Tati Burciaga-Reyes launches and hits a game-winning 3 with 1 second left as
Punahou edged Kahuku, 41-39, at the Matsumoto Law Group Black and Gold Classic.
Closing the Book: No. 9 Punahou (14-12, 2-10 ILH)
vs. Top 10: 8-12 (.400)
Top 10 wins: LAH, KAH, SEAB, MS, Central Cathedral, Camas, MS, MS
Top 10 losses: KON, IOL, KS, IOL, KS, IOL, West Salem, MS, KS, IOL, KS, IOL
Non-Top 10 losses: None
Playoffs: 0-1
For a highly competitive team that was ranked as high as No. 5 statewide, Punahou felt the burn of the furnace in ILH play.
After a loss to powerhouse Konawaena to open preseason, Coach Gary Pacarro’s squad won nine games in a row leading into league play. After a 41-32 loss at defending ILH and state champion ‘Iolani, Punahou edged Maryknoll 32-31.
Then came losses to Kamehameha and ‘Iolani, both at Hemmeter Fieldhouse, and then a win at Maryknoll. The Buffanblu were 11-4 overall, 2-3 in ILH play, when they boarded a plane to the cold, soggy Northwest.
“To me, we played our best ball on the mainland. I thought we would come back and play stronger, but the ILH is tough. It’s tough, and I don’t think it’s going to get any easier,” Pacarro said of the ILH, which had just four teams, all Top-10 quality, in Division I.
The trip to Oregon was a major highlight, though.
“We drove down to Eugene and met with Coach Kelly Graves. For the girls, it was a great experience to see what a great program looks like. They got to meet (national player of the year) Sabrina Ionescu. She wasn’t that much taller than Tati (Burciaga-Reyes). Maybe 5-11 or 5-10, but she’s a hammer, man. We went to their practice and her work ethic, amazing. Oregon was having a light practice, all about shooting and ball handling, all very well down. It showed our kids the commitment it takes to become a Division I player,” Pacarro said.
After finishing third in the Pacific Automation Holiday Classic in Portland, the Buffanblu came back to the islands and lost their last seven games of the regular season. Six of the seven games were single-digit losses. Then came a playoff loss to ‘Iolani, which went on to repeat as ILH and state champs. Punahou’s season came to an end, but the promise of a strong group of underclassmen, including three freshmen, is bright.
Coach Pacarro chatted on Monday about the season and the future.
This season was ________.
Pacarro: “Tough. This season was tough because we play in a league where the two best teams in the state, or the four best teams in the state are playing every weekend. Konawaena is awesome. They’re exceptional. Bobbie (Awa of Konawaena), her record stands for herself. I have so much respect for the lady. Todd (Rickard of Lahainaluna), I have so much respect for what they do on Maui. But when it comes down to day in, day out, the kind of schedule we played, this was probably the toughest I’ve ever experienced, boys or girls. That’s going to be the norm for this league, and it’s a shame (with only four teams), but it is what it is.
Review: Starters and key rotation/role players: Strengths, improvements (since 2018-19 season) and things to improve on this offseason.
Melody Lum, Jr.
Pacarro: “Mel is the catalyst. She makes things happen. To me, when she’s firing on all cylinders, she’s hard to stop. I love her energy. I love her tenacity. She’s a real high-IQ basketball player. That’s just because of the person she is, coming from a basketball family. She’s a hard worker. What I hope for her next year is to find an opportunity for her to be a player who finds her shot without the ball, being able to work around and put the ball in someone else’s hands. Not having to always have the onus to handle the ball, make things happen. Just to be the 2-guard and score, and dish when she needs to. And she’s a lockdown defender. I want her to enjoy the ride and enjoy senior year.”
Caitlyn Andrade-Tomimoto, Sr.
Pacarro: “Caityln is a good leader. As a senior and captain, she brought a lot of energy. Great kid. With the tools that she had, she gave everything that she could in every game she played. I really appreciate her efforts.”
Sia Liilii, Jr.
Pacarro: “She’s a post that could, honestly, probably given the opportunity could play at another level. If she decided basketball could get her to college, she could put the work in the summer. In Oregon, she turned some heads because of her size. She dominated the paint. She’s a fabulous volleyball player, without question one of the top volleyball players Punahou has, but I believe without question she could be one of the top basketball players, as well. She’s really improved from sophomore year to junior year. I think she’ll continue to improve and mature.”
Tati Burciaga-Reyes
Pacarro: “Here’s a girl who really, really loves the game. Basketball, her passion for the sport is unwavering. Her passion for competition is just as strong. She doesn’t like to lose. She’s a hard worker. As a junior, she improved from her sophomore year. She plays year round and that helps her, and she also played with Mufi and Team Hawaii during the spring. Coming into the season, she got quite a bit of experience. She shows herself on the court. She can play a 3. Next year, I think that’s what I would like to see her play both 3 and 4. If she decides to play at the next level, her size will have her play more of a 3 than a 4 unless she grows a couple of inches. She can shoot. She’s got a great shot. She’s truly improved on her foot quickness and that’s only going to get better.”
Tara Kaneshiro, Sr.
Pacarro: “Tara is a product of Kalakaua. She’s done very, very well. A lockdown defender. Definitely, one of our co-captains. She and Caitlyn were very instrumental in keeping our team together. I think she’s thinking of walking on at Whitworth, where she’s going to school. She’s the kind of player who gives her all. The coolest thing about the kids we had, they come with the energy to the last minute, no matter what, and Tara does that and brings it out of the rest of the kids.”
Taylor Hange, Jr.
Pacarro: “She’s a good kid, a 2, 3, very high IQ, great attitude. Always willing to take on the tough challenge. A slicer to the basket and seems to come up with the shot. I think we’ve got good things coming from her next year.”
Lucky-Rose Williams, So.
Pacarro: “I would love to see her play more athletic. Oh, man. She played some games up in Oregon and coaches, some high school and college coaches, they were asking, ‘What’s up with this girl?’ You can’t teach height. She’s 6-2, probably going to be 6-3. She can jump. She’s strong. The difference with our girls is the have big presence. They’re sturdy. You’re not going to push them out of the post. My thing for her is to get her as much playing time as possible in the summer. Get up and down the court. She’s got a real knack for getting to the ball on rebounds, a real sense. Now she knows how to get the ball and get it out. She finishes well at the basket, just needs a few more fundamentals, get better as a junior and by senior year, colleges will be looking at her, I have no doubt. As good as she is at volleyball, I think a D-I or D-II school will be willing to take her on.”
Shania Moananu, Fr.
Pacarro: “She’s going to be tough. In the next three years, you’re going to hear a lot about her. She’s got fire, man. She’s definitely a gem. She’s the cream that will rise to the top by the time she’s a senior. She’ll start making some noise next year. She’s Serenity’s sister. Not as big, but she’s every much as powerful and tenacious. Our three freshmen girls are awesome. We’re fortunate to build from that. Tanea Loa. She loves to be in the post. I think we’re going to play her at the 4 next year, work on her outside shot. Very strong, very ball savvy getting rebounds. Laynee Torrres-Kahapea is our other freshman. Those three will be big difference makers in the coming years.
Hannah Urbano, Jr.
Pacarro: “She’s got a great shot. She’s the kind of girl who will take the assignment of taking being the lockdown defender. She’s quick. She’s aggressive. She got a lot of experience this year, and over the summer, we’ll see her improve a lot and get back out there.”
Chloe Kaahanui, Sr.
Pacarro: “Toward the end, after we came back from Oregon, she was our go-to person inside with Sia and Tati. That trio solidified us inside.
Did the rotation change?
Pacarro: “Not really. We changed some, but not a lot. The same girls were in rotation. In some instances with different matchups, we changed. Some cases, we had to go bigger.”
What or who surprised you most?
Pacarro: “Coming off of the trip to Oregon, getting back into the league, it wasn’t a surprise, but it was a welcome having someone like Chloe Kaahanui step up and become that defining person to solidify our front court. That was truly somebody who made a difference for us.”
What were the most adverse challenges?
Pacarro: “As a coach, coaching for so long, there’s always challenges, but I look at them as opportunities for us to get better. I think nobody’s perfect and, honestly, we’ve got a good bunch of kids. The hardest part about coaching at the high school level is we don’t have an opportunity to be with them as much as the club teams do.”
What was the peak? What was the low?
“To me, we played our best ball on the mainland. I thought we would come back and play stronger, but the ILH is tough. It’s tough, and I don’t think it’s going to get any easier. We drove down to Eugene and met with Coach Kelly Graves. For the girls, it was a great experience to see what a great program looks like. They got to meet (national player of the year) Sabrina Ionescu. She wasn’t that much taller than Tati. Maybe 5-11 or 5-10, but she’s a hammer, man. We went to their practice and her work ethic, amazing. Oregon was having a light practice, all about shooting and ball handling, all very well down. It showed our kids the commitment it takes to become a Division I player.”
What will you miss about this group?
Pacarro: “I’ll miss our senior leadership. We had great leadership. I’m one to be open with the girls, give them the opportunity and we talk about it. They also know when the chips are down, the final decisions come down to the coach. What I’ll miss most about this team is the camaraderie this team had. They’re a real tight crew. They come from different spaces. Girls from 808, Kalakaua, Spike and Serve. They come from all over to come play basketball for two months, maybe three.”
“High school ball is about that moment and time, but after that it’s also about friendship and camaraderie. Returning to the school and giving back, coaching, paying it forward. To me, that’s what it’s all about. We get heated up in the moment, in the season, and maybe I’m an old dog that way, but we take these four years until they graduate and just hope we can make an impact on their lives to become better people. If they can walk away and say they had a great experience, we did our job.”
What are you anticipating for offseason and next season?
Pacarro: “We have the performance center sending us workout plans to send to the girls that they can do on their own. That’s supplied by Michelle Arnold and her crew at the performance center. We’re doing group-chat meetings, Zoom conferences to stay in touch with the girls. If everything goes to plan, I’m thankful to be able to be a part of people’s summer leagues. Chi Mok is running the league at McKinley. Dean (Shimamoto) is at ‘Iolani and David Lane is running the league at Radford. If we get back to normal, we’ll play in three leagues. I’m more concerned about game play than I am about practice. We’ll have some practices, but for the most part, get in the gym and play.
“Sometimes, it’s hard. We’ve got girls playing volleyball and basketball. Just bring your jersey and you’ll play. I just want them in the gym, feel the basketball, feel the intensity of the play, and the rest will come. To call formal practices, that’s sometimes more than we can ask because the travel teams are asking for that."
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