Punahou's tennis dynasty unrivaled
• Punahou boys singles, doubles winners
• Punahou's boys titles
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Courting success at an early age, Punahou students take tennis lessons in kindergarten. That sets the foundation for championship teams such as this year's Interscholastic League of Honolulu winners. They are, front row, from left, Jonathan Farm, Michael Azuma, Robbie Lim, Chris Iwamura, Nick Leong, Ryan Laws. Back row, from left, head coach Rusty Komori, Brandon Luke, Michael Lim, Andrew Mau, Eric Shono, Will Grosswendt, Shazi Usman, assistant David Lam.
Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Kalaheo won 76 straight OIA boys basketball games — but in 2000, the Mustangs lost to Castle.
Impressive win streaks to be sure, but not even close to the longest in Hawai'i high school sports history.
Those records belong to the Punahou School boys tennis teams, which won more than 260 consecutive Interscholastic League of Honolulu matches before losing last month to Iolani, but rebounded to take home its 31st straight ILH championship.
Punahou's boys have won the past 12 state titles and 34 overall, which ties them with Grosse Point Woods of Liggett, Mich., for the most boys state high school tennis titles in the United States. But it took Grosse Point 70 years to win its 34; Punahou did it in 45.
How do you dominate for so long?
The secret is "Kindergarten Tennis," says Bernard Gusman, Punahou's director of tennis. "We start them young, keep it fun, and they continue in the game."
Punahou has produced 19 state boys singles champions and 15 state boys doubles team champions, but not a single player in Gusman's 13 years "came here already developed. We don't recruit any kids," he says.
Every kindergarten pupil at Punahou is introduced to tennis as part of the physical education program, Gusman explains. "They come to the courts for three or four weeks, and the ones who are interested enroll in our summer program or take lessons.
"It's a whole development process from the time they are little. There are 400 to 500 students per week out here learning the game," Gusman says. "That is where the champions come from."
Gusman says that "95 percent of our tennis students are learning it as a lifetime sport activity— that is our goal. The other 5 percent are on the varsity."
Every member of this year's boys and girls varsity teams — including defending state boys singles champion Robbie Lim and the No. 1 seeded doubles team of Chris Iwamura and Nicholas Leong — started out in Kindergarten Tennis, which Punahou started under Gusman in 1992.
"I assign our best pros to teach the kindergarten, first- and second-grade classes," Gusman says. "There are 150 kindergartners. If 10 percent come through by high school, that's 15 players. We carry 12 on the varsity team."
Being a part of the state's longest lived high school sports dynasty is a badge worn proudly, and with a sense of responsibility.
When Lim was playing second doubles in the ILH championship match against Iolani on April 23, he said, "I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life. ... I was playing for my team, my school and a 40-year legacy."
Lim and Michael Azuma, down 5-4 in the third set with Iolani serving at 30-all, pulled out a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory. Punahou won its 31st straight and 50th overall ILH boys title, despite having no seniors on its team.
"That was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life because I was able to feed off the team's energy and turn the match around," Lim said.
Lim thinks Punahou's chances of racking up state title No. 35 this week "look good, because the team really supports and respects each other. We always stick up for each other on and off the court. ... Someone always steps up and rises to the occasion, capable of carrying the weight of the team on his back."
Lim is seeded No. 1 and Jonathan Farm No. 4 in singles and three Punahou doubles teams are among the top six seeds; 11 of the 12 varsity boys qualified for the championships Thursday through Saturday at Central O'ahu Regional Park in Waipi'o.
If Punahou wins its 13th straight championship, it will tie Grosse Point Woods for the third-longest string of state titles in U.S. high school tennis history.
As two-time state champion Bucky Jencks ('99, '01), now a standout at Bowdoin College in Maine, put it:
"We always secretly didn't want to be that team that screwed it up."
Jencks will be watching the results on Saturday.
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Punahou boys singles, doubles winners
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| Defending state champion Robbie Lim, left, and the No. 1 doubles team of Nick Leong and Chris Iwamura helped Punahou win its 31st straight Interscholastic League of Honolulu title. | ||
HIGH SCHOOL STATE SINGLES CHAMPIONS
- Robbie Lim — '02
- Ikaika Jobe — '99, '01
- Chris Ma — '96
- Chad Dudley — '91
- Ryan Lee — '88, '89
- Jimmy Cushing — '85
- Marc Akina — '79
- Bill Bartlett — '75, '76, '77
- Guy Ilalaole — '71
- Steve Bartlett — '69, '70
- Steve Ching — '66
- Jerry Osborne — '64
- Jim Osborne Jr. — '62, '63
Total — 19
HIGH SCHOOL STATE DOUBLES CHAMPIONS
- Bucky Jencks, Chris Iwamura — '01
- Kevin Ching, Sean Jobe — '00
- Bucky Jencks, Richard Salem — '99
- Michael Bruggemann, Bucky Jencks — '98
- Chris Ma, Jessie Paer — '97
- Chris Ma, Taylor Tom — '94
- Jung Bae Suh, Myles Uyema — '93
- Jon Sueda, Chris Dudley — '89
- Paul Rathgeb, Jon Sueda — '87
- Lono Beamer, Stephen Teshima — '80
- Malcolm Holland, Brian Loomis — '76
- Greg Kim, John Goodsill — '74, ''75
- Rich Rothrock, Sam Kress — '69
- Mike Befeler, Warren Heiser — '62
Total — 15
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31 ILH titles in a row •50 ILH titles total • 12 state titles in a row • 34 state titles total
STATE TITLES YEAR COACH
- 2002 Rusty Komori
- 2001 Rusty Komori
- 2000 Rusty Komori
- 1999 Rusty Komori
- 1998 Rusty Komori
- 1997 Rusty Komori
- 1996 Rusty Komori
- 1995 Rusty Komori
- 1994 Rusty Komori
- 1993 Bernard Gusman
- 1992 Michael Gearen
- 1991 Michael Gearen
- 1989 Michael Gearen
- 1988 Michael Gearen
- 1987 Michael Gearen
- 1986 Michael Gearen
- 1985 Michael Gearen
- 1984 Michael Gearen
- 1983 Michael Gearen
- 1979 Elston Wyatt
- 1977 Elston Wyatt
- 1976 Paul Berry
- 1975 Elston Wyatt
- 1974 Elston Wyatt
- 1972 Elston Wyatt
- 1970 Elston Wyatt
- 1969 Elston Wyatt
- 1964 Henry Kamakana
- 1963 Henry Kamakana
- 1962 Henry Kamakana
- 1961 Henry Kamakana
- 1960 Henry Kamakana
- 1959 Henry Kamakana
- 1958 Henry Kamakana
