Gig Harbor boys basketball enjoys hoops, beaches in Hawaii

It’s a pretty common sight in the Pacific Northwest to have cloudy skies and cold weather around this time of year.

As people were putting the final touches on their holiday celebrations however, the Gig Harbor High School boys basketball team was soaking up the sun and competition over 2,600 miles away in the World Youth Basketball Tournament held in Kona, Hawaii.

Playing four games over five days at Kealakehe High School, the Tides finished 3-1 in the tournament; a good enough to take second place overall.

“We try to get the team away to simulate having to go play in the playoffs in those situations,” said head coach Billy Landram. “We at least try to mix up where we go and this year was special since we got to go to Hawaii.”

The Tides have attended the WYBT before, having participated in it four years ago. However, this was a first time experience for the current roster since they were all too young to attend the previous trip to Hawaii.

In order to get to paradise, each member of the basketball team had to raise about $400 through door to door donations and sponsorships.

“Coach Landram gave us a packet and it had 30 squares on it. We went up to people door to door and asked if they would sponsor us,” said sophomore Asher Raquiza. “Every kid had to fill out one of those packets.”

Once the money was raised and the flight was booked, the Tides flew across the Pacific Ocean to spend some time playing against some of the local teams of Kona.

Their first game on Dec. 19 was a really thorough 76-43 win against host Kealakehe where a lot of local fans came to show their support and provided a noisy atmosphere. The Tides’ second game was a 45-11 rout of Konawaena the following day.

The third game is where the Tides hit a snag as they played and lost 53-38 to Trabuca Hills High School, a team from California.

“We played a really good team. They played really well together and they had us that day,” said junior Zach Toglia. “Of course second place is not bad at all, but we felt like we could’ve gotten that other win… There’s nothing you can really do about it. They handed us our first loss this season, but we came back and won the next game.”

The Tides’ final game in the tournament was on Dec. 23 and they closed out the WYBT with a 69-32 win over Honokaa High School.

Winning second place in a tournament like the WYBT was a good experience for the Tides as they showed a tremendous amount of maturity in handling their business.

Rather than players trying to play hero ball and take over games, the Tides stuck to their offensive and defensive game plans and played as a cohesive unit.

“It was good that we kept ourselves together and played as a team,” Raquiza said. “[It] was a good experience because most of the teams we played weren’t the best.”

Both Toglia and Raquiza felt that they had good moments in the tournament as well. Whereas Raquiza felt that he had consistent play down in Hawaii, Toglia felt that he was a little more up and down but he has his eyes on the upcoming games that matter.

As Landram said, this trip was used as pseudo conditioning for the Tides. At the end of the year when playing for a state title, games are played in daily succession.

The WYBT may not have those same high stakes, but the continuous days of basketball help train their bodies and gets them ready for the grind in March.

“One thing is you get used to playing on back-to-back-to-back-to-back days which is an end of year goal; to make the state tournament and play three or four days in a row,” Landram said. “Take it one team at a time, don’t look ahead, stuff like that.”

And of course, what is a trip to the Aloha State without a little team bonding.

The Tides took advantage of the sunshine and local culture to get closer and build chemistry. From their first day hike, to visiting boardwalks and black sand beaches, it was a trip that helped bring the team closer together.

“Just doing all the fun activities together, seeing the volcano and the beaches, and going to the restaurants all together as a team is what really made this trip worth going to,” Toglia said. “The Tides are ready to roll and we’re looking to take first place in league.”

The Tides’ season will pick back up with a home game against North Thurston at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3 at Gig Harbor High School.

This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 6:00 AM.