After three years guiding one of the top Division II girls basketball programs in the state, Reid Sagawa has resigned.
The longtime coach plans to spend more time with son Brody, a ninth-grader at ‘Iolani, and visiting daughter Madison, who plays at Chapman (Calif.). He will also spend more time with his parents.
“It’s always tough to give it up. When I applied for this position three years ago, I was the third coach in three years and I just wanted to help bring stability to the program at the time,” Sagawa said. “Hopefully, we did that.”
He did more than that as the Owls were in contention for the ILH D-II title each season, winning the league championship in 2020 with Madison as their leading scorer. The Owls reached the state finals, losing to Hanalani, 40-37.
This season, the Owls were 8-9 overall, splitting their games with eventual state champion Hawaii Baptist.
His first time around, Sagawa coached for 17 consecutive years after college. He began at Kaiser (girls varsity), then was at Kalani (boys varsity) and ‘Iolani (D-II and intermediate girls).
“I took an eight-year break while my kids were growing up,” Sagawa said. “It’s definitely a year-round job if you want to try and be competitive. The COVID year was definitely a challenge and took a lot out of me.”
Sagawa credits MPI Athletic Director Scott Wagner for steadying the ship.
“Our athletic director did an outstanding job during the past few years leading our athletic teams during the pandemic. I’m very grateful for his support,” he said. “The student-athletes, school community and parental support are outstanding!”
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