Carlos Cadet is one of two juniors returning to Kubasaki's boys basketball's starting lineup. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa – If basketball is a game of numbers, one number – 32 – stands out for Antiwon Tucker. And has since last Feb. 1.
That was the day his Kadena Panthers lost to St. Mary’s 77-47 in the Far East Division I boys basketball tournament final – on their home court, of all places.
32 is key, Tucker says, because it represents the number of turnovers the Panthers committed during the contest.
“Every day, I read a note of that score and the stats from that game,” said Tucker, now in his fifth season at the Panthers’ helm.
For that reason, he says he and the Panthers have established a motto for the new season:
“Simple basketball wins simple basketball games,” Tucker said. “Take better care of the basketball. Basic fundamentals.”
Quite a few players return from that team, including a pair of guards named to the All-Far East team, sophomore Jaden Patsel and senior Angel Torrado. Among his group is only three seniors, but the young members of the Panthers aren’t new to basketball, Tucker said.
“We don’t have to teach them plays,” he said. “They’re a year older, a year smarter. But we still have to win the games.”
So, too, do the Panthers’ island rivals at Kubasaki. Coach Jon Fick enters his 15th season in charge of the Dragons, who have two veterans back from their fourth-place Far East squad along with a cadre of freshman who, also, are not new to the game.
“They’re hard-nosed,” Fick said. “They’re gritty. They can play. They may not have much height, but they have grit.”
Kadena senior Angel Torrado is one of two All-Far East players returning to Kadena's boys basketball's experienced lineup. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Junior Corey Tripp is one of nine veterans returning to Kadena's boys basketball team. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Alex James, a freshman, is one of a handful of first-year high school students playing for Kubasaki's boys. Most are not new to the sport. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Girls basketball
Kubasaki welcomes a new coach, Robert Barrett, and is also heavy in youth, including players who have crossed over from other sports.
Junior forward Jackie Mitchell and sophomore Naveah Gilbert play volleyball. Junior Solares Solano is Kubasaki’s top soccer player, while Lillian Law, the team’s only senior, is a tennis player.
“This is a growing year for us,” Barrett said, adding that if his younger players stay, the Dragons could well be competing in the major tournaments next season.
Alisa Settles takes over for the Panthers, who got hit hard by the transfer bug – forward Destiny Richardson moved to the States and guard NyKale Penn now plays for Guam High. Kadena is heavy in underclassmen, some of whom have never played basketball before.
Still, the Panthers return a pair of senior forwards, Katelyn Wetherington and Marina Sawyer, from last year’s Far East D-I tournament runner-up team.
Kadena's girls basketball team is heavy in underclassmen, including sophomore Isa Toro Velazquez and freshman Jaylyn Walker. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Wrestling
Joey Wood had plenty of reason to smile this week – his Kadena wrestling team opened the season by beating Kubasaki 37-25.
His Panthers did that with a lineup featuring two returning brothers: Senior Jeremiah Drummer (215 pounds) and his sophomore brother Josiah (127), nicknamed “Big Hulk” and “Little Hulk.”
They are among four veterans returning to the lineup, which also features “a lot of new guys,” Wood said. He expects to field full lineups for the major tournaments taking place this season.
“We have an athletic group,” Wood said. “They’re working hard and learning quickly.”
Kubasaki, second in the Far East Division I tournament last January, lost several seniors, but have some 50 athletes in their wrestling room. “There’s a lot of competition even among the wrestle-offs,” third-year coach Alex High said.
Seniors Gavin Ocampo (121), Aidan Hutton (133) and Anthony Finegan (heavyweight) return, along with junior Max Lundberg (160) and sophomores Nathan Voelkel (145) and Tim Cope (127).
Senior Aidan Hutton, bottom, is one of six returning Kubasaki wrestlers. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
