The fortunes of Hawaii Prep will largely depend on Matija Vitorovic’s impersonation of former teammate Jonas Skupeika.
The resourceful Ka Makani return starters in point guard Jonah Hurney, Michael Hanano, Dylan Ngango Dikobo, and the 6-foot-4 Vitorovic.
All were new full-timers last year and later received All-BIIF Division II recognition: Hurney landed on the second team and the rest got honorable mention.
The graduated big cheese was Skupeika, an All-BIIF first team selection, who was the only returning starter last year.
In its first game without the sharpshooter, Konawaena defeated HPA 61-40 at the Keaau/Waiakea preseason basketball tournament at the Warriors Gym.
Vitorovic, a sophomore from Serbia, scored 17 points, drilling three 3-pointers and slashing to the rim. Hanano and Hurney added five points each.
Hauoli Akau scored 13 points, Viliami Kaea 11, and Austin Ewing nine to lead the Wildcats, last season’s BIIF Division I runner-up.
Last season, Skupeika, a physical 6-foot-2 guard from Lithuania, scored inside and out and carried the offense and the fortunes of his team.
Best case example: the BIIF Division II semifinal, a Ka Makani 42-41 loss to St. Joseph in one of the best games in three decades, only topped a night later.
For a brief recap, Manato Fukuda sank a layup at the buzzer to keep HPA at home from the HHSAA tournament for the second year in a row. (In 2014, co-coaches Dave Huntington and Fred Wawner piloted HPA over Kalani for the state title.)
The following day, St. Joseph lost two starters to injury, rallied from an 18-point deficit and beat Honokaa 51-50 for the BIIF title.
But back to the HPA semifinal, Skupeika scored an entertaining game-high 23 points, Vitorovic 16, and Hanano two points to account for all the scoring.
Last year, Skupeika was the first, second and third option. Vitorovic got his looks but only if the ball didn’t go to Skupeika or if he was cold.
Even though he’s taller by two inches, Vitorovic will be counted on to fill some big shoes. At least, he’ll have help.
“We’ve got a little more depth with guys with skills,” said HPA assistant Huntington. “Last year, our dropoff was pretty quick. Hanano’s mid-range jumper has improved. We’re hoping to have a balanced attack and eight, nine or 10 guys in a game.”
For decades, Ka Makani basketball had been viewed as a training regimen for the football guys like Max Unger (2004 graduate) and Daniel Te‘o-Nesheim (2005).
It wasn’t until statewide classification started in 2007 when HPA became a serious contender at the BIIF and state level.
That’s the year Huntington, who got his master’s from Central Michigan University, arrived at HPA and built the foundation.
“Word around campus back then was basketball was a filler sport between football and baseball,” Huntington said. “I had a hard time getting enough guys for a legitimate practice before the Christmas break.
“Fred came in 2009 and added another element. We’ve had young kids come to the camps and Fred’s clinics. We had 35 kids from grades 9 to 12 for tryouts, an all-time high, this year.”
In 2012, the emerging Ka Makani pocketed their first BIIF championship, repeated the next year, and finished runner-up in 2014 but captured the coveted state crown.
That’s their history in a nutshell.
What’s interesting is that there’s been different BIIF champions in the last four years: HPA in 2013, Kohala, Pahoa, and St. Joseph.
That’s great for parity and even better entertainment value for local hoop fans.
Meanwhile, HPA’s philosophy has always been a simple one: value possessions.
It helps that there has always been length and quickness for its 2-3 zone, and Ka Makani bigs have smothered points in the paint.
“Our offense and defense have to work together,” said coach Wawner. “We’re not a takeaway defensive team. If we take a quick 3, we’re going to play defense for a long time.
“We have to ingrain in the guys to attack on offense and know what your strengths and weaknesses are. If not, we’re going to get outscored.”
HPA got a good self-evaluation against the Wildcats, by far, the fastest transition team in the BIIF.
The Wildcats scored 16 points off turnovers. The slower Ka Makani got zero points off giveaways.
Still, there were bright spots for HPA, which debuted freshman Javan Perez, who scored three points.
The 5-9 guard, from Kohala, showed steady ball-handling skills and a nice looking shot. When Hurney, a junior, is gone, it’s likely Perez will run the point.
Perez ran cross-country, and the other promising freshman is 6-0 wing Umikoa Kealoha, HPA’s quarterback, who scored one point on a free throw.
Offensively, every Ka Makani starter has passed an exam on what’s a smart shot. But sometimes that rarely matter when there’s a talent like Skupeika.
He’s gone, but that only means someone has the opportunity to step into his big shoes.
It’s only one game but Vitorovic did a pretty good impression, scoring, slashing and looking like Skupeika, who’s back home in Lithuania.
Huntington is a science teacher at HPA while Wawner is the dean of students and provides the comic relief.
“We’re still young,” Wawner said. “We’ve got talented young guys. We have to figure out who’s going to score the ball.
“We might not score. That’ll keep me up at night.”
If HPA can maintain its blueprint of maximizing possessions, keeping opponents out of the paint, and feeding Vitorovic when he gets hot, Wawner will sleep well at night.