It’s a brand new era for Hawaii Preparatory Academy girls basketball with the retirement of coach Craig “Gig” Kimura, who stepped down and has been replaced by Lacey Hester.
Kimura coached for 19 years and led Ka Makani to the 2007 BIIF Division II title and HHSAA appearances from ’07 to ’12.
“Gig was a great person to have with our program for many years,” HPA athletic director Stephen Perry said. “He was very unselfish and always kept the girls’ enjoyment as his No. 1 priority.”
Hester was the junior varsity coach the last few years and has also been an assistant with the volleyball team.
Coco Shafer, the team’s top player, graduated and signed with Lewis & Clark, a Division III school in the Northwest Conference.
The cupboard is hardly bare, and the program looks to be on the rebound after a pair of winless seasons in 2016 and ’17. HPA went 3-8 and made the BIIF playoffs last season.
Hester has a player to build around in freshman forward Maja Burdova and a lot of youth, including five other freshmen: Kaiulani Bento, Makena Hurney, Brenna Kiyota, Kyana Burcelas, and Hijiri Kanasugi.
Besides Burdova, the other starters are junior guards Kassadie Hurney and Mariah Borce, Kiyota, and Burcelas.
The Hurney sisters are the siblings of Jonah Hurney, who was the point guard for the boys Ka Makani team for four years.
At the Waiakea girls invitational two week ago, HPA upset Keaau 37-33, making a good amount of defensive stops and moving the ball to find open shots.
Burdova hit a floater to get Ka Makani within 31-30 with 3:13 left. Then Borce fed a cutting Burcelas, who scored. The Cougars answered with a basket, and Borce followed with a 3-pointer.
HPA got another stop and Kassadie Hurney looked like her brother with a transition layup to cap the scoring.
It’s no secret that Division II is in a bit of a transition stage. Kamehameha is retooling with four new starters, Honokaa is rebuilding, and Kohala is always a threat with its multisport athletes.
If there’s one thing Hester learned from Kimura it was his approach to coaching. She’ll follow the same philosophy he brought to the court.
“It was how much he loved the program and the girls,” she said. “Coach Gig coached the girls from his heart.”
HPA is currently hosting its annual preseason tournament through Saturday. The team has enough of everything to be competitive in the league.
There’s a good base of understanding the offense, players cut and move and handle the ball well. Most importantly, the team works to get off a clean shot. Defensively, HPA guards the paint and collapses on rim attacks.
When the defense looks to double Burdova, she’s tall enough to pass over trouble and kick-start the offense.
“Maja is very smart. She’s played basketball a long time,” Hester said. “She gets her teammates shots. She understands it’s a 100 percent team effort.”
Borce runs the point with a steady hand, and Kassadie Hurney is the same type of court savvy player like her brother.
“Borce is a very smart kid,” Hester said. “We’re lucky to have her on the team. Kassadie brings consistency to the team. She leads the team on and off the court. You don’t have to tell her anything twice.”
Kiyota, a guard, and Burcelas, a center, never stop hustling, good examples for others to follow.
“Brenna gives her all. You can’t teach that,” Hester said. “Kyana has height and will give us a lot of energy over the next few years.”
Today’s battle with Kohala will give HPA a clear picture of its place on the league’s totem pole.
The Cowgirls made consecutive trips to states in 2016 and ’17 and much of the nucleus is still on the team: Cheylin Imai, Shania Fuertes, and Gabby Tomas.
Following coach Gig’s lead, Hester is more concerned about her girls having fun and learning the game.
“We’ve got a lot to learn, and the girls want to learn,” she said.