Kahuku basketball coach reinstated
STAR-ADVERTISER/JAN. 21, 2015
Kahuku Red Raider’s head coach, Alan Akina is seen during the first half of the game on January 21, 2015.
Kahuku High School agreed to reinstate boys head basketball coach Alan Akina today, at the conclusion of a state court hearing on Akina’s lawsuit against the school’s principal, athletic director and parents of some of the players, Akina’s lawyer Eric Seitz said.
For his part Akina agreed not to play an active role with the team since it will be disruptive, Seitz said.
Akina filed the lawsuit last month after he said he was suspended for calling up his freshman son to the varsity team.
The school said Akina was not suspended, but placed on leave pending an investigation of complaints of favoritism from players and their parents. Two of Akina’s sons are on the team.
Akina denies he favored his sons and presented statistics that show another player on the team took the most shots.
Seitz said the defendants also agreed to end the investigation and work toward resolving the rest of Akina’s claims without having to go to trial.
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Principal Pauline Masaniai, Athletic Director Gillian Yamagata and their lawyer, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Keating, refused requests for comment as they left the courtroom.
During the hearing Keating presented notes prepared by Masaniai and Yamagata, of meetings they had with Akina. According to the notes Masaniai and Yamagata said they told Akina that he needs to spread out the playing time evenly among all of the players.
34 responses to “Kahuku basketball coach reinstated”
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Are they in the AYSO league? I didn’t know high school had participation rules…Crybabies!!
Exactly. This is not park league athletics; at least it shouldn’t be. For it to have gotten to this point, the leadership has to take responsibility.
Spread out the playing time? What BS!!!! I give the coach credit for sticking it out… i would left that meeting with the Principal & AD so fast that the door would hit me in the ass as i flew out.
The principal and athletic director have to go !!!!!!!!!
Agreed, and both of those two refused to be present at a preseason game which resulted in the cancellation of that previously scheduled game. For shame.
When I played high school volleyball our coach showed us a copy of Merriam-Webster dictionary. She crossed out the word “fairness” and highlighted the word “earned”. That defined our playing time, and nobody argued with it.
Amazing how some school administrators can “Kiss a$$” to loudmouth parents. Ahame, shame!! They should be “Put on leave” too……. PERMANENTLY!!
AYSO coddeling has no part in School sports! Grow up crybabies, or take your kids somewhere else. Coaches want to have their teams win. And as well, I would too.
For the record, I used to coach, and listenimg ro crybaby parents is always prevalent, and the A.D. should have set those
Arents straight wirh the backing of the principal, but then, wimps will always be wimps, anywhere you look. Good Job Mr. AKINA! It’s obvious you love the team. IMUA!!!!!
My opinion is that a bunch of out of control parents whose kids are prima donnas think they can do an end run on a head coach, and in the process getting the principal and the athletics director all riled up over what appears to be…no big deal. Parents should know their place and let the kids play and the coaches coach. Parents, you don’t know better than the coaches so just sit down, shut blank up and let the coaches coach. And that principal and athletics director are astoundingly, profoundly out of line because they couldn’t even suspend their coach and in the process made the team suffer the whole time. Kahuku has some real issues, especially in the community culture. There is an overdose of pride and zero humility at any level, with the translation of that being a combination of arrogance and insecurity. Arrogance plus insecurity is a bad combination to have, and worse is that cultures take a long time to evolve so I don’t see the community culture solving itself anytime soon. Just my opinion.
And you came up with all of that from one sport and two parents. Amazing.
Just another example of total incompetence of DOE and Kahuku school administration. Good luck coach!
The game of basketball is one of those sports like music that need hours of practice, drills, and dedication. In this era, high school basketballers have been practicing since they were in elementary school. The age where good athletes can pick up basketball seriously at high school and do well are gone. There are some sports like football and baseball where good athletes can make up for late starts. I’m not positive but I think this may explain why anxious parents want pt for their kids to improve and go to the next level. Sadly, by the time High School comes around, there is no time left. The answer is for North Shore to start their own BBall camps and leagues for youth. So much potential for boys and girls out there if only they can get started earlier.
Masaniai & Yamagata must go.
Totally agree, i’m parent of two Kahuku student’s that play sport’s and I must say the incompetence is total obvious. I tried scheduling a meeting with any of the two but would never get a time of day, a threat saying I would go to district made them jump and a meeting was scheduled that day. Thank god it is Masaniai’s last year, I don’t think I could deal with her for three more years. I hope she takes Yamagata with her.
I’m not sure what this decision or agreement means. What evidence has the principal and athletic director presented to justify putting coach on “leave”? If coach didn’t have the back bone to file the lawsuit, what would have come of him? If any of the parents who started this can learn something, have them look at how coach carried himself and have their kids learn from it.
The DOE needs to investigate what, why and how the principal and athletic director carried out their inquiry. Maybe they need to be on the bench and guide coach on how and when to put players in. They need to have coach record minutes played by each player. Like the do for AYSO.
Wonder how the players will handle the return of coach. Will he disgruntled, no minutes players still be on the team? Will their parents allow them to still play?
Will the principal and athletic director also direct the football team coaches to give everyone equal playing time?
Imua Red Raiders!
and… This is exactly why my Sensei, Abe Hidetaka said to me “Never teach your own son. No matter how hard you try… love is not objective.”
Seriously, they told the coach to play all the players evenly? Division 1, varsity basketball??!!?! Have they no concept of what competitive sports is all about? Why does coach Akina want to coach there? He should take his sons and go somewhere where the academics and athletics aren’t a total joke. No offense to the kids at kahuku but your principal and ad are ridiculous.
True. Lets face it, some kids are going to get off the bench only when it’s a blowout, a lot of players have fouled out, players are sick or injured, or the team is getting trounced. But I have seen some teams rotate players in and out for a few minutes to give kids experience.
High school sports being coached from the bleachers…SUCKS! Shame on those CRY BABY PARENTS! PUSSIES!
Does Kahuku award participation diplomas or are they actually earned?
Sports Socialism at Kahuku. Play everybody no matter what. If you suck you need to sit on the bench. If you can Ball then you play.
I see a lawsuit for attorney fees on the horizon. And why not, the incompetent people get represented by the attorney general who is paid by US the tax payers and coach gotta cough up thousands of dollars just to clear his name.
So what happens with Akina?
That pricipal is something else. The girls teams were powerhouse in volleyball and basketball but now the turnover of coaches by this power trip she beach causes slot of problems.
masaniai and yamagata should lobby the oia to award the title of champion in each sport in rotation to all public schools to ensure spreading recognition evenly throughout the oia sports system.
further, they should withhold kahuku’s participation in any oia sport to show their commitment to spreading recognition evenly throughout the oia sports organization.
Masaniai and Yamagata — if found reckless and unreasonable in their actions should be held liable for a portion of the damages. Along with being either fired or reassigned. It’ll never happen though…HGEA renders them untouchable.
Agree with majority of comments that crybaby parents ruined it ….but Coach Akina’s nepotism is undeniable for the last 2 years. His sons are very average and the best players are Latu and Anae by far. Akina could’ve managed this season much better and his decision to bring up Kawika was selfish. Just watch Kawika play and if any of you can honestly say that he’s a varsity player then you don’t know $h!t about basketball. His younger son isn’t much better than most 12 or 13 year olds. This was a season to be celebrated by getting the ball to the best baller on Kahuku and that is Latu. Akina’s inability to deal with an admittedly incompetent AD and Principal was apparent long before he was suspended. Eric Seitz’s intervention and grand standing was similar to what he did for another Kaiser HS player who was also very average. In the end, Akina placed his fatherly role ahead of his team and he admitted to this fact. Thus the inherent conflict of interest and following fiasco totally derailed Kahuku’s chances of following up their State Championship in football with a successful basketball season. A bigger man would’ve been more publicly apologetic because he shares in the responsibility for this season’s shortcomings.
There is no nepotism. The numbers do not support your comments. In court and on the record, the numbers presented clearly showed that Hirkley Latu shot the ball the most. Anae and Akina shot about the same. Akina led the team in assists.
It is clear you are Latu’s mom or dad. And a bigger man would not hide behind a fake name and attack a fine man like Coach Akina.
Many coaches have gone on the record to say they would run sets for his son such as HPU Assistant Coach Jesse Nakanishi, Kaiser Head Coach Brandon Kawazoe, Kamehameha Head Coach Greg Tacon, and Punahou Head Coach Darren Matsuda. They are far more credible than any blogger on this site.
And what team did you coach again? And how successful were you when you coached. Please give us your name so we can check your background. Since you think you are so smart let’s see your resume please. I bet you will not provide your name since you never coached a day in you life.
You just like to pretend like you can coach. BTW, my name is Coach K and I won the NCAA Division 1 Basketball Title last year. I think I am pretty good at coaching basketball.
Oh yea don’t skew the truth. Naknishi and Tacon and others said they would run sets for Keanu, not Kawika as you have falsely implied. And this is the point Mr. ADHD. The AD and Principal felt that it was bad for the team’s moral to have Kawika a 9th grader on this team who many felt didn’t earn his way onto the roster. Would Kawika make any varsity team that is rated in the top 10? No. Would Kawika start on any other varsity Div I team? No. Yet he starts or plays between 50% to 70% of a 32 minute game for one of the best teams in the State. Why? Cuz his Daddy says so. Anybody please explain why Kawika 5’5″ 120lbs who can barely touch the net and is a turnover machine is playing so much for Kahuku. This is the issue and it gets buried in other bs time after time. Just tell me why he deserves so much time on the court.
Sports Observer is not really observing much. Better turn the channel to OC 16 and recognize that you’re boy is back to his old tricks and outsiders who disagree with your biased views shouldn’t be categorically discredited simply because you choose to ignore the blatant nepotism exhibited by Coach Akina or simply because you’ve never actually played any organized sports. BTW you playing pocket polo is not a real game, its just gross.
Not at all….St. Louis grad who has no horse in this race but I watch a lot ILH games and saw Kahuku play in the Iolani tourney where they lost by 25. During that game, Kawika had about 8 turnovers in less than 3 minutes then got into an argument with his father when he finally got yanked. You’re still missing the point. Are you watching the game tonight against Waianae on OC 16.? Both of his sons are starting and Kawika getting schooled on defense and shooting air balls. Keanu is ok but Coach Akina is cheating his team by playing Kawika who is a very average player. I’m not hiding clown. I’ll be at Kapaolono park tomorrow night at 6pm. BTW, Greg Tacon was my classmate at St. Louis before he left after Junior year after getting cut from the basketball team by Kaipo Spencer. Try to get over yourself. First you falsely accuse me of being Latu’s parents then you say that i have to be a coach in order to have credibility. And finally you say you’re Coach K. What a moron. Its not how many shots a player takes that proves or disproves nepotism, its how much playing time that his sons undeservedly get now that Akina is back. And this is what he was accused of doing from the outset. I’m just saying that Akina plays favorites. If you disagree that’s cool but your lame attacks merely shows the depth of your ignorance as it relates to basketball and conflicts of interests in general. Too bad.
Sure, lol. You know as much basketball as my niece who’s potty training. Anyone can say you have no horse in the game. And sure you know coach tacon. I know George Washington. You’re a clown and a wanna be coach and are upset that your son isn’t performing and getting the playing time you want. How do we all know? If you were neutral any comments made wouldn’t bother you so much as demonstrated by your comments. It’s clear you have a child that doesn’t play much. Keep telling lies. And for the record all those coaches did make comments about his older son. It’s on Facebook and was presented in court under oath. I am sure they are not going to commit perjury. You want proof, go and check the public records of testimony. You are so smart it must be easy for you to get it. You are coach tacon’ friend, bwahahahah!!!
I think you must be Mrs. Akina and its you who initially got personal and emotional. Either that or you might be the outcast Mahu cousin who is finally rallying to the call. Anyway, who made what comments (specifically) in court under oath. Was this a civil matter F. Lee Bailey or are you just bs ing again. Do you have a copy of the actual transcript or are you making up more tales. Do you even know what the judiciaries website is called? No kids, no nephews, nieces, cousins, or relatives. Don’t even know any of the kids on any Kahuku team…ever but you keep believing what you want because it doesn’t change the fact that Kahuku is hampered by a coach who cannot separate his team’s interests and his own personal interests as a father. There’s nothing wrong with that but it is far from ideal. I do not expect you to understand any of this but for the benefit of the other bloggers. Just saying that Coach Akina favors his sons, Keanu (the older son) in case you still don’t get it (and that’s the son that the coaches said they would run plays for) and not for Kawika, the 9th grader. Please go back and re-read my prior posts and hopefully you will now comprehend the idiocy of your remarks. Your 4th grade education is really hindering your ability to grasp even basic sentence structure. Did you just get a computer for Xmas or have you been off your meds lately?
Actually I am your mama, so watch yo mouth! What team do you coach again so I can come and watch. Let the entire cyber community know so we can see how you run your team, how you do substitutions, how you take advantage of mis-matches, and what schemes you run. I am sure we all would like to see.
You say, “No kids, no nephews, nieces, cousins, or relatives. Don’t even know any of the kids on any Kahuku team.”
Sure buddy, I am sure 0.01% of the people on here believe this comment. (wink wink) It’s okay that your child isn’t that great. At least they made the team. Be proud!
You should re-read your own posts. Initially you said that I was Latu’s father then I was a disgruntled parent whose kid didn’t play, now I’m a coach in the OIA and you’re my mama. Do you at least know the difference between Keanu and Kawika yet and what the original issue being debated entailed? I know your pride is probably hurt given your initial confusion but I actually think that your comment about being proud that your kid at least made the team is quite virtuous and maybe you’ve been right all along? Maybe that’s the main point.