KAILUA-KONA — Kaniela Aiona is coming home for the holidays — and he’s bringing his team with him.
Aiona, a Honokaa grad and second year head coach with Menlo College, will be back on the Big Island to take part in the inaugural Big Island Classic college basketball tournament from Dec. 20-21 at Kealakehe High School.
“For me personally, I’ve always wanted to bring one of my teams to Hawaii — specifically the Big Island,” Aiona said. “Our athletic director Keith Spataro was inspired to do it because Menlo has had such a good history of recruiting in Hawaii — both academically and athletically. There has been a great Hawaiian presence on campus for a long time, so it was a little bit of a no-brainer to bring our team to the Big Island.”
Along with the Oaks (NAIA Division I), the field will include Indiana Wesleyan (NAIA DII), Benedictine University (NCAA DIII) and Northern New Mexico (NAIA DII).
Aiona has already made an impact at Menlo in Atherton, California. The Oaks tripled their win total and reached double-digits in the win column in his first season. Additionally, the school beat four teams that held a top 25 ranking, including a victory over No. 10 Arizona Christian — the first over a top 10 opponent in school history.
During his playing days in college, Aiona suited up for Webster University in Missouri. He earned all-conference honors and graduated in the top 10 in school history in points, rebounds, blocks and free throws made. Most importantly, he also caught the coaching bug while with the Gorloks.
“I’ve always had great coaches — in college and high school,” Aiona said. “My coach at Webster asked me to stay on for a year after I graduated as a volunteer. I stuck around and loved it. It felt like the natural next step.”
Before landing at head coaching gig at Menlo, Aiona had multiple stops as an assistant coach.
Aiona understands a thing or two about playing ball on the Big Island. Back in 2001, during his senior year in high school, he helped lead the Dragons to a third-place finish at the state tournament. What he also understands is that kids on the Big Island — especially the west side — don’t always get a chance to see what playing at the next level could look like. That’s an opportunity that Aiona hopes the games provide to the local youth.
“It was a big inspiration for me growing up to go over to the Vulcan Classic in Hilo and seeing some amazing teams play,” he said. “There hasn’t been a tournament like that — to my knowledge — in recent years. Hopefully we get a nice turnout from the local people and have some youth players who get inspired by our games as well.”
Another member of the Oaks’ squad with Big Island roots is Hawaii Preparatory graduate Kalan Camero. The Menlo sophomore combo guard helped Ka Makani to an undefeated BIIF regular season and eventual state title in 2014, averaging 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists as a senior team captain.
While Aiona and Camero share a hometown in Waimea, it was purely a coincidence that the two ended up at Menlo together. Camero was recruited before Aiona took the helm, although that hasn’t kept the coach from bantering with a fellow BIIF alum.
“I give him a hard time because back when we made our run at Honokaa, there were no Division I or Division II classifications,” Aiona said with a laugh. “But Kalan in a great person, a hard worker and an excellent teammate.”
The Aloha Spirit emanating from the two seems to be infectious, and has the team in the right mindset to head across the pacific.
“It’s funny,” Aiona said. “Whenever we take a team photo, we all end up throwing shakas.”
Long-term, the program hopes the trip to the islands becomes an annual migration, becoming somewhat of a holiday tradition that continues to grow.
“Ideally, we want to continue to come and bring different teams each year,” Aiona said. “The key is that everyone has a great experience, and I think they will.”
The rest of the field
Indiana Wesleyan brings a championship pedigree with it, having claimed the NAIA DII National Championships last season. The Cougars finished the campaign 33-5 a season ago, claiming the National Championship. They are off to an equally impressive start this year, ranked third in the nation with only one blemish on their record. Featuring a high- powered offensive, the Cougars rank fourth in the nation in points per game, averaging 94.64, while shooting 52 percent as a team.
Benedictine University took a 31-game winning streak into the NCAA DIII National Championship game a season ago, where they fell to University of St. Thomas to finish the season as national runners-up. Benedictine is once again in the DIII national conversation, ranked 14th overall and off to a strong start as the favorites to repeat in their conference.
Members of the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Northern New Mexico fills out the Big Island Classic field. NAIA DII members, the Eagles are led by Jeffrey Long who averages 19 points and six rebounds per contest. Ezini Ugbisien is close behind with 10.5 ppg and six boards. The Eagles are coached by reigning A.I.I. Coach of the Year, Ryan Cordova, in his seventh season at the helm.