Iolani Alumni

Iolani School held its annual Athletic Awards Assembly on May 24th to honor the all-star athletes for the 2006-07 season and present the major athletic awards. See the list of recipients »

Watch the Go Raiders! Movie: (13 minutes)

Photos & Video: Brad Lawson ‘08, Leah Shretenthaler ‘08, Colby Takeda ‘07, Mr. Alan Linskey, Mr. Dalton Sue, Nate’s Photography, Mr. Charlie Proctor, Mr. Carl Schroers, Mr. Eddie Maruyama

Animation: Taylor Wong ‘08,

Editing: Mr. Sam Cropsey

Drafted in the 26th round coming out of high school in 2005, Ian Mopas ‘05 was selected again by the Minnesota Twins in the 30th round in 2006 as a “draft-and-follow” after his first season at Golden West Community College. The 18 year-old left-handed pitcher signed with the Twins yesterday for an undisclosed amount and will be reporting to their training facility in Fort Myers, Florida.

Had the Twins been unable to sign Ian, they would have lost his rights and allowed him to become eligible for the upcoming draft on June 7 and 8.

[Photo: Iolani Imua]

Galen Komo ‘04 and the Azusa Pacific Cougars were named the top seed in 2007 NAIA World Series after finishing the regular season with a record of 32-4. Ranked #2 in both the NAIA coaches poll and Super Regional seedings, the Cougars were beneficiaries of a contractual agreement with the NAIA which does not allow the host team to receive higher than a #3-seed. Lewis-Clark State, who recently defeated Azusa Pacific in the NAIA Super Regional and holds the #1-ranking, is the host of this year’s World Series.

After a first round bye in the 10-team, double-elimination tournament, the Cougars opened the 2007 World Series with a 14-9 loss to Lindenwood placing them in the “lose-and-you-go-home” elimination bracket.

In play today, the Cougars rebounded with a 7-4 win over Lee (Tenn.) and will face Houston Baptist (Texas) tomorrow.

As a second baseman for Azusa Pacific, Galen is batting .306 with 7 doubles and 17 RBI. In World Series play, he is 1 for 5 (.200) and has 4 put-outs with no errors.

Nationally recognized architect and Class of ‘92 graduate, Clayton Katsuyoshi is in the early stages of his “Around the World Adventure” having recently stopped in Machu Picchu and the Galapagos in his travels through South America. He is keeping a record of his journey, filled with stories and photos, that’s sure to make all you 9-5ers more than a little jealous.

Since ending work on February 13th, Clayton made his way south through Nevada (Vegas), Arizona and Texas (where he met up with sister Charlaine ‘94), hopped on a plane to Ecuador, bused it to Peru, moved on to Chile…

Follow Clayton’s journey on your own… Visit his blog at Katsuyoshi.org

The schedule for the 2007 Iolani Alumni Basketball League is set and play will begin on Monday, June 11th.

View the 2007 Schedule »

This season, there’s no “A” and “B” league. Everyone plays everyone (sorta) much like it was when the league started nearly 14 years ago. The teams, though, are grouped into two divisions with the Class of ‘95 and older playing on one side (Red) and the Class of ‘96 and younger on the other (Black). At the end of the season, the winner and second place in each division will meet in a playoff for 1st and 3rd, respectively.

There are 18 teams participating in the 2007 Alumni Basketball League spanning 27 years of Iolani alumni from Dave Chun’s Class of ‘80 team to Michael Lim’s team from this year’s graduating Class of ‘07.

Notes: News and results from this year’s league will be available through the Alumni Basketball League link at the top of the page (just below the logo). Please check back for more information… Like year’s past, I will try my best to keep the site updated with the most recent scores and stats. Enjoy!

Iolani School has named Lance Watanabe the new head coach of the Varsity Softball Team. He succeeds former head coach Chris Shimabukuro ‘85 who stepped down in late March after nine seasons with the Raiders during which time he led the team to three ILH Championships and back-to-back state titles in 1999 and 2000.

Since 2004, Watanabe has been an assistant on the Iolani varsity staff, serving as the team’s batting instructor. Prior to his time with the Raiders, Watanabe served as the head coach at Wai’anae from 1995-2003. In 1996, he lead the Seariders to the OIA West title, but fell twice to perennial power Kailua in the OIA and State finals. For his efforts, Watanabe was named the OIA West and Hawaii State Coach of the Year in 1996.

With Watanabe at the helm, the Raiders will be looking to contend for an ILH title and improve on their 3rd place finish in the state tournament this past season. Iolani will return several starters in 2007-08 including outfielders Kryn Masutani, Raechele Takara and Jana Tokuhama, All-State second teamers Kylie Ahlo (2B) and Kai Masutani (C) as well as starting pitcher and early season ace Brittney Guro.

In his final collegiate appearance this season, Wally Marciel ‘06 took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but couldn’t hold on as the Nebraska Cornhuskers rallied for four runs over the next three innings to earn the 4-2 win.

In the loss, Wally went 6.1 innings giving up 3 earned runs with 5 strikeouts and 3 walks. He ended his season with a record of 5-3 and an ERA of 3.94, lowest among starting pitchers. Overall, Wally made 19 appearances for the Jayhawks with 10 starts and recorded 47 strikeouts with 18 walks.

[Photo: KUAthletics.com]

Read the complete game recap »

Both Iolani gradutes, both born on March 29 (one year apart), and both power-hitting first baseman… Kila ‘02 and Kala ‘03 Ka’aihue were both on the same field this past weekend as members of opposing teams in the high Class A Carolina League.

Kila, the older of the two siblings and member of the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals), was recently named the Carolina League Player of the Week for his performance in early May when he batted 10 for 25 (.400) with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs. Since that time, his average has cooled slightly to .340, but is still far better than his performance in April (.188), an improvement he credits to his manager John Mizerock who made slight adjustments to his posture and stance. In the series this past weekend, Kila was 3 for 8 with 1 RBI with all of his hits coming in the second game of the series. On the season, he is batting .246 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI.

Kala, a first baseman for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Braves), missed the final two games of the series after being hit by a pitch in the opener on Thursday. Like his brother, Kala has also come on in the month of May batting .276, more than 100 points higher than his .167 average in April. For the month, he has 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .534.

In the series, Kala’s Myrtle Beach team won two of the three games, closing out the series with a 10-8 win.

[Photo: The News Journal]

Read the article about Kila from Delaware Online »

Despite a 28 point, 13 rebound performance from star center Jamie Smith, the Iolani Raiders were unable to find their groove in the second half, falling to the Konawaena Wildcats 50-41 in the semifinals of the 2007 Hawaii Girls Basketball State Tournament. After jumping out to an early lead that took them into halftime leading 27-21, the Raiders struggled in the final two quarters, scoring just 15 points and committing several key turnovers.

Iolani plays in the 3rd place game against the Honoka’a Dragons tonight at 4:00pm at the Stan Sheriff Center. It will be the final game in a Raider uniform for seniors Chelsea Unemori, Sarah Turgeon and Alana Matayoshi.

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In Division II, the McKinley Tigers, coached by Bob Morikuni ‘90 and Brandon Flores ‘90, fell to the Kamehameha-Hawaii Warriors 73-53 in the semifinals at Farrington Gymnasium. The Tigers were led by Chelsie Sato who scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

McKinley will face the Campbell Sabers in the 3rd place game at 10:45am at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Iolani Girls Basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2007 Hawaii Girls Basketball State Tournament with a 50-39 win over the Radford Rams on Wednesday night.

The Raiders jumped out to an early lead hitting 5 of 10 3-pointers in the first two quarters to go into halftime with a 31-13 lead. Chanel Hirata hit 3 three-pointers in the first half and, along with forward Alana Matayoshi, finished with a team-high 10 points. The Rams were led by 6-0 freshman center Ta Nitra Byrd who scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in the loss.

Plagued by foul trouble in the first half, Jamie Smith, Iolani’s leading scorer, finished the game with 8 points and 9 rebounds, well below her double-double average of nearly 16 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Iolani will face the #2-seed and #1-ranked Konawaena Wildcats in the semifinals tonight at 6:00pm at the Stan Sheriff Center. The game will be televised live on OC16.

Other notes: If you were in the arena or listening closesly while watching the game on TV, you have have noticed a familiar voice coming over the loudspeaker. Former Iolani sharpshooter, Ryan Hirata ‘04 was the voice behind the microphone announcing all the in-game action.

Also in attendance last night was Kyle Pape ‘05, back from second season at the Colorado School of Mines. While Kyle was caught on camera, Washington State star Derrick Low ‘04 didn’t make it on screen, but that may be because you’ll see him halftime of tonight’s game being interviewed by the OC16 crew.

Here’s what’s going on “On Campus” today… a new section to take you back to the “good ol’ days” when you had to worry about making it to homeroom before the bell or make sure Mr. Lee wasn’t gonna bust you for not having a collar…

What cycle is it? Schedule?
Cycle 7, Basic Schedule

For all that don’t remember, that’s 7, 8, 1, 2, 5, Lunch, 6, 3, 4. 44 minute periods. Remember?

What’s for lunch?:
Type A: Shephard’s Pie w/French Bread
Type B: Chicken Fajita’s, Carne Asada, Vegetarian Burrito

Shephard’s Pie… ahh Shephard’s Pie. Ground beef, corn, mashed potato and gravy goodness all slapped on one tray. The old-school version of KFC’s Famous Bowls.

Who’s busting people?
Mr. Tate Brown, Dean of Students - Photo

Mr. Lee retired a few years back, so Tate Brown, Dean of Students, and Deborah Hall, Director of Studies, were hired to take his place.

Where do the seniors hang out?
Under the library

Some things never change… except for the benches being a heck of a lot nicer and the lights actually working.

What’s everyone doing after school?
2007 Girls Basketball State Tournament - Iolani vs. Radford
Wednesday, May 16 - 6:00pm
Stan Sheriff Center
(Televised Live on OC16)

The #3-seed Iolani Girls Basketball team plays their first state tournament game tonight against the Radford Rams who are among the state’s most athletic teams and are led by 6-0 center Ta Nitra Byrd, the top scorer in the OIA West at 15.5 ppg. More about the 2007 Hawaii Girls State Tournament »

What’s coming up?
Iolani Dance Showcase
Friday, May 18 - 7:00pm
Neil Blaisdell Concert Hall

Tickets are $5.00 and can only be purchased from the school in the Bookstore or the Performing Arts Office (Tickets will NOT be sold by at NBC).

After a 12 day layoff, the Iolani Girls Basketball team gets back to action tomorrow, May 16th at 6:00pm at the Stan Sheriff Center (Televised live on OC16). The Raiders will face the winner of the Radford vs. Maui game which will be played today at 2:15pm. Complete Tournament Schedule »

Iolani captured the ILH title on May 3rd in a playoff win over the Kamehameha Warriors and has been practicing for the last week and a half while the OIA and MIL finished up their post-season tournaments. As the ILH champion, the Raiders were awarded the #3-seed in this week’s tournament, placing them automatically in the quarterfinals with an opening round bye. Should they reach the semifinals, Iolani will likely face the #2-seed Konawaena Wildcats who, by most people’s account, should be the #1-seed due to their undefeated record and past success.

On the other side of the bracket, OIA Champion and #1-seed Roosevelt, ILH runner-up Punahou and BIIF runner-up Honokaa appear to be the teams with the best chance of advancing to the finals… hopefully, to meet up with the Raiders.

See a complete rundown of the 2007 Hawaii Girls Basketball State Tournament Contenders »

It was a season of “firsts” for the Iolani Girls Water Polo team this year as they picked up their first ILH championship, made their first state tournament appearance and won their first ever state championship defeating the Kahuku Red Raiders 11-4 in the finals of the 2007 Hawaii Girls Water Polo State Tournament. The win also marked the first state title for Iolani School in 2006-07. Not since 1985 has Iolani been shutout of winning at least one state championship during an entire school year.

The Raiders finished their season at 10-1 and will graduate seven seniors from their “short-handed” roster with two sophomores returning next season to defend their title.

Iolani is coached by by third-year head Linda Look and assistants Neil Kuioka ‘00 and Ian Kusao ‘02.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

McKinley coaches Bob Morikuni ‘90 and Brandon Flores ‘90 have done it again…

After finishing the boys season as the 2007 Division II State Champions, the two coaches, along with assistant Abel Werner, took their winning ways to the girls program where they picked up the 2007 OIA White Division Championship with a 63-52 victory over the Campbell Sabers on Friday night.

With the win, McKinley is 14-1 overall and will be the OIA’s top seed in the state tournament which begins on Tuesday.

UPDATE: The Tigers were awarded the #2-seed overall in the 2007 Hawaii State Division II Girls Basketball Tournament and will face the winner of Waimea and St. Andrew’s on Wednesday, May 16th at 8:00pm at Farrington Gymnasium. See the complete bracket »

The Iolani Girls Water Polo team advanced to the semifinals of the 2007 Hawaii Girls Water Polo State Tournament with a 17-7 opening round win against Kamehameha-Hawaii.

They will face #4-seed Lahainaluna today at 5.00pm at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center at Central Oahu Regional Park. Should they pick up the win, they will advance to the finals which will be played at 2:00pm on Saturday.

See the complete bracket »

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In the 2007 Hawaii State Tennis Tournament on Maui, several players for Iolani are still alive and playing in quarterfinal action today. On the boys side, the doubles team of Marcus Pearman and Kyle Shiroma (#3 seed) and David Imanaka and Braxton Sato (#6 seed) will be competing in the quarterfinals this morning at 10:30am. For the girls, the #5-seed Sara Yoshinaga will be competing in singles play along with the #3-seeded doubles team of Nikki Castel and Jaime Young. Semifinal action will be played later this afternoon with the champions to be determined on Saturday morning.

More information on the 2007 Hawaii State Tennis Championships »

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Head coach Bob Morikuni ‘90 and assistant Brandon Flores ‘90 will be playing for another championship tonight when their McKinley Lady Tigers take on the Campbell Sabers for the OIA White Division Championship. After leading the McKinley boys team to the 2007 Hawaii State Division II Championship, the two coaches moved immediately into the girls season where they led the Tigers to a 11-1 regular season record and, with their semifinal win over Waialua on Wednesday night, have already secured a state tournament berth.

The OIA White Division Championship game will be televised live on OC16 tonight at 5:30pm.