Kamehameha girls basketball hit the reset button two years ago, with coach Weston Willard and seven freshmen converging to put their imprint on the program.
The Warriors missed their lofty goals right out of the gate, but last season they reclaimed the BIIF title and were on the cusp of getting Kamehameha back to being the pre-eminent Division II program in the state, before falling short.
“The shots that we expected to go in didn’t go in,” junior Jordyn Mantz said of a loss to Hawaii Baptist last February in the HHSAA title game.
So, with five of those original seven now seasoned juniors seemingly ready to peak, what’s the prognosis for Year 3?
“In terms of playing time and knowing the system and all that, this is the year when it comes together,” Willard said. “It’s good, because between the end of last year and the beginning if this year, we’ve gotten even better, and I haven’t done anything.”
Mantz, in particular has done a lot on the basketball court since that state title game.
“After (two) years experience, this year we kind of feel each other and get along better,” she said. “I feel like this can be a breakout year.”
On a full roster of good athletes, Mantz is somewhat of an outlier in that basketball is her No. 1 sport.
Junior Saydee Aganus is the reigning league Division II Player of the Year, but she’s also a track star. Taylor-James Sullivan is an emerging inside player, but she’s also a potential Division I college softball player. Junior McKenzie Kalawaia spent some of the preseason re-acclimating herself to basketball after playing volleyball.
Mantz, also participates in track, but she spent part of her offseason traveling the mainland and honing her skills with three club basketball teams.
Attending every offseason workout and first to practice, the 5-foot-6 forward’s hard work is paying off.
“Jordyn has really blown up in some games and led us,” Willard said. “Everyone else is trying to catch up to her.
“Offensively, anything we need her to do she can do. She pivotal. She’s shot very well from (3-point range), she’s been able to dribble penetrate and she’s been able to shoot in transition.”
Once again, everything the Warriors do will start with Aganus, but this season Willard doesn’t anticipate that the 5-7 point guard will have to finish everything as well.
Aganus led Kamehameha in scoring, rebounding, blocks and shooting percentage last season, and she was second in steals, but more balance is expected this time around with four players capable of leading the way in scoring on any given day.
Kalawaia, a 5-8 forward, enters her third season as a starter, and Sullivan, a 5-8 center, has strength but is deceptively quick and can get up and down the court.
“Saydee makes us go, but the players are more comfortable with their roles, so I think we’ll see more scoring options,” Willard said.
With Camille Poe and Dominique Pacheco also in tow, Kamehameha is six-deep and trying to find more players to step up heading into its regular season opener Tuesday at two-time defending state Division I champion Konawaena. The Warriors will hit the court five times in seven days, also playing at Hilo’s preseason tournament Thursday-Saturday, then hosting Kohala on Monday.
Poe is a 5-7 junior forward who came off the bench last season, while Pacheco is a freshman point guard who, Willard said, can back up Aganus and push the other starters while offering a threat from 3-point range.
Finding depth is a necessity because any time the whistle blows it’s been a cause for concern for Willard. On one end, the Warriors have been in foul trouble, losing three players in one game and two in another. Meanwhile, Kamehameha is getting to the free-throw line with regularity, but converting only 38 percent.
“We’re working on that,” Mantz said.
Kamehameha intends to look the Wildcats in the eyes and not blink Tuesday, because while the Warriors are the runaway favorite to repeat as the BIIF D-II champion, they measure themselves against D-I opponents.
That way, should they have a chance to play for a state crown again, maybe the shots will fall this time.
“We believe we can compete with any team on the island, “Willard said,”and we love the fact that the island has such good basketball.
“It’s a privilege to play a Konawaena or a Hilo. It’s a barometer. If we compete with them, it will only prepare us.”