Iolani Alumni

Blessed with the “Gift of Gab” from their legendary father and grandfather Chuck Leahey, Jim and Kanoa Leahey ‘95 have been talking sports ever since they could utter their first words.

Sports talk has since become their profession… Now, Jim, the voice of UH sports, and Kanoa, sports director for KHON2, have decided to take it even farther, creating their own show together to voice their opinions in a “generationally challenged” debate called the “Leahey & Leahey” show.

Catch the father-son duo on television Wednesday evenings from 7:30 - 8pm (no commercials) on PBS or on the radio Monday and Friday mornings from 6 to 9am on KUMU 1500.

[Photo: PBS Hawaii]

Most know the story by now… After playing just 73 seconds (and not touching the ball) in two opening losses for Team USA at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil, Derrick Low ‘04 was given a chance to start in the third game and went on to lead the team to three straight victories. Over the stretch, he averaged 14.3 points per game and shot 50% from the field including 6 of 16 from three.

Oh what could have been… ESPN ponders the thought and asks coach Jay Wright, “Why no Low?”

Read the complete ESPN article »

The Hawaii version of Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance?” will be coming to a television screen near you when “Destination: Groove Dance Hawaii” hits the airwaves early this fall.

Beginning September 16th, the show will air Sundays at 7:00pm on KHNL and will feature local dancers in a week to week competition where viewers will have the chance to vote online for their favorites to advance.

“Destination: Groove” is the brainchild of Iolani alumnus Christine Yasunaga ‘89 who recently returned to Hawaii after dancing professionally for many years in LA, New York, Japan and Paris. A graduate of UCLA with a BA in Dance, Christine has most recently appeared on Broadway as part of the original cast of “The Lion King”, “The King & I” starring Lou Diamond Phillips, the pre-Broadway production of “Flower Drum Song” with Lea Salonga and in Radio City Music Hall’s “Spring Spectacular”. She has also danced with Ricky Martin, Bernadette Peters, with the LA Contemporary Dance Company, Hawaii Ballet Theater, a hip hop dance troupe for NIKE and in numerous commercials and industrials.

Read more about the show in the Star Bulletin »

Kickboxing may not be an ILH sport and probably never will be, but if it were, the Raiders would definitely have the upperhand. Unbeknownst to many in the Iolani Community, incoming freshman Sage Yoshida ‘11 is one of the top kickboxers in his age division in the state of Hawaii and is said to have an extremely bright future in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Having won his most recent kickboxing matchup at Kickin It 2007 on April 20th, Sage has also competed in several mixed martial arts and jiu-jitsu events, coming out on top in each one of them. On June 22nd, he defeated an older but lighter fighter in dominant fashion to win 125lb title at the Got Skills Champships which featured a mixture of kickboxing, takedowns and grappling and was named the “Fighter of the Night” for his performance. The following day on June 23rd, Sage won the 12-14 Gi and No-Gi titles at the Hawaiian Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Results).

Sage trains and fights out of the HMC Academy where his father Kevin is an instructor. He is also a member of the Iolani Wrestling Team.

UPDATE: After receiving his second Player of the Week award, Kala was promoted to the Double-A Mississippi Braves on July 25th.

For the second time this season, Kala Ka’aihue ‘03 has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for his hot hitting as a member of the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. During the one week stretch Kala was 12-28 (.429) with 3 home runs, 9 RBI and a slugging percentage of .859. His most impressive performance came on July 22 when he went 2 for 2 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI in a 3-0 win over Winston-Salem.

Considered a candidate for league MVP honors, Kala recently ended a season high 12-game hitting streak and 32-game on-base streak when he went 0-4 yesterday in a 7-1 win over Frederick. To date, Kala leads the Carolina League with 22 home runs and is one long ball away from tying the team’s single-season home run record of 23 set in 1999. He’s also third in the league with 61 RBI and just 20 RBI shy of breaking the club’s single-season RBI mark of 81 set by Matt Esquivel and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (currently playing in the Majors for the Atlanta Braves) in 2005.

More Hot Hitting: Kala’s older brother, Kila ‘02 is also having a strong season of his own. Having already been promoted midseason to Double-A Wichita, Kila is batting .252 with 4 home runs and 13 RBI which includes a 3 for 5 performance on July 22nd where he hit two solo home runs in a 8-1 win over Springfield.

Evidently, leading his team to the 2007 Iolani Alumni Basketball League championship wasn’t the biggest highlight of the summer for Jerry Tanaka ‘95. As the vice president of manufacturing for Maui Divers Jewelry, Jerry was recently named to Pacific Business News’ prestigious “Forty Under 40” which honors 40 young men and women who, in the eyes of four judges, exemplify a combination of excellence in their business careers and a passion for community service.

(Shown - far left - with wife Enriqueta - far right - at a fundraiser for Representative AJ Halagao in 2006)

With a degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, Jerry worked for several years in the Indiana area with Ingersoll-Rand, a security company and safe manufacturer, before returning home in 2003. Since that time, he has received his MBA from the University of Hawaii, has gotten married (to wife Enriqueta) and has been managing development and production at Maui Divers Jewelry as the Vice-President of Operations.

A new champion was crowned on Wednesday night when Red Division Champion Team Tanaka defeated Black Division Champion Team Hirata 64-55 in the title game of the 2007 Iolani Alumni Basketball League. Kanoa Leahey ‘95 and John Stepien ‘95 led the way for Team Tanaka with 17 and 15 points respectively. Kyle Pape ‘05 and Ryan Hirata ‘04 pitched in 20 and 18 in a losing effort.

In the battle for third place, Team Pacheco defeated Team Kawahara 42-28.

2007 Iolani Alumni League Overall Champions (left to right): Josh Obrey ‘94, Doug Lange ‘94, Kanoa Leahey ‘95, John Stepien ‘95, Micah Banton ‘95, Mark Ambler ‘95, Jerry Tanaka ‘95

Continue Reading »

As an infielder for the York Revolution, Keoni DeRenne ‘97 is tearing through the Atlantic League, leading the team in batting and helping them to a first place standing in the South Division.

Through 28 games, Keoni is batting .336 (39 of 116) with 7 doubles, 4 home runs and 17 RBI. He has appeared defensively at third base, second base and shortstop and has also been used as a designated hitter.

Keoni is currently in his 7th professional season after being drafted in the 12th round of the 2000 draft. He has spent time with the Braves, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Red Sox organizations, reaching as high as AAA with the Diamondbacks in 2004 and 2005 and the Red Sox in 2006.

[Photo: York Revolution]

For his performances at the plate during the month of June, Kala Ka’aihue ‘03 was named the Topps Carolina League Player of the Month as a first baseman for the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

Through 27 games in June, Kala batted .378 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI including an 11-game stretch where he went 19 for 40 (.475) with 5 home runs and 17 RBI.

On the season, Kala is batting .290 with 20 home runs and 54 RBI. He currently leads the Carolina League in home runs (20) and slugging percentage (.570) and is 5th in total RBI.

Derrick Low ‘04 has been named to the final roster of 12 for Team USA and will be traveling to Rio De Janiero, Brazil on Saturday to compete in the 2007 Pan-American Games.

Team USA will participate in Pool A which includes Argentina, Panama, and Uruguay. Their schedule will be as follows:

• July 25th - Uruguay (3:00pm HST)
• July 26th - Panama (12:45pm HST)
• July 27th - Argentina (12:45pm HST)

Following the preliminary round, the top two teams from each pool with advance to the medal round to determine first through fourth places. The teams in Pool B include Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Games are expected to be televised on ESPN Deportes, the station’s Spanish-language channel.

Recent ESPN article on Derrick and Kyle Weaver »

As a member of U.S. Men’s Junior National Volleyball Team, Kawika Shoji ‘06 (shown, 15) helped the team to a seventh place finish in the FIVB Men’s Junior World Championship in Rabat, Morocco from July 7-15.

Throughout the tournament, Kawika, named team captain along with Spencer McLachlin, started primarily at libero for Team USA who finished pool play at 3-2 and advanced to the 5th place bracket (the top two teams in each of the two pools advance to the championship bracket). After being swept by Bulgaria in the opening game, the team rebounded with a 3-1 victory over Cuba to capture seventh.

[Photo: USA Volleyball]

I’m sure you’ve noticed, but there haven’t been any scores or stats reported for the last couple weeks. Here’s why:

1. I was on a trip for two weeks.
2. I haven’t received any of the scores or stats.

So… with only a week or so left to play, you’ll all have to live in the recorded glory of your performances from weeks one and two.

Thanks for your understanding.

Derrick Low ‘04 and Washington State teammate Kyle Weaver are among the 14 players still in contention to make the final roster (of 12) to represent Team USA in the 2007 Pan American Games.

In Philadelphia since July 12, thirty of the country’s top players participated in five practice sessions over the last three days to compete for a spot on the 12-member team which will compete in Rio De Janiero from July 25-31. After the final session Saturday, the USA Basketball committee, headed by Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, voted on the list of 14 and will announce the final 12 players prior to the team’s departure next Saturday.

According to ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz, Derrick “stood out with his floor leadership” during the five session tryout which could be a good sign for his future prospects as several NBA scouts were attendance over the last three days.

Listen to Derrick’s quote from USA Basketball (Windows Media) »

Earlier in the week, Derrick was also featured in a short article posted by USA Basketball… Read the interview »

Evangelist, entrepreneur, investment banker, and venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki ‘72, known for his early work with Apple, has launched his most recent venture Truemors. Truemors is a Digg-like collection of posts and comments that “enables you to ‘tell the world’ — within the bounds of good taste and the law anyway. You can post your rumors, news, and sightings, and anyone with web access can read and rate them within minutes.”

Kawasaki has also written several books which includes Rules for Revolutionaries, Selling the Dream, The Macintosh Way, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Hindsights, The Computer Curmudgeon, Database 101 and most recently The Art of the Start.

Check out his website at GuyKawasaki.com »
Visit Truemors.com »

From the “feel good music” of Ho’onu’a to the rootsy reggae sound of Thick Tubes to the harmonic voices of Milo Shade, Iolani School has been home to several of Hawaii’s most popular musicians. With a passion for music that began early in their high school years, these former students made their first appearances at talent shows and assemblies performing first for their friends and family at Iolani and then moving on to record albums later on in their careers.

The latest group of students to follow this musical path is the all-alumni band “Island Vibes“. Their contemporary sound blends a variety of genres as they can be heard playing covers of everything from Malino to Jason Mraz. The group is made up of lead singer Jarik Bautista ‘07, ukulele player Ryan Renfro ‘07, lead guitar Kirtus Adams ‘05, bass player Kody Adams ‘07 and drummer Brandon Tucay ‘06.

Check them out at the 2007 Iolani Variety Show: