2007 Division II State Basketball Champions: McKinley Tigers
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.
Posted in: 1990, Basketball |