A testimonial luncheon to honor coaches Albert and the late Larry Manliguis, two extremely successful basketball coaches at Hilo High from the late 1950s to 2000s, will be held on Jan. 6, 2024, at the Nani Mau Restaurant and Garden in Hilo.
The brothers coached a combined 49 years at Hilo, where they won three state championships and 31 Big Island Interscholastic Federation titles.
Al, who is 93 and living in Hilo, played for the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He took over for Bud Scott — before Scott left for Punahou — and coached at Hilo for 26 years, winning 20 BIIF titles, the first in 1959. Manliguis was recruited by Punahou and Kamehameha as a youngster but stayed in Hilo.
Larry, who played two years at UH before transferring to Long Beach State, died in 2007. He coached Hilo for 23 years, winning 11 BIIF titles, the first in 1985 and the last in 2000.
Larry played for brother Al in 1958 and 1959. He also was an assistant under Al for eight years before taking over.
Al won a state title in 1964, beating Punahou 63-55. Larry won state crowns in 1991, beating Kalaheo 59-44, and in 2000, beating Saint Louis 68-55.
They are the only coaches from a non-Oahu school (OIA and ILH) to win top-tier state basketball titles. St. Joseph of the BIIF won the 1958 title, but that predated statehood.
The testimonial will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $55, payable in cash or with a check written out to cash. Space is limited and a capacity crowd is anticipated. For information and tickets, contact Mark at 808-895-0552 or Roy at 808-896-7855.
