1. It will be remembered as the greatest season never seen.
At least in person, that is. But, yes, it really did happen, the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team won the NCAA championship in 2021.
In a year of continued worldwide uncertainty and frustration due to the pandemic, the Warriors provided respite and thrills for their fans. It culminated in a national title victory at Columbus, Ohio, on May 8. The championship match ended in a sweep against rival BYU making it all the sweeter.
Because of COVID-19, UH played its home matches in an empty arena that surely would have been standing-room-only or close to it as the team gained momentum and hosted the Big West tournament, the final step to the NCAAs. UH suffered its only loss in a 17-1 season, against UC San Diego in the conference semifinals. But the Warriors still made it to the final four, and swept UC Santa Barbara to get to the final.
It’s the first crown in a men’s team sport for UH — that is, not counting the previous one in 2002, also in volleyball, that was vacated later because of an NCAA violation.
This team, led by 12th-year head coach Charlie Wade, was a collection of talent from near and far, like Colton Cowell of Maui and Rado Parapunov from Bulgaria, who was the national player of the year.
They didn’t let the virus stop them; they stuck together after the 2020 season was scrapped and won it all in ’21.
2. Never has a year that included a post-season berth been so distressful for the UH football program.
Months before it began, there was tragedy with the deaths of 2007 Heisman Trophy finalist Colt Brennan and iconic sportscaster Robert Kekaula.
Coach Todd Graham came off a 5-4 debut that included a bowl victory. But his second season began with no Aloha Stadium and ended with little aloha for him. Coronavirus variants didn’t help; Delta meant no spectators at the on-campus replacement homefield until after homecoming, and then Omicron had a hand in the Hawaii Bowl being canceled.
But there was worse. and it’s ongoing: Players complained on social media about Graham’s old-school coaching style amid an unprecedented exodus of unhappy players, many of them starters, via the transfer portal. They included co-captains Chevan Cordeiro and Darius Muasau … and even Graham’s son, Michael.
Not everything went wrong on the field, though. Victories over 18th-ranked Fresno State early in the season and at Wyoming to end it left us to wonder what more this team that went 6-7 might have achieved if not for the strife.
3. World champion Carissa Moore avoided potential political controversy as deftly as she carved storm-whipped waves to win the first Olympic surfing gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
Pro surfers from the islands normally compete under the Hawaiian flag, but the International Olympic Committee ruled against it.
Moore, who is part Native Hawaiian, made sure there was plenty of pride to go around in an Instagram post after her victory.
“Guys, we did it! This is for all of you. For the USA. For Hawaii.”
Upon her return home to the birthplace of surfing, she visited the statue of Duke Kahanamoku — the legendary Hawaiian Olympian of a century ago who lobbied for surfing to be included in the games.
4. Kahuku meeting Saint Louis in the biggest game of the Hawaii high school football season is nothing new. But this time the North Shore public school powerhouse clobbered the perennial private school champs 49-14 for the Open Division state title, snapping the Crusaders’ run of four consecutive championships.
Kahuku is usually known for its straight-ahead smash-mouth style, but this team excelled equally at passing and running the ball under head coach Sterling Carvalho — and, just as importantly, it played lights-out defense on its way to a 10-0 season.
5. A Hawaii team made it to the championship game of the Little League World Series for the fifth time since 2003.
But in 2021, Honolulu lost to Michigan in the final 2-1. (A team from the same Honolulu league won in 2018.)
Return trips to the LLWS are rare — especially more than 30 years apart. Kevin Bagoyo played on the Pearl City team that lost to Taiwan in the 1988 final. This summer he was an assistant coach for the team his son, Zack, played on. Little League officials said it’s the first time a father and son both made it to Williamsport as players.
In another world series, the Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo by way of Campbell High continued to destroy opposing pitching and led the Sooners over Florida State with homers in two of the three games. She led the nation with 34 home runs, has 88 in her career and won numerous player of the year awards.
