Kahuku glad Johnson is back

Kawehena Johnson returned from another adventure to the continent and his Kahuku basketball teammates can breathe another sigh of relief.

Johnson, the Star-Advertiser All-State Defensive Player of the Year in football, returned from the Polynesia All-American Bowl in California over the weekend. The Red Raiders went 1-1 in the absence of their point guard, beating Castle 54-39 and losing to Farrington 65-44.

In December, Johnson went on a football visit to New Mexico State and missed some preseason tournament games. Kahuku went 0-3 in that stretch, losing to Kamehameha, Maryknoll and Punahou by an average margin of 34 points.

With Johnson home since, they have not lost a game by more than a single-digit margin in nonconference and OIA play. In league competition, Kahuku is 3-1 with Johnson, their leading scorer, in the lineup.

Velasquez is Mr. Efficiency

Nick Velasquez, having a banner year for Punahou, is arguably the best 3-point shooter in the ILH.

But how efficient has he been? Saturday’s win over Kamehameha was an excellent exhibition by the 6-foot-2 senior. He scored 22 points with four treys on 8-for-11 shooting from the field. He was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, and added a steal and an assist. He did not commit a turnover.

That’s as efficient as it gets. The only stat line that’s been better in the past two seasons was a 31-point effort by Dyrbe Enos of Kamehameha against Radford. Enos, who graduated last year, took just 14 shots in that win and had only one giveaway.

Cirillo to speak at MPI fundraiser

Former major league All-Star Jeff Cirillo will be the keynote speaker at the annual Mid-Pacific Institute Athletics Hall of Fame Gala on Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. at the Ko‘olau Ballrooms.

Cirillo, a third baseman, batted .296 in his major league career with six teams from 1994 to 2007.

Two former MPI athletes will be inducted into the school’s M Club Hall of Fame — James S. Kometani (Class of 1957), a student-athlete, trustee and volunteer; and Gikaku Noda (Class of 1911), a star baseball player, a Japanese-American baseball ambassador and state senator.