The grassroots movement across the state has empowered many prep programs, but to Nanakuli’s Zion Donnell, the grass is simply greener where you water it.

“Wherever you put your attention, things flourish. Regardless if those things are weeds or flowers, negative or positive,” Donnell said.

Nanakuli basketball is having one of its best seasons in recent years with a core of year-round players that includes Dragon Kekahuna and Blaze Kaululaau. While Donnell, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, attended Kamehameha, he played club basketball with Kekahuna and Kaululaau for five years. He had a 3.44 grade-point average, but joining his club teammates, younger brother Ezekiel, and father Nate Donnell in the Valley was always in his heart.

It was a major bonus for returnees like Kekahuna, who was stunned to hear about Donnell’s arrival.

“I remember all my Nanakuli friends being excited about Zion and (younger brother) Zeke coming on board. It was kind of a surprise for me. I didn’t know why he would transfer from Kamehameha to Nanakuli,” Kekahuna said.

The Golden Hawks are 4-2 in the OIA West, losing only to No. 4 Mililani, 47-42, and No. 8 Leilehua, 60-53. Donnell is their leading scorer (12 points per game), but his ability to diversify the offense, dishing to teammates for buckets, is crucial.

Their nonconference schedule was exceptionally tough, with losses to No. 3 Kailua and No. 8 Kahuku. They were short-handed with injuries against Kahuku, a potential playoff opponent, and pushed Kailua to the brink in a 49-46 loss at the Surfriders’ gym.

“I think we’ve proven we can compete in the last few games, even the Kailua game,” Zion Donnell said.

In all, Nanakuli was 7-8 in preseason — 1-7 against Top 10 foes and 6-1 against unranked teams.

Kamehameha is ranked No. 10, a deep, skilled team even with the departure of talent to schools near and far.

“We brought Zion up sophomore year to be with our varsity guys,” Warriors coach Larry Park said. “He’s always been that energy guy, that fun guy to watch. He brought the excitement. Quick off the dribble, quick defensively. He always has a positive attitude, that kind of leadership by example even when things weren’t going our way. Always so positive in the games, at practices. That’s a great leadership trait to have.”

Leilehua coach Chad Townsend saw the progression of Nanakuli basketball both in season and in offseason club leagues.

“I first saw Zion coming off the bench for Kamehameha. I’m big on defense, and my initial impression was he’s good at leading by example on defense,” Townsend said “Nanakuli gets pumped up and they bring the pressure. That’s why they’re pretty darn good. He’s the spark plug of their offense and defense. Nate’s been working with them the past few years. I knew they would compete at a high level, and they feed off Zion a lot. If they’re in a bind, Zion’s one of those guys who can create his own shot, especially if the shot clock gets under 10 seconds.”

Mililani coach Garrett Gabriel heard about Donnell’s move to Nanakuli in the offseason.

“I saw him play in summer league. We’d watch him when he was playing other teams. I heard he was pretty good. I heard about his transfer. He’s a facilitator, gets guys open for shots. He can affect the game without scoring and he does it well for those guys,” Gabriel said. “Very unselfish. He passes the ball very well. Those guys have not been successful in the past and this year they’re up and coming. Dragon and some of the kids on that team. I like the direction they’re headed in. They give you challenges because Zion creates so much for their players.”

The Golden Hawks have improved with a diligence and passion matched by only a few programs. They gather nearly every day at 5:30 a.m. for practice, then return after school for another practice. Nanakuli’s offseason is actually “on season.” The grind never stops.

“We put in two times, three times more work than other teams. We’re starting to become a top-tier team,” Zion Donnell said.

When Zion Donnell was a seventh grader, his father decided to tap into the potential of west side basketball.

Donnell was a student-athlete at Kamehameha. His family lived in Honolulu, but his dad, Nate Donnell, was a standout hoopster at Waianae back in the day.

One morning, Nate Donnell and some friends held a basketball clinic at his alma mater. He applied some of the principles that led to the start of three businesses. More than anything, though, Coach Nate had a persistence on a quietly tenacious level.

Kaululaau remembers those early days of a club team that would later be called We Rise.

“I met Zion maybe seventh grade at one of the camps. I was used to being one of the better players. Zion was one of the more skilled players there,” Kaululaau said.

Donnell was living in Kalihi, playing for Dream Hoops Elite. It made much more sense to stay there after school each day and practice with DHE than fight traffic all the way to Nanakuli.

“We Rise was getting blown out by 40, 50 points. I went to We Rise right after that tournament,” Donnell recalled. “We entered a tournament and won that. Dragon was Blaze’s friend and he joined We Rise my sophomore year.”

When Nanakuli hired Coach Donnell to spearhead the boys basketball program, Zion was still at Kamehameha — and stayed there. The family returned to the Leeward side. The growing pains were unavoidable, but there was no stopping.

“My goal was to get the kids out here some fundamentals,” Nate Donnell said. “It was clinics, teaching, running around the neighborhood asking, ‘Are you interested in basketball?’ Then there was Jam On It (tournament), putting a team together. We were so raw and losing by 40 points, but the fire kept going,” Nate Donnell said. “My natural competitive spirit was, we’re going to get better. We ended up moving to Nanakuli.”

Fast forward to 2024 and the grass has grown greener precisely where the Donnell ohana and players like Kaululaau watered it. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, starting from the bottom and taking their licks, the foundation was exactly what feeds a high school program.

Zion Donnell has grown to a place that sometimes catches his father off guard.

“I think his leadership has been the most surprising thing to me. He’s at the level where he can help others, talk to others. The other day, he’s on the side with some tendinitis. He sounds like a coach, talking to his teammates,” coach Donnell said. “I didn’t see that coming from him. He’s kind of maturing and being a little more selfless.”

For the Golden Hawks, this is the way.

“This season didn’t start the way I imagined. We were winning against Saint Louis in the first quarter, then they went on a really long spurt and went up by 20,” Zion Donnell said.

Two-time defending state champion Saint Louis prevailed 70-63.

“That was an interesting moment for us,” he added. “We felt like we could hang. We had to execute some things. Kalaheo tournament, one game away from the title game, we lose to Kalaheo. A lot of team things, personal things affecting our chemistry.”

Nanakuli won two of three games at the Punahou Invitational, running the floor, aggressively attacking the rim, splashing 3-pointers in transition and halfcourt offense. Last week, sophomore center Vainuupo Fanuaea had his best scoring output with 14 points in Nanakuli’s 60-52 win over Campbell.

Kaululaau (wrist) and Donnell (concussion) have recovered from early-season injuries. Nanakuli could peak by the playoffs. With six state-tournament berths for Division I teams in the OIA, the Golden Hawks are clearly in the mix. At least, in their own eyes. The remaining doubters fuel Nanakuli’s fire.

“When we walk into the gym, they look at us and they’re laughing,” Zion Donnell said. “The players, yes. The coaches, no. They know. They scout. I think we’re always underestimated. No one wants to lose to Nanakuli. I think that’s definitely an advantage for us. Everyone thinks we’re a small school on the west side.”

Donnell hopes to major in kinesiology in college while playing basketball. He loves to break down any basketball situation. He isn’t afraid to talk about the game, either.

“There are a lot of teams that have players that are ignorant. Some of the Kalaheo players, talking trash the whole time, showboating. It’s good to have fun. I just don’t like the taunting. I don’t like backing down,” he said. “The (Peyton) Smith kid talking trash against Kaimuki, and Kaimuki didn’t back down. I love to see that.”

Donnell’s cerebral approach doesn’t fit the back-and-forth banter on court. Any available slight is something he will digest as motivational fuel. Away from the court, the Golden Hawks have become a brotherhood.

“My favorite memory was when we traveled (to Arizona and Las Vegas). Or when we went to camp at Bellows. No electricity. No phones. We cooked everything,” Donnell said. “We still woke up at 5 a.m. to do the beach workouts.”

Kaululaau, like Kekahuna, played football for Nanakuli last fall. Basketball, for both, is a first love.

“Traveling is the best experience. We got to stay in the same house, all the funny stuff we would do. The team gets closer staying in the same spot,” Kaululaau said. “The best cook? We all kind of sucked. I’m not going to lie. The sophomores, Vai and Miah (Thompson), they did the best at cooking. They made these baked potatoes. It was good! And pork chops.”

Kaululaau’s first name wasn’t his mother’s first choice.

“My mom wanted to name me Chevy, like the car, but my auntie was having a baby first and she was going to name her son Chevy. So my mom said, I like Blazers, so she shortened it up and named me Blaze,” Kaululaau said. “The funny thing is muy auntie ended up naming her son Konu.”

Kekahuna’s father played a key role in his naming.

“My dad gave me my name without my mom knowing. She was still sleeping (after giving birth). My dad signed the paper,” he said.

He has a younger brother named Tiger who also plays varsity basketball at Nanakuli.

“My mom said it was because of our dad’s Chinese culture,” Dragon Kekahuna said. “I’m not planning on getting a (dragon) tattoo.”

A team with grade-point averages above 3.0 across the board and no (visible) tattoos. It feels more like an academy than a generic public-school athletic program. Potential is first untapped at home for some. Donnell played soccer, coached by his mother, when he was younger. Basketball eventually became his one and only. The route to Nanakuli began way back before he was a Kamehameha Warrior.

“We lived in Waimea when I got into Kamehameha on the Big Island in sixth grade. Waking up at 4 o’clock, catching the (school) bus to Keaau. Not getting home until 7 o’clock. During basketball season, I got home at 9 o’clock,” Donnell said.

After one year of the long bus rides, he transferred to the Kapalama campus and dormed. Dad moved to Oahu, but mom stayed back in Waimea. They have put an incredible amount of money into airline tickets for the past five years.

“My mom is moving here from Waimea this year. I go visit her all the time and she comes to visit me all the time,” Donnell said. “My mom is a great cook. She makes a bomb lasagna.”

The Valley is a gorgeous green this time of year. For all the talent that goes elsewhere in pursuit of dreams, there is a growing number of young basketball players staying home.

“Coach Nate really changed us to make us better not only as players, but as people,” Kekahuna said. “If we stay home, a lot will change. I wouldn’t be where I am right now.”

Coach Donnell never expected Zion to change club teams. He also never expected Zion to change schools, and Golden Hawk No. 23 hasn’t missed a beat. When Zion isn’t busy training, he is involved with Broadcast Club and Leadership Club on campus.

“The decision to transfer just makes me proud about him. Zion is very bold and focused. He does things on purpose,” Coach Donnell said. “Leaving Kamehameha, everybody has a lot of questions. It wasn’t my decision. When he said he was going to transfer, I said, you’re going to write me a business plan.”

Nate Donnell has started three companies. He understands bottom line.

“I want you to write the pros and cons. He wanted to play for me and with his brother, and that helps, but also the (daily) training. He knows we practice before school and at night. I’m proud of him, but my thing to him was you have to live with the consequences. He took a leap of faith and make that decision on his own. I was quite surprised. That’s just who Zion can be.”

The exodus of athletic talent from private schools to public schools has largely been comprised of football players who have already secured college scholarship offers. Zion Donnell was content at Kamehameha, but his destiny was in the Valley.

“If I had kids and they got into Kamehameha, one of the best schools,” he said. “It’s where I learned to work hard and learned a lot about my Hawaiian ancestry. I’d give my son or daughter the option to stay. I’d love for them to make the same decision I did, but I’m not a forcing kind.”

ZION DONNELL

Nanakuli basketball • 5-foot-10 guard • Senior

>> Top 3 movies/shows 1. “Glory Road” 2. “Coach Carter” 3. “Hustle”

>> Top 3 food/snacks/drinks 1. Skittles 2. Blue Powerade 3. Monster energy drink (original or mango loco) “I love drinking Monster before games. I feel the difference. I usually play better defense when I drink it. I try to drink it 15 minutes before warmups.”

>> Top 3 homemade foods 1. Mom’s kalua pig 2. Mom’s lasagna 3. Mom’s beef curry “My mom (Sierra) makes one of these at least every week so I’m always happy. My mom is a great cook.”

>> Top 3 music artists 1. J Cole – “Love Yourz” 2. Rod Wave – “Fight the Feeling” 3. Drake – “Wants and Needs”

>> Favorite class: English, junior year (Kamehameha) “This year it would be my Modern Hawaiian History class. I love learning about my Hawaiian ancestry and all the events in the past. It makes me feel rooted to the land. English last year was mostly because of all the people in my class. The work wasn’t crazy and it was super engaging. My teacher was Kumu Becker.”

>> Favorite teacher: Kumu Becker (Kamehameha) “This year it would be Mrs. (Deborah) Morita. She teaches creative media.”

>> Favorite athlete: Michael Jordan “I love watching his highlights and how he played. He dropped 63 on the Celtics.”

>> Favorite team: Boston Celtics

>> Funniest teammate: Vainuupo Fanuaea “Vai is definitely the funniest. He’s always joking around. We’ll be in a serious talk and no matter how serious, he’ll crack a joke.”

>> Smartest teammate: Blaze Kaululaau “I think he has the highest GPA.”

>> Favorite motto/scripture: Rom. 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

>> GPA: 3.44

>> Time machine: “I would go back to the 1990s to see Michael Jordan play in person so I can see it with my own eyes.”

>> Hidden talent: Cooking “I’m really good at cooking. That’s because of my mom. My dad also cooks. There’s a lot of guidance at home. I’m in (school) clubs, but I can cook. I’m really good at cooking breakfast. Omelettes, breakfast platter, sausage, bacon, eggs, loco moco, pancakes, waffles.”

>> New life skill: Driving “I got my license four months ago. It’s been a journey. It’s fun driving.”

>> Bucket list: Skydiving and bungee jumping “It gets your heart pumping. I see videos and I have to try it out at least once. My mom’s a scaredy cat. Whenever I do anything that involves risk, she says no.”

>> Youth sports: Soccer, flag football, basketball “I was with my mom when I played soccer as my first sport. My mom was the coach. She played soccer and basketball at Kealakehe.”

>> If you could go back in time, what would you tell you younger self?“Find the lessons in the mistakes because there’s going to be a lot of them.”

>> Shoutouts: “To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All glory to God. To my parents for supporting me all the way. The Grilho family, that’s my other half. My aunties and uncles for showing up for me, especially my Uncle Abel (Donnell) and Uncle Noland (Lorenzo). Definitely, my grandparents because they buy me so much shoes. They’ve spent thousands of dollars on my shoes.”