Posted on: Wednesday, March 9, 2005
HOMEGROWN REPORT
Hawai'i athletes thriving in Missouri
| • | Maui swimmer Hoopii excels at No. Colorado |
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
The city of Marshall, Mo., population 12,433, includes a park, Victorian homes, a café — and a Polynesian Club that includes more than 30 athletes from Hawai'i on various sports teams at Missouri Valley College.
"People look at us and know where we're from, but it helps them to know what we're about too," men's volleyball player Adam Tuifagu said.
Tuifagu, a former All-State player at Kamehameha, is one of 11 players in Missouri Valley College's volleyball program, which includes varsity and junior varsity.
"Coaches love having Hawai'i players; they somehow think we can do stuff," Tuifagu said.
At any given time, three of its starters are from Hawai'i, led by Tuifagu, who is a member of the USA Youth National Team.
"A lot of them have some volleyball skills," MVC coach Ed Johnson said of the Hawai'i players. "They know how to pass, and they know how to play defense. I've been fortunate to have Hawai'i kids here.
"I don't think there's any other schools that carry this many. Maybe there is in basketball or soccer. If you look at our softball team or wrestling team, we've got them everywhere."
Athletes from Hawai'i are on the football, soccer, wrestling, women's volleyball, track and field, women's basketball and softball teams.
"They're fun to hang out with," said Johnson, who also coaches the women's volleyball team. "Out of all of the kids here, they're probably the most respectful, whether it is a coach or a teacher, or a teammate."
Some of the members of the Polynesian Club performed at halftime of football games last fall.
"It's a chance to share our culture with the rest of the people on the campus," said libero Justin Himori, a sophomore from Mililani. "They are very open to it. Everyone knows who we are. They can spot us a mile away. We're the really friendly, easygoing people on campus.
"The teachers and our classmates aren't shy about asking questions; they always want to know about the Islands."
Johnson calls Himori, "the big recruiter," and said he was responsible for mentioning a lot of the players from Hawai'i that Johnson scouts.
"Usually I go by people I know as friends, people I played with or against. I try to drop names that are more talented," Himori said. "More or less, the volleyball community is so small, you know of everyone. A lot of girls, they don't see many opportunities because they are short. Same thing for guys, too. But really, there are a lot of opportunities out there."
Tuifagu added: "For all of our situations, we wanted to play volleyball and go to school and afford it. A lot of people, they would have had to give up volleyball to go to college, but here we have the opportunity to do both."
Joining Tuifagu and Himori on the varsity team are senior libero Wade Miura (Wai'anae), sophomore setter Christopher Kaneko (Pearl City '03), junior captain/right-side hitter David Hoke (Kamehameha '02 of Kailua), sophomore middle Kapena Wong (Pearl City '03) and junior defensive specialist Chandon Chesebro (Hilo '02).
"It is in the middle of Missouri ... familiar faces always help," Tuifagu said.
Included on the school's junior varsity team are Mike Adams (Pearl City), Blake Gutierres (Kohala), Dan Cunningham (Damien) and Robert McNamara (Parker).
Tuifagu said having so many players from Hawai'i made the transition to college volleyball easier.
"There wasn't a guy from Hawai'i I hadn't interacted with. There are moments on the court you can just tell we've played together," he said. "You don't have to impress anybody. It's that much easier to just relax and play your game than to try to pull off some amazing stunt."
The Vikings are ranked No. 4 in the NAIA, but will likely move up in polls being released today, after a successful weekend in which it defeated No. 2 Lindenwood and won at No. 5 Missouri Baptist, which had never lost on its home court in three years.
Tuifagu, who is averaging 4.06 kills per game with a .379 hitting percentage, was named the Mid-America Men's Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Week Feb. 7, and Miura was named the MAMVIC Setter of the Week Jan. 24.
Because the volleyball program is in its third year, Tuifagu said he takes pride in knowing that he is part of the group that is helping to set the standard.
"We're doing things that haven't been done before, and we're already setting higher goals," he said. "We can feel content knowing it was our doing."
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.
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| Missouri Valley College | ||
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| Hawai'i players at Missouri Valley College, with their high school listed, along with year of graduation when available:
Football
Men's Wrestling
Track and Field
Women's Volleyball
Women's Soccer
Wrestling
Women's Basketball
Softball
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