will be a team to watch out for in the ABA this season.”
And what’s a TLC reference without mentioning “Waterfalls.” Justin Bieber was recently in Hilo, and maybe he listened to Lisa Lopes’ chorus, “Don’t go chasing waterfalls.”
But for Wong, his dreams are coming true.
“This is a huge step for the future of basketball on the Big Island. The time is right, and Big Island fans deserve a professional basketball team,” he said. “This has been an interesting year for me. Almost a year ago, in October, I was blessed to be in Toronto working with the Raptors D-League team.
“Now, I am proud and motivated to represent Hilo, the Big Island, and the state of Hawaii in the ABA and to play in front of my home crowd.”