Closing the Book: Saint Louis (5-15, 4-8 ILH)
> vs. Top 10: 3-15 (.167)
> Top 10 wins: LEI, DMS, MPI
> Top 10 losses: MOA, KAH, KLH, LEI, KAIS, KAH, PUN, KS, MS, PUN, DMS, MS, MPI, KS, DMS
> Non-Top 10 losses: None
> Home: 4-4
> Away: 1-7
> Neutral: 0-3
> Playoffs: 0-1
They beat Leilehua, Damien and Mid-Pacific.
It was no shock when the Saint Louis Crusaders landed in the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10 on Jan. 20. In the previous 11 days, they had defeated ‘Iolani (53-29) and then-No. 5 Damien (58-57). Even the losses against No. 1 Kamehameha (66-57) and No. 2 Maryknoll (39-35) were nail-biters.
Saint Louis remained at No. 7 for two weeks despite a loss at Punahou (59-49). After wins over Mid-Pacific (56-41) and ‘Iolani (47-33), the Crusaders were playing as well as most of the ILH. They were an anomaly among ranked teams with much more impressive win-loss marks.
Then came a string of losses, five in all, including a 40-39 loss to eventual state champion Maryknoll. After a 54-50 loss to Damien in the ILH playoffs, the season was over. It had hardly just begun, but first-year Crusaders coach Dan Hale and his squad made the most of their opportunities.
The physical education teacher will also be in charge of the new gym when it is completed next month. The daily routine includes instruction to Saint Louis students via online connection.
“They’ve got to do 60 minutes a day. A lot of them are doing push-ups and sit-ups, following along with the videos. Any kind of activity is good for the body and brain,” said Hale, who guided Punahou to a state title in 2008.
Key players were unavailable in preseason as Saint Louis’ football team embarked on a national-tournament game in Las Vegas in mid-December. There were occasional days when the multi-sport athletes eked in a basketball workout. The rest of the team, including several underclassmen, made the most of it during a brutally tough schedule. All seven preseason foes were Top 10 teams.
“The first five games, all of them except the second Kahuku game, we were leading at the half. In the long run, they’ll have to step up, but we only had seven guys and we ran out of gas,” Hale said. “It was great for them, getting experience to step up.”
The ultra seven pulled off a 66-64 win over Leilehua, another talented, young team.
“Leilehua was a real highlight in preseason, a real quality win, to show they could close out a game without the football guys,” Hale said.
A blowout loss at Kahuku on Dec. 19 closed the preseason slate. Saint Louis was 1-6 at that point with 15 days through the holidays before meeting Punahou in the regular-season opener. Punahou won, 72-69, after Saint Louis rallied from a 20-point deficit.
The Crusaders won their next two games against ‘Iolani and Damien.
“You’re hopeful because those are real quality wins. You’re still trying to mesh guys together. I would feel like early in the season, you can catch guys. They didn’t really know Aiva (Arquette). But there are smart coaches in this league and they make adjustments,” Hale said.
They had three starters back from football, and the Crusaders got better. Making up for lost time was never-ending.
“With the shortened season and bringing in a whole ‘nother system, normally by now you’re trying to tighten up things and we’re bringing new things in. That’s what the season felt like,” Hale said. “Losing the last five games, that Maryknoll game, we had that game. Maryknoll hung in there. We made some plays. You get exposed in those situations when you haven’t had that time period together as a group. Couple of those games for sure could’ve gone either way. These guys did everything I asked of them. As a coach, that’s all I can ask.”
Coach Hale chatted about the season and his players.
This season was ________.
Hale: “Helpful. Rebuilding and showing the guys where we can get this. It was short for me because we only half the team because of the (national) football game. Then our season was over by February. Trying to hit the pavement and get as much as you can in for the guys.”
This season was the movie ________.
Hale: “Transformers. We had to transform from past coaches to me, from football to basketball, from not being a contender to having a shot.”
Review: Starters and key rotation/role players
Aiva Arquette, 11 ppg, 6-2, So.
Hale: “Clearly, his shot is a strength. He shot almost 44 percent from 3, tied for most made in the state. For him, he really improved and he really stepped up, being an outside shooter, our second- or third-leading rebounder. He could play good perimeter defense when he had to. He really expanded his game and that’s where he’s got to keep working, to be that all-around game. Maryknoll and Kelly (Grant) box-and-oned him. It’s a smart league and coaches will adjust. That was new for Aiva and it’s going to be the same next year, too.”
Isaac Silva, 10 ppg, 5-10, Sr.
Hale: “Just a fantastic leader. Issac absolutely, we never had a bad practice with him there. If guys weren’t going at it, he would be on them in a good way. Just a tremendous motivator. Willing to do anything. Pass. Defend. The guy was one of the better defenders in the state, for sure. Tremendous athlete. The kind of guy that doesn’t come around a lot. My biggest regret is it would’ve been nice to have those guys for a full season.”
Jayden de Laura, 9 ppg, 6-0, Sr.
Hale: “He led in different ways, with what he could do on the court. His athleticism, inspiring guys by doing that. A real x-factor for us.”
AJ Bianco, 8 ppg, 6-4, So.
Hale: “He’s a fantastic football player, already getting offers, and that’s great, but he’s a terrific basketball player too. Inside out guy who can attack, who can get loose inside, not afraid to get in there and bang around. When he got hurt in football season, he was careful about re-injuring his shoulder, and at practice, he’s knocking people around. He couldn’t help it. A real heady guy and only a sophomore.”
Malu Ing, 5-10, Jr.
Hale: “He’s another one who benefited from the late start by the football guys He can shoot the ball. He’s got to work on other parts of his game, which he did toward the end. That was the beauty of those guys battling every day, because they had to. They’ll take it to you if you don’t."
Kalan Ellis, 6-5, Jr.
Hale: “Let me tell you, he can move. He’s got feet. He’s quick, he’s got skill. He didn’t play the year before, so coming out he was kind of working and at the end of the season he was a powerhouse inside. He was a victim of a lot of anticipatory calls. People jump and bounce off of him and he gets called for the foul. That’s the reality of being big and athletic.”
Nalu Liftee, 6-4, Sr.
Hale: “Tough inside, space eater, moved real well. Same with him. He had a couple of injuries in football, but he got in shape and he has a real nice touch inside. Tough defender. It’s going to be tough to replace him. The rotation with him and Kalan filling up the middle was nice to have.”
Shoncin Reveulto, 5-11, So.
Hale: “It was a good experience for him. He was one of the core group of six, seven guys for almost two months to start the season. He was real solid, real strong. He got his shot going towards the end. Another sophomore who’s going to need to keep expanding his game, as well.”
Did the rotation change?
Hale: “Oh yeah, adding the football guys, that changed a lot of things. Jayden played a lot of minutes. Nalu and Kalan, Isaac. You want to keep some consistency out on the floor. It’s all about rhythm and getting in a flow, so trying to find those glue guys and Isaac was part of that, but sometimes he got into foul trouble going so hard. A lot of stuff we worked on in January are things you work on in the beginning of December.”
What or who surprised you most?
Hale: “Us beating Leilehua with that group was a team thing. That was, I wouldn’t say surprising. We’re very capable, but that was very good. The passion and the heart the guys played with was what I fully expected. I loved it.”
What was the peak? What was the low?
Hale: “Coming off Damien, going to Maryknoll and giving them a tough game (first game). A bunch of those games could’ve gone either way. For most of that last Damien game, we were winning, and they hit a couple of shots at the end. It was pretty consistent once we got up to that level. What got us was the finishing part. If you haven’t been there and been in those situations, you have to go through it.”
What will you miss about this group?
Hale: “I’ll miss these guys. Jayden, Isaac, Nalu, even a couple of guys who could’ve been Division II guys, but we kept them up and they earned their spots, Cabral and that group, they were definitely guys who bought into what I brought. Jayden didn’t have to play. He had to juggle a lot of commitments, and the guys saw that, that’s what I’m going to miss. These seniors are the first ones for me. I wish we could’ve gone farther, but in the end, they set a standard for the guys coming up.”
What are you anticipating for offseason and next season?
Hale: “We’re going to have a new gym. They laid the floor so it’s going to be ready sometime in May. It’ll be open and ready to go. Just getting them getting in, getting shots up having a ball in their hand. We talked about it. It’s unfortunate, when things start getting back to normal, we’ll lose our football guys, but we’ll have our core group of guys. We won’t have to worry about Chaminade and juggling practices.”
Would the league allow teams to have practice time during late summer and fall in lieu of summer leagues (cancelled).
Hale: “I sure hope they would. Everyone needs more time. You can coach your team in a school summer league. I sure hope so. That was the plan for this summer, to travel. We’ll have leagues and clinics.”
Sleepers
Hale: “Iona (Purcell) is tough as any kid out there. He got hurt in the Vegas (football) game. By the end, I had him out there. He could become a really good one.”
AJ Bianco says he will play basketball next season, but senior year is a question mark.
Hale: “I tell them the Manti Te‘o stories, Robbie (Toma) and Dalton (Hilliard). It can be done. We take them one year as a team.”
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