KAILUA-KONA — The inaugural Big Island Classic wrapped up Wednesday evening at Kealakehe High School with a sense of accomplishment. The two-day event was put together by NAIA school Menlo College, and featured NAIA programs Indiana-Wesleyan and Northern New Mexico, as well as NCAA Division III school Benedictine University.
Menlo’s Kaniela Aiona, a Honokaa graduate, has always wanted to bring a tournament to Hawaii and the second year head coach of the Oaks was finally able to do so this year with the hopes of giving his players a unique experience and providing Big Island student-athletes — and fans — a chance to see some of the best small college basketball teams in the nation go at it on the hardwood.
Players from each team also had a chance to experience Hawaii and its culture first hand.
For Benedictine senior guard Tahron Harvey, who leads the Eagles in a variety of categories, including points, assists and steals per game, the thought of going to Hawaii was a dream come true, but first he had to take care of a little business on the floor.
“This was a business trip and now that business is over I get to have a vacation,” said Harvey, who’s team wrapped up the Classic with an 82-78 victory over Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday. “It was a long flight to get here, and I don’t really like long trips, but I have always wanted to go to Hawaii.”
Harvey, who arrived with his teammates on the Big Island Sunday, talked about visiting Humpy’s Alehouse, which the 6-foot-3 player out of Country Club Hills, Illinois, summed up as “pretty good.”
He added that the team has a trip planned to the Volcano, but for the most part, Harvey is just looking to take it easy.
“I just feel like relaxing. This is Hawaii, the Aloha State,” Harvey said. “It is a very beautiful place. It is definitely a paradise.”
For Joel Okafor, a 5-foot-11 sophomore guard for the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats, the hotel seems to be the best part of the trip. All four teams are staying at the Hilton Waikoloa Village.
“It is pretty cool to be with my teammates and share time together,” Okafor said. “The hotel has a lot of games, a beach, many swimming pools and a shopping plaza. It is pretty nice.”
Okafor, who is from Lagos, Nigeria, added that his team has also went to Hapuna to check out the beach, but he is not a fan of swimming.
“We had a beach nearby growing up and it is very peaceful to go sit on the sand,” Okafor said. “I might go in once in a while to feel the water but I don’t usually go in and swim.”
For Northern New Mexico 6-foot-6 senior forward Adrian Infante, this wasn’t his first trip to the Big Island. He played in a college tournament at the University of Hawaii-Hilo four years ago. Northern New Mexico also had a slightly longer trip than the other teams this year. They traveled to Oahu on the way to the Big Island to play a game in Honolulu against Hawaii Pacific University.
“Honolulu was an experience because it is like the Las Vegas of islands,” Infante said. “Then we came to Kona and this side is the pretty side. It is just awesome.”
Infante, who is from El Paso, Texas, is looking for more of an extreme thrill while here with the tournament over.
“We are going to go cliff diving in Hilo — well only the guys who are brave enough,” Infante said.
For Menlo 6-foot-1 junior guard Ben Graham, out of Sydney, Australia, the trip to Hawaii was built up after hearing so much about the Big Island from his roommate, Hawaii Preparatory grad Kalan Camero, who is now a sophomore with the Oaks.
“This is my first time on any of the islands and it is good to be able to come do it with the basketball team,” said Graham, who helped the Oaks beat Northern New Mexico 67-64 on the final day of the Classic. “We have had a chance to go to Hapuna Beach. It was nice and reminded me of home, but with a little bit of a different vibe.”
Graham will have a chance to experience a little more of that vibe. He will will staying with Camero and his family through the winter break.
“I am always hearing about his home and I always wanted to come here and visit him,” Graham said. “There isn’t enough time to go home so I will be staying here a couple of extra days — lucky me.”
The players were not the only ones to get something out of the tournament.
For a couple of Kealakehe high school basketball players in the stands Wednesday evening, the games provided a valuable lesson about the type of play at the next level and what it might take to reach that level.
“It is good to see good quality NAIA schools like this. These guys are really good athletes and it is nice to see the different aspects of the game and skill level,” said Waverider junior center and power forward Anthony Trevino.
Trevino added that he would like to play college ball and admired the way Indiana Wesleyan junior guard Saikou Jallow played.
“He played great defense, he shoots the ball well and shares it,” Trevino said. “He is a good all-around player.”
Kealakehe junior point guard Nakana Kaluau couldn’t help but admire the different level of play from the college squads, as well as the intensity and pace of play in the game. He noted that Benedictine’s Harvey really stood out for him, most notably his “pace of play and his style of play.”
He also admitted that he wanted to play at the college level, but said he will, “have to work extra hard at it.”
For Kealakehe head coach Benny Alcoran, the Classic was everything he had hoped it would be.
“We brought the teams here because we wanted our players to see that intensity as well as the fundamentals at a higher level,” Alcoran said. “I was very impressed with the teams. They all have really good shooters and the kids look very coachable. They were all pretty well-rounded teams.”
All-Tournament Team
Benedictine’s Harvey was named tournament MVP, posting 43 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 3-point range. He added 15 rebounds and five assists.
Rounding out the All-Tournament team were Harvey’s teammate Michael Blaszczyk, Northern New Mexico’s Bryce Simmons, Indiana Wesleyan’s Jacob Johnson, and a Menlo pair in Graham and John Paine.
Blaszczyk logged 64 minutes and picked up 30 points and 17 rebounds. He also added five assists and two steals, while shooting 58 percent from the field.
Simmons notched 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Johnson netted 34 points in his two games, while shooting 54 percent from the floor. He added 13 rebounds, seven assists, a block and a steal.
Graham hit the game winning shot for Menlo on the opening day of the tournament. On Day 2, he scored 12 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Paine totaled 32 points in two games, along with 11 rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Menlo was the only team to go undefeated over the two days.