Campbell Basketball Star Is OIA West Player Of The Year

Campbell forward Aaron Steele has been named OIA Western Division Player of the Year in basketball.

A senior post-player, Steele averaged 11.5 points per game in league play for the Sabers, who finished 8-4 under head coach Wyatt Tau. Steele was also a consistent performer, reaching double-figures in eight of 12 games, including a season-high of 23, which he tallied in a win over Waialua in early January.

In addition to Steele placing on the First Team, teammates Solomon Leaeno, BJ Halmos, Ryan Ramil and Justin Silva Freeman received Honorable Mentions.

After posting a school-best 15-3 overall mark, the Kapolei boys basketball team was well-represented on the OIA’s All-Conference lists, landing Christopher Dillard, Zachary Reeves and Joshua Wills on the First Team.

All three are juniors and are expected to return next season.

Dillard, a 6-4 post player, averaged 12.9 points per game and had a season-high of 23 in a loss to Kahuku in the OIA tournament. He was also a force on the defensive end as one of the top rebounders in the state.

Reeves averaged 10.4 points per outing, while Wills scored 11.6 per game.

The Hurricanes were the surprise team in the OIA this winter, winning 16 consecutive games at one point, including pre-season encounters. Kapolei advanced to the championship round of the OIA tournament before eventually losing to Kahuku. The Hurricanes also made the state tournament for the first time.

For his efforts, Kapolei’s Gary Ellison was named Coach of the Year in the West.

Curtis Tavares was named to the Second Team from Kapolei, while team-mates Joshua Farias, Kiatrell Zachery and Dorian Antonio-Matos earned Honorable Mentions.

Pearl City also posted a solid season this winter, finishing 10-7 overall under Lionel Villarmia en route to an appearance in the Division I state tournament. Marc Suniga, Paul Perry, Kailon Sabate and Tysen Hickcox all were named Honorable Mentions from Pearl City.

Aiea had four players – Ernesto Salazar, Zachery Mauga, Douglas Tautua and Deshane Luat – earn Honorable Mentions.

Receiving Honorable Mention from Waipahu were Wes Nagaseu, Triton Tatupu, Richard Ugalde and Brendan Mendoza.