Radford rolls on despite home-court disadvantage

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

A machine pumps in warm air under the floor of the Radford gym, preventing the basketball court from warping further. Heavy rain in December caused flooding in the gym. The court was cleaned but the moisture under the court warped the wood and forced Radford to play all its girls basketball games this season on the road. The Rams still managed to go 10-0 and win the OIA Western Division. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Sophomore forward Tereva Moore heard an assembly was canceled.

Senior guard Jenna Johnson-Endo heard the toilets were overflowing.

Senior guard Lia Mickey heard about it from a panicky Johnson-Endo.

Several false stories but one sad truth — the Radford gym had flooded.

During heavy rains in December, a blocked storm drain caused the overflow to flood the gym.

The drain on the outside of the gym was covered up because it was considered a safety hazard, according to Radford coach David Lane.

The court was cleaned and the boys basketball team was able to play on it for the remainder of its season, which ended in February.

But the moisture under the court was warping the wood, and in March, in the middle of the girls preseason, they realized the court was not suitable for games.

"Once you walk around certain spots and you shuffle, you can tell," Johnson-Endo said. "You hear the dead spots (when you bounce the ball), it just sounds so flat."

The Rams, the only remaining undefeated O'ahu team, went 10-0 during the regular season and captured their first O'ahu Interscholastic Association Western Division title since 1996.

But Mickey said that the team didn't even realize it was undefeated until its last game against Nanakuli.

"(Before the season) we set goals to go to states, so everything between that was to set us up for that," she said. "I think this year instead of wishful thinking, we were more about business and getting the job done."

Veteran team

With four returning starters — senior guards Mickey, Johnson-Endo and Joanne Czumalowski and sophomore forward Moore — the Rams are a strong contender entering this week's OIA tournament.

"We're just trying to keep it business as usual, but sharpen up," Lane said. "We're proud of what we've done, but we have to keep it in perspective, keep it real."

The Rams were able to play three home preseason games, but since March have played 13 straight games on the road.

"I think it's made us stronger, we had to be more focused and had to adjust to a new court, the crowd and a different atmosphere," said Moore, who leads the team with 9.7 points and about 12 rebounds a game.

Most of the court is playable, which is why the Rams are able to hold their practices there. But there are spots where the warping is so bad, it could potentially have an effect on the outcome of a game.

"It's really dusty, the wooden planks are rising up, and if you run on it you might slip on it," Moore said.

In one corner of the court in particular, the panels on the court are pushing up against each other, creating tiny ridges on the court. It covers a space of about 6 feet by 6 feet.

The answer to the moisture has been to bring in a air-drying system. It includes a machine on one side of the court, which is pumping hot air under it, and on the other side there are three vacuums sucking out the hot air.

Radford Athletic Director Eddie Maruyama said that they would continue to dry the court, and in August they will refinish it — which includes re-sanding and recoating it. The process should take about three to four weeks and finish in time for the beginning of fall sports such as boys and girls volleyball.

Besides the damage to the court, the dryers are preventing the use of the practice baskets on the side of the gym. When the machines were being installed, the Rams were forced to move their practices to 'Aiea for a week at the end of March.

"There's nothing we could do because we couldn't get our gym back, so we just had to suck it up," Czumalowski said.

Opening games at 'Aiea

The system has been running since March, and the Rams had been hoping that it would fix the floor in time to host the first round of the OIA playoffs on Friday. But instead, the first-round games they were supposed to host will be at 'Aiea.

"I don't really think any of us thought of it as not having any home games," Mickey said. "With all the distractions in the gym it didn't really feel like a home gym."

All said that losing their gym could help them in the long run — especially if they lose home-court advantage if they advance in the OIA tournament and the state tournament.

"It didn't hurt us, if anything it helped us," Czumalowski said. "We didn't worry, and now we know we can basically play in any gym."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.