International look in ILH hoops
The import business is going well for high school basketball, at least in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
Powerhouse Kamehameha and perennial power ‘Iolani have stuck with homegrown talent. So has defending champion Punahou, currently ranked No. 2 in the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10. But No. 1 Maryknoll has a talented mix of local talent and big players from abroad.
Center Tobias Schramm (6 feet 9) arrived last year from Germany and immediately became a key cog. Hyrum Harris, a 6-5 sophomore, and 6-1 junior Tamamoko Green came over from New Zealand to make their debuts in mid-December and give the Spartans major depth and size. Harris, like Schramm, is a wide body with superior low-post skills. Green is a perimeter threat with a pure 3-point stroke.
Mid-Pacific, meanwhile, nearly upset Punahou over the weekend. The Owls have benefited from the arrival of guard Kyle Husslein, who had 17 points and 10 assists in the overtime loss.
Husslein, a 6-foot junior, is originally from Guam. He went to a boarding school in North Carolina for six years before his family moved to Hawaii from Guam.
"He’s a 3.8 (GPA) student," coach Jason Hopkins said. "His family decided we were a better fit than Punahou was. He’s very talented. He’s got a ways to go, but he’s a very talented player."
Before Academy of the Pacific terminated its boys basketball varsity team, it imported players from Germany and Hawaii island for two seasons.
"I’m surprised by all the influx. It provides for a really competitive league with Mid-Pacific on the rise," Kamehameha coach Julian Nakanishi said. "There are no easy games."
With Damien moving to Division II, that leaves six teams battling for two state-tourney berths. The regular-season winner gets an automatic berth, but will have to defeat the postseason ILH tournament victor for the league’s title and a coveted opening-round bye at states.
Crusaders’ Goeas chooses Kansas
Saint Louis linebacker/defensive lineman Colton Goeas has made an oral commitment to play football for the University of Kansas.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior also had interest from Syracuse and Temple.
