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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 12:11 p.m., Thursday, May 17, 2007

Top girls players in Hannemann Basketball Jamboree

Advertiser Staff

Some of the state's top girls basketball players will participate in the day-long Mufi Hannemann Basketball Jamboree on Saturday at Manoa Gym.

In its 14th year, the tournament will feature 24 teams in three divisions — 12-and-under, 14-and-under and high school/college alumnae.

High school players in this year's tournament include Konawaena's Jazzmin Awa-Williams, Ashley Medcalf of Christian Academy, Ta Nitra Byrd of Radford, Roosevelt's Iwalani Rodrigues and Analee Viena-Lota of Kamehameha.

Former college players in the tournament include Nani Cockett, Michelle Gabriel, Kyla Evers and Pam Tambini of the University of Hawai'i, Lisa Kowal of Harvard and Raelyn Self of Loyola Marymount.

"This began as a small step toward gender equity, and has, in the years since then, featured just about every top high school and college player in Hawai'i at one time or another," Mayor Hannemann said in a press release. "So many of our prep student-athletes have participated and gone on to play in the top college ranks, attesting to the caliber of talent cultivated here in the islands."

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted, with proceeds going to the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association.

Former Kohala and UH player Lynette Liu will receive this year's Gender Equity Award from Hannemann for her contributions to women's athletics. She has also played in every jamboree since its inception. Past recipients have included Cockett, UH civil rights specialist Jill Nunokawa, former UH women's basketball coach Vince Goo, and Dana Takahara-Dias, a former UH player who is now deputy director of the City parks department.

Click here to view the high school/alumnae rosters. Click here for the tournament schedule.