Once in a while, DeForest Buckner catches up on his sleep.
Sometimes it’s during the drive to school, from Waianae to Punahou, as his mom, Maria, beats early-morning traffic. Occasionally, he’ll get his zzz’s on the Express bus, getting up before arriving at Ala Moana and transferring to the No. 5. By the time the Manoa-bound bus stops next to Punahou, it’s a 1-hour, 45-minute trek.
“I used to do homework on the ride, but now I just sleep,” said Buckner, a 6-foot-7, 255-pound senior — he has gained 5 pounds since basketball season — who was voted by coaches and media as the Star-Advertiser All-State Boys Basketball player of the year. The added weight is a plus for the future Oregon Ducks defensive end, but getting adjusted to life at Punahou was a test in itself.
The transition from Leeward Oahu’s most promising athlete to life as a commuter was one challenge. But it wasn’t much compared to the academic demands. Nor did it compare to his new role after his dad, George, was severely injured in a motorcycle accident while DeForest was in the eighth grade. George became a paraplegic instantly.
“It was kind of hard. He’s the big guy in the house. I had to start fixing things, get on my brother (Kenya) about school,” he said.
Maria Toilolo met George at Hawaii Pacific. She was a volleyball/basketball player. George, a 6-7 forward, had just transferred from Tennessee to play for Tony Sellitto.
“He was a big-time basketball player,” former teammate Kelly Grant said. Grant is now the coach at Maryknoll, and the son of his former teammate became a mountain the Spartans couldn’t overcome.
“A lot of his drive comes from his perseverance,” Grant said. “He’s a difference-maker. When he’s on the floor, he makes things difficult with his length and his strength. We wanted to get the ball inside to Tobias (Schramm), but that was difficult because of DeForest and his knowledge. He’s a very determined boy.”
Buckner continued on, transferring from Ka Waihona o ka Na‘auao charter school in Nanakuli to Punahou.
Since joining the Buffanblu, the two-sport standout found success on the gridiron as a freshman, when they topped Leilehua in the 2008 state final. They returned to the state final last fall, losing to Kahuku, and Buckner was named football defensive player of the year.
Buckner’s climb to the pinnacle in basketball was completed in February with a come-from-behind 59-52 win over Kahuku in the championship game. Buckner had 10 points, 10 boards and two blocks in the final. For the season, he averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals per game while shooting 67 percent from the field.
Punahou’s lone defeat in regular and postseason play, to AOP on Jan. 3, came during his recruiting trip to Oregon.
“He’s the main factor inside. He takes up a lot of space on the floor, and he’s quick and agile,” Kahuku coach Darren Johnson said. “When he gets near the basket, he’s tough to beat, and he passes well for a big man.”
‘Iolani coach Dean Shimamoto did all he could to scheme for Buckner.
“You have to commit two guys on him at all time. He’s a Division I (college) athlete at 250 pounds. When you’re leaning on him for two, three quarters, you get tired,” Shimamoto said. “The first time we played them, we did OK. But the second time, he passed the ball out and they hit a bunch of 3s. He changes your game plan.”
Buckner credited his doting mom and dad.
“Both of my parents are heroes for me. They’ve done a lot, all the sacrifices they made so I could go to Punahou,” he added.
Dyrbe Enos, Kamehameha’s creative scorer and sharpshooter, was a close second in the voting. The senior averaged 20 points per game with, arguably, the quickest shot release in the state.
Enos shot every day in the offseason, seven days a week. “I believe it,” Johnson added. “That’s the kind of person he is, the kind of player he is.”
Punahou’s Darren Matsuda was voted all-state coach of the year.
“He managed his guys, and it’s not as easy as it seems, to find a way for 10 guys to play,” Shimamoto said. “They had guys off the bench who became key contributors.”
Kahuku’s coach, Johnson, was second in the voting, and Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Dominic Pacheco was third.
Buckner also spearheaded the All-Defensive selections, joined by KS-Hawaii’s Shaun Kagawa and Lanaki Apele, Baldwin’s Gabriel Ross and Kahuku’s Mason Kuali‘i-Moe.