On the court, this Lam plays like a lion

Kawika Lam loves cheeseburgers.

It’s not that he doesn’t like other food. But the cheeseburger, particularly the one made by 5 Guys Burgers, left an impression on the Punahou junior not so long ago.

He also loves tennis.

And winning.

The 6-foot junior is big on winning, and the road he’s taken to become a two-time ILH boys singles champion has been long, fun and intense. It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the net. It could be a rival foe. It could be a rival friend, which Jeffrey Liang of Hawaii Baptist clearly is.

Between the powerful forehand shots and verbal outbursts — he’ll yell and charge himself up after a big point — nothing stops Lam from competing.

"It’s my intensity level on the court. It’s pretty high," said Lam, who defeated Liang 6-4, 6-3 on a hot afternoon at Patsy Mink Central Oahu Regional Park.

It was a strong showing for powerhouse Punahou. Coach Rusty Omori’s squad took the girls singles and boys doubles titles in addition to Lam’s first-place finish.

It’s a rarity in Hawaii, a tennis player who plays with controlled ferocity, verbalizing to himself — or even to teammates playing on the next court. It’s loud when it happens, and it’s sincere. It’s something fans see from athletes at football games, but tennis in the islands is usually a quieter event.

Until last week, nobody had complained about it to Lam face to face. Not that he’s going to change.

"I’ve never come across that. Everyone, all the top-10 players on the mainland, they pump up on the court," the defending state singles champion said.

Lam has traveled often to the continent with his dad, David, to compete against the gauntlet of elite players. He had already been a high-energy player before the mainland jaunts became a regular part of life. He thrives on the emotional spikes. During last week’s ILH tourney, it became an issue with one official.

"In my semifinal match, I yelled one time because I made a good shot and the official gave me a warning for shouting. He said it was for bothering players on the other courts," Lam said. "The next point, I yelled even louder."

The official attempted to give Lam a point penalty.

"But the head referee told him not to. It was a kind of weird situation," Lam said.

Lam started swinging at tennis balls as a toddler, tagging along with dad to the courts at Kapiolani Park every night.

"My dad was always throwing the ball to me. Me and my (younger) brother, the same way. There were about 10 guys down there, Jake Shimabukuro and his brother, Bruce," he said, referring to the world-class ukulele artist.

He also was absorbed with basketball, which was no surprise. David Lam was a standout guard for the Buffanblu in the 1980s. But in eighth grade, Kawika was ready for a change.

Right around the time he committed himself to tennis, Kawika’s fire and passion grew. He paired with then-sophomore Zander Kim, his doubles partner since they were 9, to win the ILH doubles crown. As a sophomore, Kawika went 14-0 and won the ILH and state singles championships.

This spring, he’s 9-0 and a repeat ILH champ. The state tournament awaits next week on the Big Island. David Lam, who didn’t play tennis at Punahou, was a standout player in offseason tournaments and wound up with a full scholarship to play the sport at the University of San Francisco. He’s coached his son all these years, and during matches he’s usually quiet. He will, however, stand up for his son when necessary. He did last week when Kawika was nearly penalized for shouting. He’s not about to let Kawika be anything but himself.

"It’s hard in Hawaii, everyone’s so laid back, but as soon as you get to the next level, your mind-set has to be that way," said David, who is in his 18th year as a Punahou assistant coach. "It’s not a distraction. He tries to keep himself up and intense. On the mainland, we see that a lot."

Once the prep season ends, Kawika will take his usual two days off, then return to the grind.

"You gotta love tennis, really. I’ll start getting practice matches, running, swimming and stuff so I can last in tournaments," he said.

Now and then, he’ll face college players at the Oahu Club.

"It’s a good experience. I feel like I can hang with them now. I don’t know if I can beat them," he said.

Every other month, David takes Kawika back to the mainland.

"The skill level here is just as good. It’s the quantity of players of the mainland, it’s not even close. Playing the same guys (in Hawaii) over and over, I’m not sure that’s good for development. Playing on the mainland, you improve a lot," David said.

This summer, Kawika has a national tournament in Kalamazoo, Mich. — 7.8 miles from a nearby 5 Guys Burgers in Portage. Then it’ll be senior year. Beyond that, he’s already taking aim at his dream school, Brown University (Providence, R.I.).

"Right now, I’m just trying to get as good as I can and that’ll turn into winning more on the mainland and coaches looking at me. I’ve always wanted to play at a Division I college. Brown (University) is a little bit out of my reach, but I think my tennis is good enough right now. I just have to improve my SAT score," said Kawika, who has a 3.6 grade-point average.

Until then, it’s Kawika on the court, playing at full intensity, and dad sitting nearby.