Iolani Alumni

Event Date: Saturday, June 14th, 2008

In what has become a great tradition for Iolani families and alumni over the last few summers, the Iolani Alumni Association will again be hosting a free performance by one of Hawaii’s most beloved artists, the Makaha Sons.

Fresh off of a tour of Japan, “Moon, John and Jerome” will be playing under the warmth of the afternoon sun on the lawn in the Upper School Courtyard. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to gather with friends and family and enjoy a relaxing summer Saturday…

Again, admission is FREE. More details will become available as the date gets closer.

His college career may have ended, but Derrick Low ‘04 is far from finished playing basketball… Here’s what’s coming up for the ex-Coug:

• April 3 - 20th Annual 3-Point Shootout (ESPN at 3pm HST)
  Held at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio Texas, Low will be one of eight participants along with Jamar Butler of Ohio State, Jaycee Carroll of Utah State, Shan Foster of Vanderbilt, A.J. Graves of Butler, Chris Lofton of Tennessee, Drew Neitzel of Michigan State and Brian Roberts of Dayton.
• April 9 to 12 - 56th Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
  The P.I.T is a 4-day tournament for college seniors to be evaluated by NBA and foreign officials prior to the NBA’s pre-draft camp in Orlando.
• May 3 - Washington State University - Graduation
  Low will receive his bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in sports management.
• May 27 to 29 - 2008 NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando
  Invites have not been sent out yet, but there is a chance Low could be invited for a chance to make his case to NBA scouts and management.
• June 26 - 2008 NBA Draft
  Low is projected as a late second round pick at best, but, should he go undrafted, would likely have the opportunity to try out for various teams as a free agent.

More from the Honolulu Advertiser »

From HawaiiHoops.com - Highlights of Derrick Low ‘04 from the 2002-03 Basketball Season. Includes “The Dunk” against Kamehameha from the 2003 State Tournament semifinals.

Game tips-off at 1:27pm today on KGMB9 (Oceanic 7).

Just to get you in the mood for tomorrow, here’s a highlight video of  Washington State vs. Notre Dame set to the soundtrack from “Rudy”…

Note: If you haven’t noticed, its “Derrick Low Week” here at IolaniAlumni.com. Everything will be back to normal after they win the National Championship in two weeks.

When the Washington State Cougars and the North Carolina Tar Heels meet up on Thursday afternoon for a chance to advance to the Elite 8, Derrick Low ‘04 will hear a familiar voice coming from the sideline… the opposing sideline.

Photo: Roy Williams (pink shirt) at Low’s summer game in Las Vegas - July 2002

Current UNC head coach, Roy Williams, while still at Kansas, recruited Low after his sophomore year at Iolani School to fill the void left by then-departing guards Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Miles. He even made a personal appearance at one of Low’s summer games in Las Vegas and followed up by sending top assistant Steve Robinson to the Iolani Classic later that year.

The process ended, though, when Coach Williams accepted the job at UNC in the spring of 2003.

Big mistake… Let’s hope he regrets it! Go Cougs!

Event Date: Thursday, March 27th, 2008

With two dominating performances in the opening rounds of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Derrick Low ‘04 and the Washington State Cougars are going where no Wazzu team has gone since 1941…. To the Sweet Sixteen!

Photo: Zach Tollefson ‘04 (left) and Dustin Low (right) showing love for the Cougs

The Cougs are off to Charlotte to face the top-ranked team in the country, the North Carolina Tar Heels, on Thursday, March 27th at 1:27pm HST in the prestigious Round of 16.

Expected to follow the team to North Carolina on the “Road to the Final Four” are Ken and Dustin Low (Derrick’s father and brother), Clyde and Ryan Hirata ‘04, Zach Tollefson ‘04, Lacey Lavarias ‘04, Doc Mugiishi ‘77, James Kawashima ‘60, Wes Nakama ‘86, Cy Ohta ‘89, Chad Ito ‘89, Adam Wong ‘94 and Lara ‘89, Joan and Dan Feldhaus, among others…

Let’s hope all your brackets are busted… Go Cougs!

Fellow seniors Taylor Mounts and Jamie Smith were each voted the 2007-08 ILH Co-Players-of-the-Year in their respective leagues.

Mounts, who averaged 15.5 points per game during the regular season, shared the award with Punahou forward Kameron Steinhoff. Junior forward Pablo Warner was also voted to the ILH First Team while junior guard Kela Marciel and senior guard Berton Wong were named Honorable Mention selections.

View the complete list of 2008 ILH Boys Basketball All-Stars »

Smith, the 2008 Gatorade Player-of-the-Year, was voted the ILH Co-Player-of-the-Year with Punahou standout forward Shawna-Lei Kuehu. Senior guard Chanel Hirata was also voted to the First Team and senior forward Kylie Ahlo was named to the Second Team. Senior guard Dayna Jandoc was an Honorable Mention selection.

View the complete list of 2008 ILH Girls Basketball All-Stars »

Dr. Mark Mugiishi ‘77 was named the ILH Coach-of-the-Year for leading the Raiders to the 2008 ILH Championship.

On the girls side, Glenn Takara ‘80 was named the the ILH Co-Coach-of-the-Year with Punahou head coach Mike Taylor.

[Photos: Honolulu Advertiser]

If you’ve already filled out your bracket and don’t have the Washington State Cougars penciled into the “Elite 8″ after upsetting the Tar Heels in the “Sweet 16″, then I really need to question your fan-hood…

I understand that it may go against your better judgment, but its not like you’re the one winning the pool every year? If you are, then never mind. If not… hurry up and change your bracket before its too late.

Derrick Low ‘04 and the #4-seeded Cougs will open their run to the Final Four with a first round matchup against Winthrop tomorrow afternoon at 1:20pm HST. The game will be televised live on KGMB9 (Oceanic Channel 7) so make sure to take a late lunch… or maybe just make it a half-day (you know you earned it).

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And… Don’t forget about the women’s tournament. Sophomore guard Hennasea Tokumura ‘06 and the #8-seeded Utah Utes will open play on Sunday, March 22 against the Purdue Boilermakers in first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tipoff is set for 1:00pm HST and the game will be televised live on ESPN2 (Oceanic Digital 224).

Event Date: Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

The Iolani Baseball team will take on the 4-time defending state champion Punahou Buffanblu at 3:45pm tomorrow afternoon at Iolani School.

After dropping their first two games to St. Louis and Kamehameha, the Raiders have been on a tear, defeating their next two opponents by a combined score of 30-5. Iolani is now 2-2 and will take on the Buffanblu who recently fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last Saturday with a 12-7 loss to the Mid-Pacific Owls.

On Saturday, the Raiders will face the top-ranked Mid-Pacific Owls at 3:00pm at Iolani School.

Iolani alumnus and current lead singer of Beach 5, Christian Yrizarry ‘94 made a brief appearance on the Travel Channel’s hit show, “No Reservations” when the cast and crew traveled to Hawaii to film a recent episode.

Photo: Christian (right) with host Anthony Bourdain (left) and radio personality Lanai Boy (middle) - Straying From the Norm

Now in its fourth season, “No Reservations” features Anthony Bourdain - best-selling author, food critic, renowned chef - as he travels the globe in search of the perfect dining experience.

Read more about “No Reservations” in Hawaii »

Hawaii Music Award winner Paul Shimomoto ‘86 recently appeared as a performer on “Night Time with Andy Bumatai”. Just in case you missed it…

Senior center Jamie Smith, the 2008 ILH Co-Player-of-the-Year, has been named the Gatorade Hawaii Girls Basketball Player-of-the-Year.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also academic achievement and exemplary character, was given to Smith who averaged 19.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.4 assists per game and also maintained a 3.31 grade-point average.

More about the Gatorade Player of the Year Award »

[Source & Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

Senior midfielder Kevin Fung (shown, left) was named the ILH Offensive Player-of-the-Year for his all-around performance as both a distributer and scorer (6 goals) in leading the Raiders to the 2007-08 ILH Championship.

Along with Fung, midfielder Brock Granger, forward Blaine Gonsalves, defender Hiroshi Metzker and goalkeeper Christopher Otani were all named to the ILH All-Star First Team. Forward Nick Goo, midfielder Zach Lee and defenders Reid Sakamoto and Eamon Wall were honored as second team selections.

Head Coach Chris Lee ‘88 (shown, right) was named the 2008 ILH Coach-of-the-Year.

View the complete list of 2008 ILH Soccer All-Stars »

[Photos: Honolulu Advertiser]

Watch as Washington State University honors senior guard Derrick Low ‘04 in his final home game at Friel Court in Pullman. (The Cougars won the game 76-73 in double overtime. Low scored 16 points.)

Quick Update: Derrick Low ‘04 was named to the 2007-08 All-Pac-10 Conference Third Team. This year, the coaches voted to expand the honors to three teams of five players (rather than one team of 10 players). Low was a first team selection last season.

Save your money… lots of it. The cost of an Iolani education will go up once again in 2008-09, matching a general 6% increase amongst Hawaii’s private schools.

The tuition for the 2008-2009 school year will be $14,900, a $900 increase over this year ($14,000). By comparison, Punahou raised their tuition by $950 to $16,675. (Iolani reports that their tuition only covers a portion of the cost to educate a student which is estimated at $22,300.)

Read more - Honolulu Advertiser, “Hawaii private schools raising tuition fees” »

What’s the total cost of a K-12 Iolani education?
Starting in 2008-09 with an estimated increase of 6.4% per year (based on the increase from 2007-08 to 2008-09), an Iolani parent will be paying a total of $296,909.64 for 13 years at Iolani School. Tuition in their child’s senior year (2021) will be $33,037.03.

Again… SAVE YOUR MONEY!