Iolani Alumni

The Washington State Cougars had a “successful” opening series this weekend in southern California finishing with one loss and one win in two tightly contested games. Facing the country’s #1 ranked team, UCLA, at Pauley Pavillion, the Cougs gave the Bruins all they could handle taking the game down to the wire, but fell by 3 points missing a chance to tie the game at the buzzer.

Derrick Low ‘04 played an impressive game at the guard position filled with highlight reel finishes and clutch shots, but his 14 points were not enough as the Bruins came on in the second half to finish the game with a 55-52 win. UCLA is currently undefeated and holds the number one ranking in both the AP and Coaches’ polls.

On Saturday, WSU came out slowly, but squeezed out a 58-55 win against a tough USC Trojan team who upset the #14 Washington Huskies (now 20th) two days early. Derrick had a tough first half, scoring only 2 points on 1 of 6 shooting, but sparked a Cougar comeback in the second half with a 3-pointer from the wing to start an 11-point run and finished the game with a team high 13 points.

Washington State is 12-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Pac-10. They are currently unranked in both Top 25 polls, but have received votes which would put them somewhere around 31st in the country. Next weekend, the Cougs will return home to Pullman to face Arizona State (Thursday) and the #7 ranked Arizona Wildcats (Saturday).

I know everyone who’s been to the school within the last few years is well aware, but for those who haven’t… the campus has changed! The tennis courts have moved to the lower school, the amphitheater is gone and they’ve been replaced by the Weinberg Building (classrooms and parking structure) and Kozuki Stadium - stay tuned for information about Kozuki Stadium (like others, I’m sure you’re wondering “Who’s Kozuki?”).

Every year Honolulu Hale hosts a Christmas celebration and exhibit as a part of the “Honolulu City Lights” festivities which runs from early December on through the Christmas season. This year the Iolani Lower School submitted two wreaths (plus one by an individual student) to the exhibit which is open daily from 8am to 11pm until January 1st. The combined lower school submission which included grades 1-6 (shown right) won the “Judge’s Choice” Award and features an array of hand decorated items in the “Plantation Holiday” theme including ukuleles, fish, hats, pineapples, and more…

Event Date: Friday, April 20th, 2007

The calls will be coming… so clear your schedules because a shift on the work roster will be reserved just for you! The 2007 Iolani Family Fair will be a 2-day affair as always running April 20th and 21st from Noon - 10 pm on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme is “Fiesta Fever” and it looks to be “spicy”…. (okay, that was terrible, but I couldn’t pass it up).

With their best finish in the Iolani Classic (3rd) in several years, the Iolani Raiders gained a spot in the Star Bulletin Poll moving into second behind the Punahou Buff-n-Blu. In case you missed it, the Raiders upset White Station of Memphis, got blown out by Leflore of Alabama, the eventual champion and USA Today #11, and then rebounded in the 3rd place game to beat Vincent of Milwaukee, the #6 ranked team in the Midwest (#1 in Wisconsin).

Still without their starting center, 6-5 Taylor Mounts, the Raiders are continuing to improve and hope to have a full squad back within the next week or two when they open their season against the Kamehameha Warriors on Thursday, January 4th at home.

The Iolani Softball team dropped a spot in the ILH standings with a disappointing 6-0 loss to the Mid Pacific Owls. Coming into the game with a 2-5 record, the Owls scored 5 runs in the second inning and were able to shutout the Raiders to earn their 3rd victory of the season. With a win by St. Francis, the Raiders were pushed into second place behind the Troubadours and are currently a game back.

The Iolani Boys’ Soccer team picked up a win in their ILH season opener against Mid Pacific on Friday, December 22nd. The Raiders got their lone goal from Ian Watson to notch their first ILH victory. The boys team is coached by 1988 Iolani alum Chris Lee.

The Iolani Girls Soccer team is also 1-0 in ILH play with a 3-1 win over Pac-5 in their season opener at Iolani School. The Raider got goals by Sammi Teramae, Nicole Ha and Alyssa Simbahon. The girls’ team is coached by alumnus Chris Nied, Class of 1979.

Around December, usually the only thing associated with the word “semifinalists” are the numerous “National Merit” scholars the school often raves about, but not this year. This year the Iolani Basketball team was able to do what no other team in recent history has been able to do — including the teams with Derrick Low, Kyle Pape and the Anderson twins (not all on the same team) — make it to the semifinals of the Iolani Prep Classic.

Facing the White Station Spartans, picked to finish among the top teams in their league back in Memphis, the Raiders came out with a gutsy performance filled with tough defense, aggressive rebounding and timely shooting. Despite losing 6-5 junior center Taylor Mounts to a broken hand late last week, the Raiders held their own on the boards against an athletic White Station squad and were able to hit a collection of threes to take the game into the fourth quarter with a decent lead. The team was able to maintain their lead throughout the final quarter and closed out the game with freethrows to seal the 61-46 victory. Iolani was led by sharp shooter Case Miyahira who scored 19 points along with 18 points from sophomore swingman Liloa Nobriga.

The Raiders will face the USA Today No.11 LeFlore Rattlers in the semifinals tonight in the “feature” game scheduled for 8:00pm. Come EARLY!

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the basketball team as of late, but don’t forget about the Iolani Softball Team who is currently tied atop the ILH standings with the St. Francis Troubadours at 6-1 (Iolani beat them earlier this month 5-2). The Raiders are led by ace pitcher Britney Guro and nearly the entire Masutani family (Kaz ‘07, Kai ‘08, Kryn ‘10). Make sure you keep track of them as they move into the second round…

Oh… and don’t forget about the spectacular alumni coaching staff led by head coach Chris Shimabukuro ‘85 and assisted by Al Inaba ‘84 and Clem Hew.

The Washington State Cougars are off to their best start since the 1991-92 season and are looking to finish up their preseason with a win over San Diego State tomorrow night at Key Arena at 5:30 pm HST (televised on Fox Sports Pacific, channel 246). Since upsetting then-No. 18, Gonzaga, the Cougs have run off two consecutive victories against Idaho and Cal State Northridge. Derrick Low ‘04 led the team in scoring each of the two games hitting for 14 and 17, respectively. On the 28th, WSU will open their Pac-10 season against current No.1 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. Read More about the ‘Cougs (along with a few quotes from Derrick) »

Bobby Nash ‘03 had the best game of his career thus far as a UH Rainbow scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 boards in a victory against Northwestern State. He hopes to have the same success this evening as he leads his team into the 43rd Annual Rainbow Classic.

After scoring a career-high of 36 points in a 70-60 win over New Mexico Highlands, Kyle Pape ‘05 (Colorado School of Mines - DII) was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference East Division Player of the Week. On the season, Kyle is averaging 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and is shooting 80% from the freethrow line.

Ryan Hirata ‘04 (Chaminade - DII) saw his first real action of the season as he got in for 11 minutes in a 92-50 win over Presentation College. In the game, Ryan was 2-3 from the field (1-1 from three) scoring a total of 6 points with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and no turnovers.

Zach Tollefson ‘04 (Colorado State-Pueblo - DII) is on the roster, but hasn’t had many opportunties to make a contribution as he has only recorded a total of 2 minutes in 2 games for the Thunderwolves.

Vinny Nip ‘06 (Occidental - DIII) is currently a starter on the Tiger JV team and has seen a few minutes as a reserve for the varsity. According to Vinny, freshman rarely get an opportunity to contribute on the varsity, so he is fairly excited about his prospects for upcoming seasons.

Keilyn Fujioka ‘06 is proving to be a welcome addition to the Willamette Bearcats this season as she currently leads the team in rebounding (7.8/game), total blocks (11) and field goal percentage (48.4%) and is second in scoring at 8.0 points/game. Earlier this month, the Bearcats picked up their first win of the season due in large part to Keilyn who pumped in 18 points on 8-9 shooting with 15 rebounds and 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.

In her freshman year at the University of Utah, Hennasea Tokumura ‘06 has seen her playing time fluctuate, but has still managed to make a significant contribution this season for the Lade Utes. In a recent 66-63 win over Montana State, Hennasea had a perfect shooting performance scoring 6 points on 1-1 shooting and 4-4 from the freethrow line. She also contributed 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 19 minutes.

Lana Young ‘03 (Claremont McKenna) is the second leading scorer for the CMS (Claremont Mudd Scripps) Athena basketball team at 8.3 points/game with team-highs of 12 points and 15 points against California Baptist and Savannah College, respectively. Teammate and fellow alumnus, Kari Oki ‘05 (Scripps) has also seen minutes for the CMS squad leading the team in scoring with 11 points against Life Pacific College earlier this month.

A quick collection of gift ideas from Iolani-owned businesses (that I know of):

Great Harvest Bread Company - Kahala, Downtown, Kailua, Aiea - Pick up a gift basket or gift bag from one of their 4 locations throughout the state. They’re sure to please… View their 2006 Holiday Brochure »
Related Alumni: Adam Wong ‘94, Brian Ah Yat ‘94, Anson Shimabukuro ‘94, Justin Walthall ‘96

Crack Seed Center - Ala Moana Center - Pick it up at the store or make a purchase online. They have bunch of gift baskets to choose from including the option to create your own. Gift Certificates available as well. The Perfect procrastination pick… Express Mail Shipping available until the 20th!
Related Alumni: Bryan Li ‘96

Leather Soul - Downtown, Waikiki - Need a great gift for the business professional that seems to have it all?… Leather Soul is the perfect place to find high-end footwear that will never go out of style. Gift Certificates available.
Related Alumni: Tom Park ‘96

Hawaiian Hardball - Online - If you’re a baller in Hawaii, or you know one, then this maybe the perfect gift. Hawaiian Hardball has a complete line of baseball related apparel and accessories for men, women and keiki. Shipping is available, though I’m not sure if it’ll get there in time for Christmas, but I’m sure if you really need it, Jay will take care.
Related Alumni: Jason Arakaki ‘87

Iolani Store - Iolani School - Couldn’t find anything in red and black after spending hours at Ala Moana?… You’re in luck. The Iolani Store has got you covered. Shipping is available, but if you can’t afford to wait for them to ship it, drop by the Iolani Book Store for a pickup instead. (They are closed on Friday of this week for the holidays.)
Related Alumni: Kirk Uejio ‘98

That’s all I could come up with. Please post more in the comments…

The Iolani Classic started today, so here’s a little collection of what the local newspapers are saying about this year’s tournament:

Honolulu Advertiser article »
Star Bulletin article »

Another “flashback” video from the Iolani Classic website… Derrick Low ‘04 taking it at 6-11 Tunji Soroye of Montrose Christian (currently at Virginia) in the 2003 Iolani Classic:

As one of the first graduates of Olin College, an engineering institution in Massachusetts whose mission is to “prepare future leaders through an innovative engineering education that bridges science and technology, enterprise and society”, Leighton Ige ‘01, son of Iolani Japanese teacher Ige sensei, has always been willing to try something new and different. While at Iolani, he was among the first students to work on the schools website, providing early design and layout options before many even knew a site existed. In college, he started Salubrion, a health and well-being products company that produces and sells his own creation, the Salubrion Seat. Now, he lives and works in Hong Kong managing the manufacturing that pumps out his seats which are sold as far and wide as Japan, Britain, Germany, Canada, Austrailia and in many other places throughout the world.

Salubrion, pronounced sah-LOO-bree-on, is derived from the word “salubrious” which means “to promote health and well-being.” Along with his grandfather, Charles Saiki, Leighton designed and engineered the company’s first product, the Salubrion Seat which is a compact meditation chair ergonomically shaped to increase blood flow to the legs which allows for deeper and longer meditation sessions. Since appearing in holiday catalog for Gaiam, a large American distributer of yoga-related products, sales have been steady and the company is looking to expand their product line with new seating options for the home furniture market.

Iolani alumnus and current MLS player Duke Hashimoto ‘02 will be in attendance at the 2006 ProXtreme Soccer Camp at Waialae Iki Park running December 26-29. Registration is going on now and will continue until Christmas Day.

Drafted 38th overall in the fourth round of the 2006 MLS Superdraft, Duke was originally a member of the Columbus Crew, but just prior to the start of the season was sent to Real Salt Lake where he is listed as a forward. During the 2006 season, Duke contributed mainly as a player on the “reserve” squad which competed in the MLS Reserve League.

The Iolani Prep Classic is coming up in a matter of days… so in case you missed it, here’s a little flashback of the 2003 Dunk Contest featuring Oak Hill’s Josh Smith. After helping his team to an undefeated record and #1 national ranking, Smith was drafted in 2004 directly out of high school to the Atlanta Hawks. In 2005, he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. (Video filmed, cut and edited by Nelson Quan ‘03)

Among the Raiders that have gone on to play football and volleyball at the college level, only two remain in postseason play.

Ashley Aratani ‘04 is a junior defensive specialist for the 3rd-ranked Washington Huskies who are currently in Omaha, Nebraska competing for a national title for the third consecutive year. The Huskies will take on the 2nd-ranked Stanford Cardinal tomorrow in the Final Four semifinals (ESPNU).

Raynold Stowers ‘04 is a redshirt sophomore running back for the Utah Utes who finished their regular season at 7-5 and will play in the Armed Forces Bowl against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on December 23rd in Ft. Worth, Texas. (Televised on ESPN)

On the season, Raynold has seen limited action, carrying the ball 5 times for 23 total yards. He was, however, able to make it into the endzone with a 2-yard run in a 35-22 win against Colorado State.

After finishing his senior season as one of only three running backs in California history to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark, Joe Igber ‘99, in much the same manner as Barry Sanders, the back that many likened his running style to, walked away from football. He didn’t have to (he did have offers to attend NFL camps)… he wanted to.

You see, football wasn’t even the reason Joe chose Cal… He chose the respected university for its strong architecture and engineering programs. In 2003, Joe graduated with a degree in civil engineering and then went on to get a master’s degree in structural engineering.

Joe Igber is now a part of FTF Engineering, a structural engineering firm located in San Francisco.