Friday, April 30, 2010

Former local prep volleyball stars dim UH

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

As a fan of local volleyball, it was difficult rooting for one team over another in Thursday's night's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament semifinal at Maples Pavilion.

 

Mixed emotions aside, top-seeded and host Stanford – a virtual all-ILH all-star team – swept visiting Hawaii 30-24, 30-28, 33-31 and advanced to tonight's conference final against Cal State Northridge, which won a five-set marathon against BYU.

 

The victories all but assured that both teams will qualify for the NCAA Final Four, which also will be hosted by Stanford next week.

 

The loss brought to an end Charlie Wade's first – and successful – season as head coach.  Hawaii showed an improvement of 10 victories over last year, finishing at 19-10.

 

Stanford's roster includes seven players from the Aloha State.  Four are starters.  And two of them are the sons of Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji.  In comparison, four UH players are from in-state and none are starters.

 

Sophomore outside hitter Brad Lawson, formerly of Iolani, was named MPSF player of the year.

 

Kawika Shoji, a senior setter from Iolani, was named to the all-conference first team.  His brother, a junior libero from Punahou, was named to the second team. 

 

Spencer McLachlin, a junior outside hitter, is the other starter.  He's the son of former Punahou coach and veteran TV analyst Chris McLachlin.

 

All made major contributions last night.  Lawson had 18 kills.  Kawika Shoji had a match-high 13 digs and seven blocks.  Erik Shoji had 6 digs.  And McLachlin chipped in with eight kills, seven digs and one service ace.

 

BUSY NIGHT:  Closer to home, the UH South Campus will be a busy place tonight with three different sporting events taking place.

 

The 20th-ranked Hawaii softball team tangles with perennial power Fresno State at 6 o'clock in the opener of a three-game series.  A double-header is set for tomorrow.  UH is 39-11 overall and 17-0 in the WAC, needing just one victory in those three games to clinch the conference regular-season title. 

 

At 6:30, the UH baseball team opens a four-game set against Nevada.  The Rainbows are 21-20 overall and find themselves at the bottom of the WAC standings with a 4-8 record.   Nevada is 10-11-1 and third in the WAC at 3-4-1.  New Mexico State leads the conference at 9-2-1 and is 31-12-1 overall.

 

Then, at 7 o'clock, the Warrior Bowl will be staged at the adjoining TC Ching field, a scrimmage that marks the end of Hawaii's spring football camp.

 

BASEBALL:  Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki appears headed for his first trip to the disabled list.  Suzuki missed his fifth straight game last night with a strained muscle on the left side of his body.  Following a slow start at the plate, Suzuki lifted his batting average to .254 with four homers – including three in his final four outings before becoming injured.

 

PREPS:  The fifth-ranked Seabury Hall volleyball team are a win away from clinching the MIL D-II title following a sweep of Lanai High last night.  The Spartans can secure a berth in the upcoming state tournament by defeating the Pinelads tonight at the Erdman Center.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Extreme makeover for UH basketball

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com 

 

New head coach Gib Arnold hasn't wasted any time in dramatically overhauling the University of of Hawaii's basketball roster.  Arnold has already landed six new recruits, with the most heralded of the bunch – 6-1 point guard Bobby Miles of Workman High in East LA – signing a letter of intent yesterday.  Miles average 27 points, 14 rebounds and 5.6 assists last season, earning all-CIF Division IV honors.

 

Yet another player, 6-8 forward Dominick Brumfield of Big Bend Community College in Washington, is poised to join UH, as Arnold continues his extreme makeover of a team that went 10-20 last season, costing Bob Nash his job.  Brumfield averaged more than 14 points and 8 rebounds as a JC freshman, sinking 40 three-pointers while making nearly 41 percent of his shots from behind the arc.

Five other recruits earlier signed with UH:  6-4 guards Bo Barnes and Jordan Coleman, , 6-10 JC center Vander Joaquim, 6-7 JC swingman Josten Thomas and 6-8 guard Trevor Wiseman.  

 

Hawaii has at least one more scholarship it can fill for next season, although that number could increase pending additional roster moves.  The scholarship players eligible to return next season are Bill Amis, Zane Johnson, Douglas Kurtz, Aleksandar Milovic, Hiram Thompson and Dwain Williams.

 

UH FOOTBALL: With incumbent starting quarterback Bryant Moniz missing from spring drills because of undisclosed "personal reasons," freshman David Graves appears to be gaining ground on Shane Austin for No. 1 spot on the UH football depth chart going into fall camp. 

 

UH will start most of its home football games at 5:30 p.m. this season. The exception will be the Sept. 2 season opener against USC, which  will start at 5 p.m. for a Thursday game that will be shown on ESPN.  In 2008, most home games had 6:05 p.m. kickoffs. But in 2009, in a move to allow visiting WAC opponents an opportunity to make late flights after the game and save on travel costs, UH shifted its four conference home games to 5:05.

 

After approving a record 35 bowl games for next season, the NCAA has approved a new policy that will make 6-6 teams instantly eligible for post-season competition.  That only impacts UH in theory, because it is allowed to play 13 games per season.  Last year, UH finished with a 6-7 mark and missed out out on a bowl gme for the first time in four years.

 

The NCAA's new policy means 70 of the 120 schools playing in Division I-A, will qualify for post-season games after the addition of two new events to the cluttered bowl calendar – the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 30 and the Dallas Football Classic on New Year's Day.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Suzuki takes Sabathia deep in A’s win

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

New York Yankees' ace CC Sabathia is one of baseball's best pitchers.  But the less the hefty lefty sees of players from Maui, the better.

 

During last year's World Series, Sabathia gave up a grand slam homer to Philadelphia's Shane Victorino.

 

Yesterday, he served up a three-run homer to Kurt Suzuki as the A's  posted a 4-2 win that kept the Athletics atop the American League West standings.  Later in the game, Suzuki grounded into a rare triple play.

 

Victorino went 1-for-4 and scored two runs for Philly in an 8-3 win over Atlanta.

 

In the biggest offensive eruption of the season, Milwaukee mauled Pittsburgh 20-0 -- the most lopsided loss in the 124-year history of the Pirates.

 

The two teams favored to meet in this year's NBA Finals both suffered setbacks last night.

 

Defending champ LA dropped a 101-96 decision to the hometown Oklahoma City Thunder as Kevin Durant scored 29 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and even effectively defended LA's Kobe Bryant. 

 

Saturday's Game 4 in Oklahoma City will be aired on ESPN 550.

 

Cleveland also suffered a road loss, 108-106, to Chicago despite a 39-point effort by Cavaliers' star LeBron James.  Game 4 is Sunday in Chicago and also will be aired on ESPN 550.

 

The Phoenix Suns took a 2-1 lead in its series with a 108-89 road romp past injury-depleted Portland behind Jason Richardson's 42 points.

 

MIL BASEBALL:  Right-hander Brysen Dafun had another brilliant outing, allowing three hits and walking none over six innings, and Baldwin's bats finally came alive – producing four runs in the fourth and fifth innings -- as the Bears advanced to Saturday's MIL Division-I baseball tournament title game with a 9-0 win over Lahainaluna last night at Iron Maehara Stadium.

 

Baldwin will take a 12-1 MIL record against the winner of tonight's semifinal between second-seeded Maui High and third-seeded Kamehameha.  Both games are set for 6 p.m. starts and will be aired on ESPN 550 and ESPN550.com.

 

As the regular-season champ, Baldwin has already clinched a berth in the state tourney and can claim the MIL overall title by also winning the league tournament.  Maui High needs to win the MIL tourney in order to force a playoff for the overall crown.  Kamehaneha must win tonight to keep alive any hopes of earning a berth at states.

 

NA KOA IKAIKA:  Three former MIL standouts have signed to play for Na Koa Ikaika Maui of the Golden Baseball League.  They are: Gered Mochizuki, JJ Pacheco and Joseph Kala.  Mochizuki played at Baldwin, Pacheco at St. Anthony and Kala at Maui High.

 

The club will invite around 35 players to attend spring training on Maui from May 9-22, eventually settling on 22 players – 11 pitchers and 11 position players – for the season that begins May 21 at Victoria.

 

Na Koa's home opener is set for June 8 at Iron Maehara Stadium.

 

SOCCER:  Sophomore forward Mattias Thompson of Baldwin, who scored a league-leading 13 goals, was named MIL boy's soccer player of the year.  Kane Palazzotto, who guided the Bears to their first league title since 2004, was named coach of the year.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Maui United U16 boys win state title

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

After several frustrating near-misses, the Maui United Soccer Club 94 boys finally captured an elusive State Cup title by taking top honors in the under-16 division to earn a berth in the Far West Regional tournament.

 

Maui United jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Mattias Thompson and Max Bowman and held on for a 2-1 victory over the Honolulu Bulls on Sunday at the Waipio Soccer Complex on Oahu.

 

The first goal came in the 23rd minute, when Conner Snow delivered a long free kick that rattled around the penalty area before Thompson tucked the ball into the net. 

 

Maui United scored again two minutes into the second half when Bowman hit a first-time shot off a cross from the left wing by Thompson.

 

On Saturday, United edged long-time nemesis Rush Nike 1-0 on a second-half goal by Thompson.

 

"Nike Rush was the three-time defending state champion and was expected to challenge for the regional title," noted MUSC 94 lead coach Chuck Nunes.

 

"In the last three years, this group has finished second twice, missing out on goal-differential," Nunes added.  "Defense has always been a strong point with this group, and it played big role in both games against teams composed of the very best young players in the ILH and the OIA.

 

This year's regional tournament will be held June 21-27 in Albuquerque, N.M. 

 

It will mark the third straight year that a Maui United team qualified for the event as a state champion – the MUSC 94 girls in 2008 and the 96 boys last season.  MUSC teams have won 17 state titles since the club's inception in 1992.

 

Other members of the victorious MUSC 94 boys were: Aukai Akoi, Anthony Barboza, Kawela Benson, Trevor Edwards, Willy Harris, Daniel Johnson, Kasey Kuge, Kamu Motooka, Taylor Nakamoto, Dean Phillips, Elton Rivera, Kai Williams and Tyler Yates.  Other coaches:   Fred Guzman, Brent Nunes and Mario Ochoa.

 

Two other Valley Isle teams suffered heart-breaking losses in their respective finals. 

 

The Maui United 97 boys gave up a pair of late goals in a 3-2 setback against the Bulls in the under-13 championship match and the under-12 Excel boys dropped a 2-0 overtime decision to Abunai.

 

The defending champion Maui United 96 finished second in the under-14 division.

 

Also competing in this year's State Cup were Maui United's under-16 girls and under-11 boys; the under-14 girls representing Excel and Manuia; the Pookela under-13 girls, and the Pono under-12 girls.

 

CYR WINS: Sam Cyr of Makawao won his first professional golf title over the weekend, posting a 3-stroke victory over PGA Tour member Dean Wilson to capture the 52nd Mid-Pacific Open on Oahu. 

 

Cyr, a King Kekaulike grad who was a two-time NAIA champion at Point Loma Nazarene fired a 2-under 70 in windy conditions at the Mid-Pacific Country Club on Sunday to finish with 4-under 284 to earn a $14,000 paycheck. 

 

Wilson, a Castle High grad, has won $8 million on the PGA Tour over the past five years.

 

MIL ROUNDUP:  Going into their key three-game series, perennial baseball powers Baldwin and Maui High were tied for first place in the MIL Division-I standings with 8-1 records.

 

But by the time the series was over, Baldwin clearly stamped itself as the league's most dominant team, sweeping the Sabers by scores of 6-4 on Thursday, 9-1 on Friday and, in Saturday's finale, 15-0 in a game stopped after three innings because of the mercy rule.

 

As a result, the Bears nailed down the MIL regular-season title with an 11-1 mark and clinched an automatic berth in the state tournament that will be played at Maui's Iron Maehara Stadium starting on May 5.

 

The MIL D-I baseball tournament begins Wednesday when fourth-seeded King Kekaulike faces No. 5 Lahainaluna in a 6 p.m. game at Iron Maehara Stadium. 

 

St. Anthony closed out its MIL D-II campaign by sweeping a double-header at Lanai by scores of 7-1 and 11-1 to finish the regular season at 8-1.  There will be no D-II tournament this year, so the Trojans secured the league's lone berth in the state D-II tourney to be held on Oahu.

 

In other prep action, Maui High clinched its first boy's tennis title in 20 years while King Kekaulike won the girls' crown. 

 

In boy's volleyball, Seabury Hall, the state's fourth-ranked team, continued its dominance in D-II by twice beating Lanai, while Kamehameha handed D-I rival Baldwin its first loss of the MIL season.

 

UH BASEBALL:  Things are not going well for the University of Hawaii baseball team.  A 9-4 loss at Sacramento State on Sunday dropped UH's records to 18-19 overall and 2-6 in the WAC. 

 

UH will remain on the road this week and will play five games in Louisiana, challenging Centenary in a non-conference outing today followed a four-game series at WAC rival LaTech.

 

To make matters worse for the Bows, hot-hitting outfielder Christian Johnson returned home from California to undergo an MRI on his dislocated shoulder, an injury suffered when he ran into the fence while pursuing a fly ball.