Posted on: Friday, March 25, 2005

Lana'i girls to play out basketball season

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Lana'i High School will field a girls basketball team for this season despite releasing nine players and its coaches for an alleged incident involving underage drinking.

Lana'i athletic director David McHugh said the school has nine players and would not forfeit any games in the Maui Interscholastic League, of which Lana'i is a member.

"Six have not played organized basketball, but they're really giving it a shot for their community and our school," McHugh said. "It's a credit to the two remaining players, and the new coaches."

Head coach Verna Del Rosario, a former player for Lana'i and present basketball official on Lana'i, and assistant coach Norraine Riel, a former student-athlete and recent graduate of Chaminade University, were hired to take on coaching duties.

Former Lana'i head coach Russell Zablan and assistant coach Dale Kapua were fired after allegedly providing alcohol to their players during a trip to O'ahu, March 10 to 13, for a preseason tournament.

Eight players were released from the team on March 16 and banned from playing any sports for Lana'i for the remainder of the school year. A ninth player was released over the weekend after further investigation concluded she was also involved in underage drinking.

Last week, Maui County police on Lana'i said they were investigating reports that alcohol was distributed to minors and of sexual misconduct on the Lana'i girls basketball team, but no details were released regarding the alleged sexual misconduct.

McHugh said the team held "re-tryouts" March 18 to see if it could field a team. He said two girls were on O'ahu to interview for college and one was on Maui for a family matter, but all three have rejoined the team.

After evaluating the team for three days, the coaches and McHugh decided Wednesday to play the season. Lana'i's MIL season begins April 1, against Ka'ahumanu Hou. Lana'i competes at the Division II level.

"We're having a parent meeting on Monday to go over traveling policies and ensure parents will have trust in our new coaches (for the MIL season and possibly state tournament)," McHugh said.

The team is scheduled to make three trips to Maui for league play, "and that is a concern for us, whether the parents have complete trust in the coaches," McHugh added.

The team, which sleeps in the gym of the host team, will be given a curfew, with times established for lights out.

"The coaches have to be the last ones to sleep," McHugh said.

In an effort to help the players bond, the team got together Wednesday night to watch the movie "The Replacements," which is about a group of players who filled in for the professionals during the National Football League strike of 1987.

Lana'i Elementary and High School has about 640 students, according to the state Department of Education.

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