Dreams are already starting to come true for the kid from Hilo. Former ‘Iolani standout JJ Mandaquit was named to the U.S. national U16 team on Thursday following a week of training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. USA Basketball made the announcement, culling the team from a group of 18 finalists. “I found out this morning. After I got my uniform for picture-taking, I took a picture of the back of it with my name on it and sent it […]

When Aaron Claytor played in the Saint Louis summer league in 2022, it was the end of his time as a hoopster in his beloved islands. The Star-Advertiser All-State selection from ‘Iolani moved with his family to North California, where he enrolled at Salesian College Prep, located between Sacramento and San Francisco. Already building momentum thanks to his play in clubs across the West Coast, Claytor kept growing. He is now 6 feet, 3 inches, two inches taller than he […]

The Fab 15 selection was tougher than usual. Brutally tougher. When the Star-Advertiser All-State Boys Basketball selections were released in Sunday’s print edition, the depth of talent was astounding. Coaches and media voted for their 15 on ballot, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a lot of agonizing before submittal. As was the case with the Girls Basketball Fab 15, there are hoopsters on the boys side who had superlative nonconference and/or regular-season performances, but were diminished on some ballots […]