Sometime during a 25-point performance against Second Baptist of Houston, Kevin Foster confirmed what seemed possible.

The 5-foot-10 senior guard regularly exploded past Second Baptist’s taller guards, soaring to the basket and finishing at rim level against much taller rim protectors. By game’s end, the visitors pulled out a 74-68 win over Roosevelt, a team of 6-foot-and-under hoopsters.

Foster took his share of hits, too. Kailua laid him out in the final seconds with a foul, and Foster missed the next game during that ‘Iolani Classic. He returned to help the Rough Riders beat Fuxin (China) and was selected to the all-tournament team. In photos of the Classic’s best, Foster is right there in the middle, flanked by 7-footers from the mainland.

He found a home at Roosevelt, completing a circular route that led him to the Northwest, then Punahou, and then to the Rough Riders.

"Everybody knows Kevin’s a special player. To me, he’s in the top five. I wouldn’t want anybody else," Roosevelt coach Steve Hathaway said. "He has the heart. He has to guard the other team’s big man. He has to bring up the ball when Jake (Kawasaki) is not in the game, and he’s playing a minimum of 28 minutes a game."

Hathaway called from Iowa, where his mother is ill and hospitalized. He will return to the islands on New Year’s Day.

"I hope that his family is doing well and I wish the best for them," Foster said.

When he was 4, Foster’s family moved from Honolulu to Tacoma, Wash. But four years later, his parents split up. Kevin; his mother, Dawn; his younger sister, Mari; and his younger brother, Dean, returned to the islands.

"I was happy to be living here again," Foster said.

It was a tough challenge for a single mother, but Dawn got lots of help from her dad, Mike Lorrusso, and mom, Gail. Dawn normally had the pickup duties for Kevin. Grandma and Grandpa picked up the two younger ones. Gail often made salmon dinners for the kids.

"I appreciate everything that my mom and grandparents do," Foster said.

Mari, 14, is a three-sport player who is a freshman at Roosevelt. Dean, 11, loves baseball.

Kevin misses hearing from his dad, Kevin Sr. They used to talk on the phone once a month, he said. His father would be proud to see what his eldest has done in the classroom and on the basketball court.

Foster’s other family is at Roosevelt, a small, but fast group of hustlers.

"We’re a team of guards. It helps us ’cause we can keep the tempo up and run, but on defense, we have to box out. We can’t jump with teams," said Foster, who is one of the team’s best rebounders. "I personally want to win as many games as we can. Everybody wants to win the state championship."

The preseason began with Foster’s 31-point effort in a 62-52 upset of Baldwin at the Surfriders Holiday Classic. By the time Foster was scooting past defenders at the Classic, Walter Marciel was well aware of the senior guard.

"When we played against him, we had to stop his penetration, limit him to one shot," the Kailua coach said. "A lot of times, he gets his own rebound and gets it back in. He’s a great outside shooter. We just wanted to get one hand up on him. Great outside shooter."

Kailua’s tough, quick guards managed to limit Foster to "only" 16 points in a 46-45 win.

"He’s going to be a wrecking crew for the OIA East. Every team is going to have to battle with him, that’s for sure. When he played against us, he might have been injured a little bit. The way he was moving, he was flying on the court, so I’m not too sure how injured he was," Marciel said.

Foster was at Punahou as a seventh-grader and enjoyed being a Buffanblu. He played on the JV team as a sophomore.

"He really got better between his freshman and sophomore year," Punahou coach Darren Matsuda recalled. "Since then, he’s really blossomed. He would’ve been a good player for us. Now he’s one of the better athletes in the state."

Foster’s mother asked him at the end of 10th grade what he thought about attending Roosevelt. That summer, he was working out with the Rough Riders.

"I think Kevin fits our style more," Hathaway said. "Out of all the kids we have, he took it the most serious. He would lift at the (school) weight room and a lot on his own. I told him, ‘You can play college ball, go to a small D-II or D-III school and play.’ He had never even thought seriously about that before."

The offseason routine hasn’t changed since.

"Coach Steve is always telling me how I’m going to do well, helping me with my workouts, getting stronger so I get to the basket and finish at the basket," Foster said.

"If I didn’t lift weights, I’d probably be 160 or 165 (pounds)," said Foster, who weighs 175 to 180 pounds now. "I tried to increase my bench a little just to keep in shape."

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THE TOP 10

Voted on by coaches and media from around the state. First-place votes in parentheses. Ten points for first-place votes, nine for second, eight for third, etc.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

GIRLS

Lalelei Mataafa
Lahainaluna wrestling
Won the 285-pound bracket at the Pa‘ani Challenge, pinning all three of her opponents in the first round, including Punahou’s Rika Sarker in 15 seconds.

BOYS

Tyler Morton
Moanalua soccer
Scored a goal in a win over OIA champion Kaiser to increase his Oahu-high total to nine goals.

HONOR ROLL

WRESTLING
» Teshya Alo, Kamehameha: Won the 138-pound title at the Pa‘ani Challenge, pinning all four of her opponents.

BOYS SOCCER
» Naia Graham, Kailua: Scored five goals in a 10-0 win over Farrington.
» Spencer Ito, ‘Iolani: Scored the lone goal in a win over Punahou.

GIRLS SOCCER
» Hoku Afong, Moanalua: Scored in her fifth straight game to lead Na Menehune to a win over Kaiser. She leads Oahu with 11 goals.
» Kamaile Alului, Kahuku: Scored six goals in a 16-0 win over Kaimuki.
» Kristen Hori, ‘Iolani: Had a hat trick in a win over Pac-Five.

BOYS BASKETBALL
» Pukana Vincent, KS-Hawaii: Scored 18 points in a win over Iolani I-AA.
» Denhym Brooke, Kahuku: Scored 25 points in a win over Mid-Pacific.
» Samuta Avea, Kahuku: Added 22 to account for 47 of the Red Raiders’ 59 points.
» Kaleb Gilmore, Kalaheo: Scored 15 points in a win over Kamehameha.
» Cory Mitchell, Kalani: Scored 18 points in a loss to Wilson (Ore.)
» Rocky Mori, Damien: Scored 16 points in a win over Kapolei and followed it up with 23 points in a win over Roosevelt.
» Abdel-Kader Zaine, Kapolei: Scored 17 points in a loss to University after scoring 15 in a loss to Damien.
» Joseph Gouty, Leilehua: Scored 18 points in a win over McKinley.
» Michael Fernandez, St. Anthony: Scored 19 points in a win over Assets.
» Cole DeSilva, St. Joseph: Scored 26 points in a loss to St. Francis.
» Boris Vukovic, St. Francis: Scored 22 points in a win over St. Joseph.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
» Alexis Pana, Hilo: Scored 23 points in a win over Waiakea.
» Vae Malufau, Punahou: Scored 20 points in a win over ‘Iolani.
» Patria Vaimaona, Kailua: Scored 28 points in a win over McKinley.
» Starr Rivera, Roosevelt: Scored 23 points in a win over Kaimuki.
» Tywanna Abbott, Leilehua: Scored 23 points in a win over Nanakuli.