Monday Morning Maui Sports: Oregon State’s Maui Classic is about more than basketball

In a game with youngsters at Kalama Intermediate School before the games at the Maui Classic women’s basketball tournament, University of Hawai‘i junior guard Jovi Lefotu couldn’t stop her competitive side from coming out.

Lefotu, the only player from Hawai‘i on the Rainbow Wahine roster, was thrilled to play in the Maui Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Erdman Athletic Center on the Seabury Hall campus, but she might have been more excited to interact with Maui youngsters. 

UH beat Liberty 67-58 on Friday when Lefotu scored 9 points and dished out 3 assists, but the Rainbow Wahine lost on Saturday to Montana State 72-56 when Lefotu was limited to 2 points, 1 assist and committed 5 turnovers.

Lefotu, an ‘Iolani School graduate from Kaneohe, O‘ahu, played a game called “land, sea, air” with Kalama students and teammates that involves jumping from spot to spot or into the air at the right time. Lefotu beat UH teammate Bailey Flavell in the championship match of the friendly competition.

“They’re so cute,” Lefotu said of the students that the Rainbow Wahine interacted with Friday morning, playing games, holding a question and answer “talk story” session and doing about 30 minutes of basketball drills and interaction. “They had a lot of energy and we played games. We talked with them and it made our day just to be with them and spend time with them and get to know them — they asked us a lot of questions.” 

Lefotu added, “I hope we impacted them as much as they impacted us.”

Oregon State University started the tournament, involving four teams, in 2016 and it has been played every year since with the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oregon State improved to 15-3 in the event with a 53-51 win over Montana State on Friday and a 64-57 win over Liberty on Saturday. The Beavers go home to Corvallis, Ore., with an 8-5 record, while UH is now 6-6.

Hawai‘i beat Chaminade 73-31 in an exhibition game last season at Ka‘ulaheanuiokamoku Gym at Kamehameha Schools Maui, but the games this weekend were the first games that counted that the Rainbow Wahine have ever played on Maui.

“Anytime we can come to a Neighbor Island, it’s fabulous,” Hawai‘i coach Laura Beeman said. “I wish we could play several times a year on every Neighbor Island, not just O‘ahu. Unfortunately, our schedule doesn’t allow it and we sometimes need that home court advantage. But I’m so appreciative of the fans that came out tonight that supported us. We felt the aloha, which was great. … We absolutely love coming to Maui. It’s just, it’s such a special place.”

Beeman said the trip to Maui can be a recruiting tool.

“Anytime that you can come here, not only for us to watch kids, but for kids to watch us and say, ‘hey, I want to be a part of that coaching staff, that program, that culture, that ‘ohana,’ ” Beeman said. “We want local kids to want to play for us.”

Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck and Ben Prangnell, the founder of nonprofit organization Vertical Sports Maui, the tournament organizer, met 15 years ago when they were both part of a youth basketball clinic on Maui. Rueck became the head coach at OSU soon after and he stayed in touch with Prangnell and the Maui Classic developed from an idea to reality in 2016.

The Maui Classic started being played at War Memorial Gym in Wailuku and has also been played at the Lahaina Civic Center and South Maui Gym, but has now been held for the last three years at the Erdman Athletic Center on the Seabury Hall campus. 

It has become a center point of the Beavers’ annual schedule.

“This trip is so meaningful for so many reasons,” Rueck said. “A, to look forward to. It’s always nice to have something like that. Certainly recruiting, it helps. But the real payoff is once we’re here, and not only to attempt to impact, but to feel the impact that we’re having on the community.”

Rueck added, “And then it’s also amazing to feel the reward for showing up and being supported and loved so well by a place that really has become our second home over the years. And so, this is a beautiful event. We’re so grateful for Vertical Sports, the people in Maui for supporting us so well. And it’s certainly a highlight of the year.”

“This trip was a blessing for us,” Oregon State junior guard Kennedie Shuler said after scoring 9 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists on Friday. “This is my third year here, so I’m so glad for all my new teammates that this is their first time just to come see Maui.”

Shuler added that the team was able to put in some community service time with Seabury Hall.

“It’s a beautiful place to play basketball, but even better than that, it’s an amazing time for us to give back to the community,” Shuler said.

The Hawai‘i team lined up for a post-game group photo with the Maui High School girls team. The Sabers are the defending Maui Interscholastic League champions.

“I’m glad to see high school girls from Maui watch us come out and play,” Lefotu said. “Just being an inspiration for Hawai‘i girls and to show them if you’re from Hawai‘i, you still can make it big. You just gotta work hard. … It’s always fun to play in front of your home state.”

Maui High’s Naiara Bal, the only senior on the Maui High team, said: “It was such a good experience and fun to watch. It’s very cool to see (UH) come here, finally, so we can watch. I love the way they play.”

Montana State went home to Bozeman, Mont., with a 7-4 record after going 1-1 here. The Bobcats visited Lokelani Intermediate School in Kīhei on Wednesday. It is the third time Montana State has been part of the Maui Classic.

“Well, it’s a great trip, number one,” MSU coach Tricia Binford said. “Oregon State does a great job of investing in the community here, so it’s a win in a beautiful area to get two really great games. All four teams here won their conferences last year, but more importantly, we get to give a little bit back to this great community. So, I love that we get to serve some people while we’re here and show some great role models.”

Liberty traveled 16 hours to get here Tuesday from their campus in Lynchburg, Va. The Flames (6-5) visited Kīhei Charter School for their interaction with Maui students, as is the tradition for every team that plays on the Maui Classic.

“It’s amazing. I mean, this event is bigger than basketball,” Liberty coach Alexis Sherard said. “Just to have an opportunity to go into the community, to give back to the community, just for our team to have the experience of going to the middle school and pour into those middle school kids’ hearts and give them hope and let them know, ‘hey, you can be a champion.’ … All of our players, they were in middle school as well, and look where they are now.“

Sherard concluded, “I think they really enjoyed our team. Our team enjoyed them. So hopefully we were able to touch at least one student’s heart.”

“Monday Morning Maui Sports” columns appear weekly on Monday mornings with updates on local sports in the Maui Interscholastic League and elsewhere around Maui County. Please send column ideas — anything having to do with sports in Maui County — as well as results and photos to rob@hjinow.org.