Pi'i for production


POSTED: Sunday, April 12, 2009

Is he really a point guard?

Or a defensive stopper? Maybe a 2 guard. Small forward? Should he stay in the paint?

It could've been easy for Pi'i Minns to be miscast, but his coaches at Kamehameha always saw him as a key piece of the puzzle, a multi-skilled weapon. As a senior, Minns found himself in the flow as a distributor, defender and, more than ever, as a scorer for the Warriors. By no coincidence, Kamehameha won its first state championship in 17 years. Coaches and media rewarded Minns, a 6-foot-3 guard, with Star-Bulletin All-State Player of the Year honors.

At least one opposing coach saw Minns take a big step forward this season.

“;Pi'i was a much improved player this year, mainly because he matured tremendously as a person, and you could tell this year that team success was the most important thing on his mind,”; recently retired 'Iolani coach Mark Mugiishi said.

“;This year, he was more of a leader,”; Mid-Pacific coach Nate Hu said. “;He played within the offensive flow.”;

Kamehameha's wealth of post players, not to mention 6-5 teammate Micah Christenson, allowed Minns to roam the perimeter. Capable of covering any position on the floor, Minns was second in the all-defensive team voting while averaging 12 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Kamehameha finished 22-3 while revving up its offense and opening the floor defensively with rangy athletes like Minns and Christenson. When the points got hard to come by, Minns was a playmaker with his astute knowledge of angles and lateral movement, changing momentum with his anticipation and long arms.

He was clutch, scoring 20 points in the state-title win over Kahuku.

Coach of the Year honors went to Kamehameha's Jesse Nakanishi, who did some retooling and modified his team into an explosive machine. Rather than take the old-fashioned approach of slowing the tempo with a roster of tall players, he unleashed his team, including Minns, who has always been a point guard.

Kahuku's Hiram Akina, 'Iolani's Mark Mugiishi and Kaimuki's Kelly Grant followed in order of voting.


FAB 15 (in order of voting)

1. Pi'i MinnsKamehameha6-3Sr. 
2. Marcus HolyfieldMid-Pacific6-2Sr. 
3. Micah ChristensonKamehameha6-5So. 
4. Pablo Warner'Iolani6-2Sr. 
5. Jray GaleaiKahuku6-0Sr.
6. David TaulungKaimuki5-7Sr. 
7. Desmond TautofiKaimuki6-3Jr.
8. Nehoa AkinaKahuku5-10Jr.
9. Kainoa Chu'Iolani5-10Jr.
10. Marcus MonroeMoanalua6-5Jr. 
11. Lincoln SetoBaldwin5-10Sr. 
12. Tyler TeraiMaryknoll5-8Sr.
13. Aaron FernandezKalaheo6-4Jr. 
14. Kimo MakaulaPunahou6-3Sr.
15. Dean VienaSaint Louis6-1Sr.

Coach of the year: Jesse Nakanishi, Kamehameha