Punahou losing championship-caliber coaches
| • | Sacred Hearts junior makes historic leap |
| • | OIA teams enter grueling stretch run |
| • | Punahou's Jobe back ruling tennis courts |
| • | Neighbor Islanders begin 'second season' this week |
| • | Coming up |
Advertiser Staff
Seven major-sport varsity coaches have resigned at Punahou School since last May.
Boys basketball coach Alan Lum was the latest to resign, stepping down April 23. The others were boys track coach Dacre Bowen, baseball coach Kala Ka'aihue, boys cross country coach Ralph Dykes, boys volleyball coach Scott Rigg, girls volleyball coach Diana McKibbin and girls basketball coach Shelley Kahuanui Fey.
Lum (1), Bowen (5), Dykes (10), Rigg (4), McKibbin (2) and Fey (3) have won 25 state championships among them.
Athletic director Tom Holden, so far, has been able to dig in the deep pool of coaching talent that is teaching at Punahou, or wanting to, and restock his cupboard with quality replacements. Punahou will accept applications for boys basketball coach until May 11.
VOLLEYBALL
• Maryknoll coach: Blaine Gier has returned after a one-year leave to be boys varsity volleyball coach and coordinator of the six-team boys volleyball program at Maryknoll Schools.
Gier, 31, a 1988 Maryknoll High graduate, was varsity coach and coordinator from 1993-1999, and increased the number of grade-school teams from one to three.
He played basketball at College of Notre Dame in California for four years and was assistant women's volleyball coach, graduating in 1992.
He is the physical education department chair and teacher at Maryknoll High.
"I took a year off to enjoy my daughter (age 2) and son (1) and help coach my brother-in-law's sixth-grade team," Gier said. "From my PE classes, I know the kids in school who didn't play and I knew I could put something together."
He is also coach of the varsity boys basketball division II team and is an applicant for the position of boys basketball coordinator, which came open when Garrett Gabriel resigned in March.
CLINICS
• Soccer: Bob Barry's annual goalkeepers' clinic has changed dates to Saturdays, Aug. 4, 11 and 18 at Mililani District Park. Barry, former coach at Iolani and Brigham Young-Hawai'i, will teach regular and advanced classes with fees ranging from $50 (one day regular) to $120 (three days advanced). For information, contact Barry at 236-4515 evenings or weekends, or email: rbarry@iolani.honolulu.hi.us.
• Basketball: The Sole Fundamentals Camp conducted by Ross Kinsler, boys varsity coach at ASSETS School, will be June 18-22 at Manoa Valley District Park Gym, with sessions for boys and girls grades 5-7 and 8-10. Instructors include Chaminade coach Aaron Griess and former University of Hawai'i players Kalia McGee and Nani Cockett. Fee $90. Call 440-3615 weekdays for information.
• Wrestling: Iolani Championship Clinic, June 4-8, at the school. Guest technician, NCAA Hall of Fame wrestler John Monaco of New Jersey. Fee $100. For information, call 943-2208 or visit www.pacificcadd.com/iolaniwrestlingcamp/
GETTING IT STRAIGHT
• Who da champ? Each of Hawaii's five high school leagues determines its champions in a different way, and some even differ from sport to sport.
We were off the mark Sunday in our headline and story on ILH basketball. Thursday's playoff between Punahou and Kamehameha will determine the ILH champion, period, not just the regular-season champion.
The ILH tournaments in basketball determine only second or third entries in the state tournaments. The round robin champions are champions and don't play in the tournament.
ILH baseball uses a different formula. The tournament champion plays off with the round robin champion for the league championship, unless the same team wins both.
Maui is different, and different in different sports. The OIA is different, Big Island is different, Kaua'i is different. It's difficult to keep it all straight.
• Wrong date: The championship game of the state baseball tournament will be held Saturday, May 19, the same day as the semifinal games. Another date was printed on an OIA schedule in Saturday's Advertiser.
• All-Star change: Leina'ala Chong of Kamehameha was the first team 1-meter diver and Lehua De Silva of Kamehameha was second team on the Interscholastic League of Honolulu all-star swimming and diving team, published in The Advertiser on April 19. The names were transposed by the ILH when it announced the team.
