Gene Okamura is ready to pull double duty again.
The UH-Hilo women’s soccer coach is returning to his role as the Kamehameha girls coach, a position he filled for two seasons from 2015 to ’16. Okamura replaces Josh Woodard, who moved to Oahu. Woodard broke Hawaii Prep’s eight-year BIIF title run with a pair of league crowns in 2018 and ’19.
But for the last seven years, no one has been able to figure out HPA at the HHSAA state championships. Kamehameha placed state runner-up three times in 2016, ’18 and ’19, chasing a Ka Makani white whale that steps up its game on the biggest stage.
“After the UHH season, come November and December there was no club soccer,” Okamura said. “I was missing soccer during that period of time. I figured I would continue what Josh was doing the last four years.
“Josh is one of my best friends. He was with me on my staff at UHH. I see and hear about his games.”
The most obvious question is can Okamura coach a high school team and a collegiate team?
The answer is yes. But watch out for the recruiting landmines. Basically, Okamura can only recruit his Warriors players in the same manner as any other collegiate coach. He can’t use his position as a recruiting edge, i.e. handing out UHH brochures to players.
Okamura was the UHH men’s and women’s coach in 2016 and ’17. He was also running the Hawaii Rush club team.
The UHH and BIIF season schedules haven’t been released yet – the Vulcans’ season was postponed through the end of the year, while the Hawaii High School Athletic Association is waiting to see how the Department of Education proceeds with in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t see the Warriors day in and day out, but from what I saw there’s a lot of potential,” he said. “I know all the players, but I haven’t seen them play a ton of times.”
He’ll have a nice nucleus with three All-BIIF first team picks in juniors Nanea Wong Yuen and Kastle Lyman and sophomore Sophie Wilson.
However, Ka Makani returns senior midfielder Malia Brost, the co-player of the year.
It’s a little different with building a team in college compared to high school because of recruiting.
“In high school, you play the style that fits your players,” he said. “In college, you recruit players to fit your team.
“For high school, you have to figure out what type of players you have, what combinations work well, those type of things. We’ll need to figure that out as soon as we get back on the field.”
At UHH, Okamura’s teams have been built around defense. The Vulcans finished 2019 with a 6-7-4 record but were third in goals allowed with a .927 average.
“The defensive philosophy is to have an aggressive mindset,” he said. “At the college level, we want players who are faster and will win every one-on-one ball, every duel. That’s the biggest thing we want to get from our players.”
Okamura will have to figure out how to produce an effective offense at his two stops.
Last February at states, Kamehameha’s offense fell short in a 4-2 loss to Mid-Pacific in the quarterfinals.
The Vulcans didn’t have any players in the top 10 in shots, goals or assists, a hard way to make a living and a reason they finished eighth in goals with a 1.118 average.
“The college game is evolving. It’s being played at a faster pace,” Okamura said. “Ideally, we want to play quicker, create goal opportunities, find a way to break down a team and be more creative in the passing third.”
As the Warriors await word on the start to their season, they can take comfort with Okamura as their new coach. He coached them to states twice, losing to the rival Ka Makani 1-0 in the state championship in 2016.
HPA may look invincible with seven straight state championships, but dynasties carry expiration dates. Look no further than the Konawaena girls basketball team, which saw its 10-year BIIF title streak snapped by Waiakea in 2019.
Okamura intends to build the Vulcans and the Warriors the same way.
“It’s about team chemistry, having the players buy into the system,” he said. “It’s paying attention to detail, during training sessions and matches. All those things add up to get to the final result.”