It’s been some time since a Division I high school baller in the islands dropped 40 points against a top-10 opponent.
Captain Whitlock did just that against ILH title contender Saint Louis two weeks ago in Kalaheo’s preseason opener, leading the Mustangs in a 60-55 win. It was the most explosive senior-season debut since Kamehameha’s Dyrbe Enos scored 31 points on 14-for-17 shooting with only one turnover a few years back.
Whitlock, a reserve guard as a sophomore when Kalaheo won the state championship, has come into his own. He was a Star-Advertiser All-State Fab 15 selection as a junior. The 6-foot-1 senior has grown taller, stronger and wiser.
“My freshman year, I didn’t play at all at Hawaiian Mission, so my (sophomore) year at Kalaheo was my first year of high school basketball. Just watching Kaleb Gilmore and Kupaa Harrison leading the team, winning states that year, I was taking it in,” he said.
“My (junior) year, my role got bigger. Watching Kekai (Smith) take control and becoming the leader. Approaching this year, it’s kind of my year now and I’m just using what I learned the last two years.”
In and out of the lineup since then with a hip flexor injury, Whitlock might just sit out the next week or two. Then again, the Pete Smith Classic starts on Thursday and Whitlock might push hard to play. With Whitlock and second-leading scorer Noah Woodby (ankle) out of the lineup, Kalaheo has struggled against top teams like No. 1 Punahou.
“He’s going to be 70 to 80 percent unless he rests it,” Mustangs coach Rob Pardini said. “Against Mid-Pacific, he was probably 50-60 percent.”
Kalaheo lost to MPI 58-44 on Friday at the OIA-ILH Challenge. The Mustangs are 3-4 in preseason, playing a heavy menu of ILH teams. After winning the state title two years ago, Kalaheo repeated as OIA champions, but lost to Kahuku in the state quarterfinals last season and finished 25-7.
Whitlock, who averaged 17 points per game as a junior, can’t stand missing the strong competition. For better more than for worse, he’s a competitor and perfectionist. His score in the classroom: a 3.4 grade-point average.
“His basketball IQ is very good. He’s a quiet leader for us, and when he does speak up, everybody really listens. He’s taken on more of a leadership role this year, and we’re really pushing him to maintain that role,” Pardini said. “He is a very good student. He works hard on and off the court, a very intelligent kid. Not overly quiet, just very particular and very detailed.
“He’s also very musical.”
Captain Whitlock sounds like the lead character in an epic novel or film about a heroic day at sea. This CAPTAIN (all caps) is on SoundCloud. All the introspection and response are right there in the lyrics of the two songs he has online, one labeled ‘explicit.’ Under the surface, producing music and writing words were acts of desperation. His mother, Lucy Peter, moved back to the Marshall Islands three years ago. Captain, an only child, was shocked.
“I was devastated. I was so used to my mom being around and her doing things for me. I used to really talk to my mom a lot, share my feelings,” he said. “When she left, I needed an outlet. I spent more time with myself and that’s when I started making my music, finding someone to talk to. I started talking to my mic, I guess.”
The lyrics could use some cleaning up, but they are mostly clever, and the natural competitiveness and emotions are raw. His delivery is semi-Eminem. What really shines is the music. Whitlock actually sells his beats, or leases them, to other artists on SoundCloud, he said.
His father, former University of Hawaii guard Tes Whitlock, coaches him in the offseason with the OTB club team. His son, for many years, simply wanted to be out of his father’s shadow. Captain’s favorite film, to no surprise, is Creed.
“I related to it, where he’s trying to get away from his dad’s shadow, how his dad was the popular one. (Creed) didn’t want anyone to know who his dad was. I always watch it for motivation. I love my dad, but I want my own identity,” he said.
His mom’s hometown is Majuro, where Captain stayed and attended school for two months last year.
“It was a great experience for me to see a whole new perspective of basketball and life,” he wrote via text. “Those guys can really ball. Having that label of being a ‘Micronesian’ ball player is something that most wouldn’t be proud of. However, I am proud to tell everyone that I AM a Mirconesian ball player and I don’t care about the label or anything attached to that title. I want to inspire more athletes like me who grew up playing ball at Crane Park and Makiki Park because without those experiences of playing with the men at those parks, I would never be where I am today.”
For now, all is well, even with his injury.
“My mom works for United Airlines so she flies here often,” he said. “She’s here right now.”
Favorite athlete: Elfrid Payton(Orlando Magic)
“He’s a slasher and he D’s up. That’s why I like him.”
Favorite team: USC football.
“This is my dad’s favorite team, so I was raised in it. Every time they came to Hawaii, we’d be there in the front row.”
You never wanted to play football in high school?
“It’s not my thing.”
Favorite food (at home): dad’s chicken wings.
“OK, I’m telling you, my dad (Tes Whitlock) makes the best chicken wings. He makes all kinds of flavors and it’s his favorite thing to cook. He doesn’t cook that many things, but he has the wings down. He has his original, kind of spicy. And then my favorite is the honey barbecue. Then he has lemon pepper. He does all kinds of stuff,.”
Favorite music artist: Alex Wiley
“He’s an artist who produces, raps, sings. I found him on SoundCloud. Everything he says, I was vibing with. He’s been my favorite artist for a couple of years now. He’s not on the radio, kind of underground. He’s more like rap/hip-hop, but with his own style.”
Favorite motto/scripture:
Iron sharpens iron as man sharpens fellow man. Pr. 27:17.
What your mom (Lucy Peter) says that you can’t forget:
“Always give it your all, in anything you do.”
What your dad (Tes Whitlock) says that you can’t forget:
“Where the mind goes, the body follows.”
What is the history or background of your name?
“So my dad always wanted me to be a leader, not a follower. He named me Captain because wherever I go, he wanted my name to remind me to be a leader. When I was young, I used to ask why didn’t you give me a regular name ’cause everyone used to ask. I wasn’t really feeling it, but when I got older I started liking it. I started to embrace it more.”
How do dads and sons separate sports and coaching from life?
“My dad tells me during the regular season, the deal is that’s my team and he’ll let me run my team. He doesn’t want to be a distraction. When it’s OTB season, it’s his season. It doesn’t really stop. In the car, we talk about it, at the dinner table, especially if it’s a bad game or something I can learn from, he’s going to drive it in and make sure I understand.”
Coach Rob (Pardini) mentioned that you enjoy performing and producing music. How did that begin and what are your goals in that?
“I started making beats, no vocals, instrumentals, basically. I learned a little music program on my laptop and I kind of fell in love with the artistry of creating. Craftsmanship. That’s when I knew I had an interest. Tenth-grade year, one day, my dad went out and I got on the mic and accidentally rapped on one of my instrumentals. It didn’t sound bad and I put it on SoundCloud, and my friends at school said, ‘It’s not bad, you should run with it.’”
How does basketball affect your daily life during the season and offseason?
“Basketball is a year-round thing for me. With my dad running his own basketball club (OTB), I’m often at his practices and workouts. During the season, with Coach Rob, we practice almost every day of the week, and this year we started working out at CROSSFIT KAILUA, which really helped my with my strength and quickness.”
What are your ultimate dream and bucket list goals?
“I’ve always wanted to tour the world performing music. That’s always been a dream of mine. “I’ve never considered doing live performance, but I’d definitely consider it. I’d travel to perform in a heartbeat.”
