Iolani Alumni

In just her freshman season with the Willamette Bearcats, forward Keilyn Fujioka ‘06 was named Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference after leading her team in nearly every statistical category including points per game (10.3), field goal percentage (53.8%), freethrow percentage (75%), rebounds per game (8.3) and total blocks (28). Her best perfomance came in a win against CSU-East Bay where she scored 23 points and grabbed 15 boards.

Willamette finished the season in 8th (of 9 teams) in the Northwest Conference at 3-13 and a 5-20 record overall. The Bearcats hope to come back strong next season as they’ll return several key players, including six who’ve seen time in the starting lineup.

Read more from the Willamette website »

After graduating from the University of Utah, Ed Ta’amu ‘97 was drafted in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, but suffered a knee injury and was released by the team later that year. In January of 2003, Ed was signed by the Houston Texans, but the same knee injury prevented him from competing and was waived before the start of the 2003 season.

After two years of rehab, Ed returned to the field for the Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League 2, contributing on an offensive line that allowed only 11 sacks en route to the 2006 AF2 Championship. This season, Ed is on the opening day roster as an offensive lineman (#75) for the Kansas City Brigade in the Arena Football League’s top level.

In December 2006, the AFL and ESPN signed a five-year deal to broadcast a minimum of 17 regular season games starting with the 2007 season, so look for Ed on a TV near you…

Save your money… lots of it. The cost of an Iolani education will go up once again in 2007-08, matching a general 6% increase amongst Hawaii’s private schools.

The tuition for the 2007-2008 school year will be $14,000, a $900 increase over this year ($13,100).

Since the turn of the century, Iolani School has raised their tuition by $4,500, an increase of 47.3%. In 2000-01, the tuition at Iolani was $9,500 for all grades. By comparison, Punahou increased their tuition by 51.2% with a $5,325 increase from $10,400 in 2000-01 to $15,725 in 2007-08.

Read more from the Star Bulletin, “Private schools to raise costs 6%” »

What’s the total cost of a K-12 Iolani education?
Starting in 2007-08 with an estimated increase of 6.9% per year (not standard, but based on the increase from 2006-07 to 2007-08), an Iolani parent will be paying a total of $280,148.14 for 13 years at Iolani School. Tuition in their child’s final year (2020) would be $31,178.88.

Again… SAVE YOUR MONEY!

Hongzhe Sun ‘03 didn’t break the Stanford record, but successfully defended his title in the 200 backstroke for the 3rd consecutive year in leading the Stanford Cardinal to their 26th straight Pac-10 team title. Hong picked up another first place finish as a member of the 400 IM relay team and finished in second and third in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM, respectively (events he won in 2006).

Iolani alumnus Mark Eckert ‘04 finished in second behind Hong in the 200 backstroke as a member of the Cal Bears swim team.

Star Bulletin - Homegrown Report: Hongzhe Sun »

Bob Morikuni ‘90… Remember the name. It may be the answer to a trivia question one day asking who the first head coach was to win a Division II State Basketball Championship in Hawaii.

After finishing in the middle of the pack in the regular season of the OIA White Division, the McKinley Tigers made a strong run in the OIA tournament only to fall in the finals to the Aiea Na Ali’i. That loss, though, would be the last of their 2006-07 season as the Tigers made their way through the inaugural Division II State Basketball Tournament, defeating St. Josephs in the first round, Seabury in the second round and rival Farrington in the semifinals to reach the championship game against the Kohala Cowboys.

In the final game, McKinley was able to handle the full court pressure and after a 12-10 first quarter, turned the game into a blowout outscoring the Cowboys 20-0 in the second. The game really didn’t get much closer and the Tigers were able to close the game out for a 55-28 win.

The Tigers were led by Jonathan Lee and Nainoa Lessary who scored 14 and 12 points respectively. McKinley big man, Earvin Sione, also had a big impact with an impressive overall performance scoring 9 points with 11 rebounds and 7 blocks.

Iolani JV volleyball coach and alumnus Brandon Flores ‘90 is an assistant coach on the McKinley staff along with Duane Omori and Abel Werner.

More about the 2007 McKinley Tigers Basketball Team »

As the UH regular season comes to a close and speculation grows as to who will take over as the next head basketball coach, Bobby Nash ‘03 (shown, Star Bulletin) and his “fabulous” father remain optimisitic about the team’s chances this year and are hopeful they can remain united and make a run next season.

Bob Nash, current associate head coach, has already been endorsed by current coach Riley Wallace and is a leading candidate to take over the reigns next season when Coach Wallace retires. But there’s no guarantees…

There is also no guarantee that Bobby will return to be a part of the Warriors next year either. The 6-6 junior guard, who is currently averaging 10.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg, will graduate from UH in May and be in a position to choose his final destination as a part of a newly created NCAA transfer rule. Under this rule, if a player graduates prior to the expiration of his athletic eligibility, he has the option to transfer to the school of his choice in his final season without having to sit out.

Kevin Krueger, a 2006 All Pac-10 selection for Arizona State, was the first to take advantage of the new rule as he transfered to UNLV in, this, his final season to play for his father and current head coach Lon Krueger.

The rule exists to allow student-athletes the ability to attend the graduate program of their choice without being restricted by athletics. Bobby could take advantage of this rule should his father not be selected as the next head coach and follow him along to wherever he accepts his next coaching job. Let’s just hope he stays home…

Read the Honolulu Advertiser article »

The Iolani Boys Basketball team ended its streak of 5 consecutive state championships last night with a 57-54 loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii. This loss marks their first postseason defeat since 2001 when the Raiders fell to the Kalaheo Mustangs in the finals of Derrick Low’s freshman year.

Having defeated the Warriors by a close margin early in the preseason, Iolani knew to expect a tough battle from the BIIF champions, but didn’t quite expect to shoot 16 of 39 (41%) from the freethrow line in the loss. Only down 6 at the half after shooting 31% from the field including 0-6 from three, the Raiders gave up 7 consecutive points on their first two defensive possessions of the second half - made foul shot, offensive rebound and 3-pointer, then 3-point play layup - and got down by as much as 14 before making a comeback near the end of the 3rd quarter.

In the fourth, Iolani stormed back hitting five 3-pointers in the period to cut the lead to 54-52 with just 14.9 seconds remaining, but were forced to foul and Kamehameha was able to hit just enough freethrows down the stretch to close the game.

Senior Ryan Dung had one final opportunity to tie the game from three-quarter court, but his shot was blocked. Fellow senior Case Miyahira led the Raiders with 16 points including three 3-pointers (all in the 4th quarter) and junior Taylor Mounts contributed 10 points and grabbed 13 boards. Full Box Score »

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

UPDATED: The Iolani Boys Basketball team is looking to defend their state championship again this year and extend their streak of 5-straight titles, but unlike years past, they’ll have to take the long road.

For the first time in seven seasons, the Raiders will go into the state tournament unseeded after finishing the ILH in second to the Punahou Buff-n-Blu. What that means for Iolani is that they will not receive a first round bye and will need to win 4 games (instead of 3) to capture their 6th straight title.

The “probable” road to the championship (if they can keep winning):

Round 1: Iolani vs. Baldwin @ Radford - Iolani Wins 70-45 Box Score »
Round 2: Iolani vs. Kamehameha-Hawaii @ Radford - Feb 21st, 6:00pm
Semifinals: Iolani vs. (St. Louis or Kaimuki)* @ Stan Sheriff - Feb 22nd, 8:00pm (TV)
Finals: Iolani vs. (Kalaheo or Punahou)* @ Stan Sheriff - Feb 23rd, 8:00pm (TV)

* Teams “expected” to make it through, but not guaranteed

See the full brackets for the 2007 State Basketball Tournament »

Two Iolani alumni are featured on the new websites for Servco, Hawaii’s local Toyota/Lexus dealer.

Trevor Benn ‘92 and wife Rae (Ifuku) Benn ‘92 are featured with their two children, Tyler and Malia on the home page of the Servco Auto Centers website. Trevor is currently a REALTOR with Honolulu Realty and Rae is a Controller at Ohana Pacific Management.

James Chan ‘98, Realtor-Associate with Prudential Locations and co-founder of Walk Fantastic Surfboards, is shown on the home page for Servco Auto Honolulu (formerly Toyota City).

As the 3rd ranked team in the Eastern Division of the OIA White Conference, the McKinley Tigers were just a game over .500 at 7-5 and hoping to play well enough to finish in the top 3 and qualify for the inaugural Division II State Tournament. Through the first two rounds, the Tigers knocked off the Western Division’s #2 seed, Waipahu, 57-47 and then took down the East #1 seed Kaiser Cougers (previously 12-1) 57-56. The underdog Tigers, with a state tournament berth secured, now find themselves in the finals against the #1 team in the West, the Aiea Na Alii.

The McKinley Tigers are coached by Bob Morikuni ‘90 (head coach - far left) and assistants Brandon Flores ‘90 (second from left), Duane Omori (far right) and Abel Werner (second from right). This year will mark the second state tournament appearance for the Tigers since Morikuni has become the head coach. In 2004, his first year at the helm, Bob took an undersized Tiger team into the Division I State Tournament and was among the select few in consideration for state “Coach of the Year”. That team was led by star quarterback and current assistant coach Abel Werner.

The OIA Division II Championship game, McKinley vs. Aiea, will be televised live on OC16 on Friday, February 16th at 5:30pm.

(Note: In Division I, the Kalaheo Mustangs will face the Kaimuki Bulldogs at 7:00pm for the OIA Championship. Kalaheo is coached by basketball standout and Iolani alumnus Chico Furtado ‘76.)

Tonight, OC16 will be televising the 3rd place games for the ILH (in both Division I and Division II) starting at 4:30pm and 6:00pm respectively.

In the first game, the AOP Dolphins will face the Hanalani Royals for the Division II 3rd place title and the right to go to the first ever Division II Boys’ Basketball State Tournament. If the camera ever hits the sidelines, you’re sure to see AOP assistant coach Maika’i Spencer ‘97 and may even be able to catch a glimpse of athletic director Brad Kitsu ‘94.

In Division I, Kamehameha Warriors and St. Louis Crusaders will face off for the third time this season for a chance to travel to Kona to play the Konawaena Wildcats for a spot in the 2007 State Boys’ Basketball Tournament. Somewhere near the end of the bench, you might be able to find Warrior assistant coach (and English teacher) Cavan Scanlan ‘92 helping his team pick up their first win against the Crusaders after two close losses.

Wes Eberlin ‘05 is a sophomore middle blocker for the Stevens Institute of Technology which plays in the Skyline Conference, a member of NCAA Division III.

Stevens is located in Hoboken, New Jersey on the banks of the Hudsen River and has been recognized as being in the National Top 10 for “Research Excellence in Management of Technology” just behind well known schools Georgia Tech, MIT, Rutgers and Stanford.

To date, the Stevens Ducks Men’s Volleyball team is ranked first in their conference and 6th nationally in the AVCA for NCAA Division III. Wes is currently a reserve but has seen action in 6 of the team’s 19 matches, hitting .312 and averaging 1.22 blocks per game.

The Washington State Cougars have made it into the AP Top 10 after completing a sweep of the Bay Area schools last weekend in Pullman. At 21-4, their newly acquired #10 ranking marks the Cougs first ever appearance in the national top 10. In the other nationally recognized poll sponspored by ESPN and USA Today, Washington State is only one notch behind at #11.

WSU will face their cross-state rivals, the Washington Huskies in Seattle on Wednesday, February 14th at 5:00pm HST. The game will be televised locally on Oceanic Digital Channel 246 (Fox Sports Pacific).

Derrick Low ‘04 (shown, Honolulu Advertiser - 2004) hopes to comeback strong from a slight ankle injury and season-low 2 point performance in the Cougs’ recent 59-46 win over California on Saturday. In his last game against the Huskies, Derrick scored 20 points including 5-7 from 3-point range in a 75-47 blowout.

After his first collegiate appearance as a starter for the University of Kansas, Wally Marciel ‘06 (shown, Star Bulletin) already has his coaches speaking high praise. In their opening series against the University of Hilo, Wally gave up 2 runs on 5 hits through 5 innings, striking out 6 batters and walking 3 in a 7-2 victory.

Though his numbers were solid, what stood out most for the Jayhawk coaching staff was Wally’s “competitive spirit” which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to Iolani fans. As a starter in both baseball and basketball at Iolani, Wally was well-known for his grit and determination, pitching the team out of tough situations on the diamond and banging with the “big boys” as an undersized forward in the gym.

Coach Ritch Price is very happy to have Wally at the University of Kansas and was even quoted saying “He has a chance to be the best freshman we’ve had since I’ve been here.” Wow!

Read the article in “The University Daily Kansan” »

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More Iolani Alumni Baseball Players:
Brett Hasegawa ‘06 - San Jose State
Travis Nishioka ‘06 - University of Washington
CJ Johnson ‘06 - Central Arizona JC
Galen Komo ‘04 - Azusa Pacific
Eric Muraoka ‘04 - Lewis & Clark College
Rich Olsen ‘02 - UH (injured)

After graduating from Brown University, Garrett Matsunaga ‘91 went on to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to obtain his medical degree, graduating in 2000. Since that time, he has worked in the California area as a urologic surgeon with specialized training in “cutting-edge, minimally invasive laproscopic, robotic and endourologic techniques.”

Dr. Matsunaga will be in Hawaii to assist surgeons at the Queen’s Medical Center in the use of their newly acquired “Da Vinci” system, a “robotic system (that) has been used for a variety of minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgical procedures performed through tiny incisions.” Based on current data, use of the system helps reduce blood loss and pain and significantly speeds up the recovery process.

While at Iolani, Dr. Matsunaga wrestled as a member of the 1990-91 State Championship team. He is currently married to wife Melanie (Dee) and the couple recently celebrated the birth of their first son in November of 2006.

South Bay Urology Medical Group - Physician Profile »
Honolulu Star Bulletin article »