Print subscriber but without online access? Activate your Digital Account now.
On a boiling hot summer afternoon up mauka, there’s a basketball phenom disguised as a normal, happy kid in South Kona.
Chanelle Molina hasn’t really changed. She’s now a junior at Konawaena, a shade over 5 feet 7 and happy to be around family and friends as often as possible.
But what separates Molina from most players is the drive. And the driveway. Outside her family’s home, hour after hour, day after day, Molina works and works. Ball-handling drills. Shooting drills. Her obsession with perfection never shows except to those who have seen her work, or to those who have seen the fruits of her labor.
Coaches and media voted Molina the Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball All-State Player of the Year for the second season in a row. Molina did all the tangible things that make a great player, averaging 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals per game. It’s what she did in the clutch against the biggest opponents that was impressive. Winning a state championship was just icing on the big, green cake.
The Wildcats made their first big splash in December with a remarkable 63-62 win over No. 23 Miramonte (Calif.) in the opening round of the ‘Iolani Classic. Molina led the way with 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
The next night was even more stunning: a 49-41 win over defending national champion Riverdale Baptist (Md.). With their tallest player, Ihi Victor, sidelined by injury, the Wildcats’ 5-8 and under lineup downed a team of 6-4 and 6-2 leapers. Molina had 22 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in the win.
The Wildcats’ only loss in 34 games came in the Classic final, 68-59 to powerhouse St. Mary’s (Calif.). Molina still scored 17 points.
They never tasted defeat again. Konawaena went 11-0 through BIIF play, then swept through the state championships with victories over Punahou, Roosevelt and Lahainaluna.
Molina had 16 points, six boards and three assists in a 51-37 quarterfinal win over defending state champion Punahou. Then came a 19-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance in a 54-33 win over OIA champion Roosevelt.
In the final, she was near perfect, with 27 points on 11-for-17 shooting with six boards, three assists and no turnovers in a 51-41 win over Lahainaluna.
The selection of Molina, who was voted POY unanimously by the panel, naturally stirs comparisons to greats of the past. That includes one of the best, if not the best ever, Lia Galdeira, who now stars for Washington State. Like Galdeira, Molina thrives on both ends of the floor. Molina and Galdeira were always capable of dropping 40 points on any foe, but preferred to stay within their team’s system.
Konawaena’s prowess early in the season hasn’t been forgotten. CBS Maxpreps Xcellent 25 has the Wildcats at No. 20 this week. St. Mary’s, the only team to beat Konawaena, is No. 3.
Coach Bobbie Awa, always a proponent of off-island travel and stiff competition, guided the Wildcats to a 33-1 overall record. After guiding her program to its sixth state championship since 2004, voters selected her All-State Coach of the Year.
Todd Rickard, the Lunas coach, was voted second, followed by Daphne Honma of Division II state champion Honokaa.
The Most Improved Player honor went to Konawaena sophomore Celena Jane Molina, followed by her teammate, Victor. Leilehua guard Jerri Maluyo was third in the voting. Molina led the voting for the all-defensive team. She was joined by Celena Jane Molina, Fiemea Hafoka (Lahainaluna), Jasmine Moody (Radford) and Sharlei Graham-Bernisto (Hilo).
72
JAMM AQUINO