On and off the court, it isn’t just about basketball. It’s instead about the team’s resilience and ability to stick together through adversity that remains the mission of the group. This year the ‘Iolani girls basketball team didn’t perform the way they hoped in the ILH and State tournament, but were still runner ups to Kamehameha and Maryknoll. There were different aspects of the girls that made them weaker this year compared to the last five years, in which they won first place for 5 years in a row at the HHSAA State Championship. But on the contrary, their ability to work together and persevere through different opponents like Maryknoll and Kamehameha showed their strengths. They were able to fight through the season with the help of their head coach, Coach Dean Young ’89. Throughout the season he was able to hone in on their skills and look beyond the injuries and setbacks.
This year was a great year for team captains Mia Frye ’25 and Hailey Fernandez ’26. The team was able to overcome big challenges that they faced throughout the season with these two leading the group. One of the biggest challenges they came across was Maryknoll. This year they were a bigger opponent than Iolani expected. Throughout playoffs and the regular season, ‘Iolani played Maryknoll five different times, three of which were in the playoffs. Three of these games they lost and two they won. Coach Dean says that playing against them was fun, but it was also tedious and irritating because of the strong strategies they used every game. The Maryknoll team would use different strategies every game so the Raiders were unaware of what to expect each time they faced one another. Coach Dean says they have grown a lot throughout the season. As a team he says they have grown and learned how to be resilient and stick together. Similarly, he says Mia has stuck out as a leader amongst the team. He says “She is willing to give up the ball to her in order to give her teammates a chance.” During games she isn’t greedy with the ball, she shows this when she is open for a long shot she will pass it to her teammates to give others a chance.
The unexpected amount of injuries the team faced made everyone, especially the players, feel weary about their chances at a six peat. Mia spoke about the team’s inner circle of players, coaches, and parents, saying, “I feel like no one expected us to make it as far as we did.” Advancing through the semi-finals, they showed their perseverance against tough opponents like Maryknoll. This came not as a surprise but more as anticipation to the players due to the amount of injuries throughout their season. With the injuries the team suffered this year, the team seemed unfazed. Throughout the season and even before the season Kylie Chong Kee ’25 and Dylan Neves ’26 each encountered ACL injuries. Haley Mafua ’25 and even Mia herself had suffered multiple ankle injuries throughout the season. These setbacks forced each player to step up to the occasion. Another setback was the amount of seniors they lost this year, as this season they had to fill the role of three lost seniors. Mia says, “We also didn’t have the depth that we would’ve had with our full roster.”
With the team’s great coaching staff composed of individuals like Coach Dean, the team is in great hands and is constantly prepared well for the seasons to come. He prepares them for high pressure situations and practices staying calm. With this skill they are able to trust each other and execute their game plan successfully.
