Transfers of KIF sports
By Duane Shimogawa Jr. – The Garden Island
It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it causes a rippling effect, just as a pebble does when thrown into calm waters.
When a KIF high school athlete transfers to another program, the effects sometimes can be a bit sour, especially if the athlete brings home a title for the school he/she transferred to.
Four transfers stick out in my mind and they all involve two schools, Kaua’i and Waimea.
We’ll start off with Tony Brun, who transferred from Kaua’i to Waimea his junior season back in 1998.
Brun took an average Waimea basketball team and made them great. This one is personal to me because I was on Kaua’i’s basketball team at that time. During my senior year, Brun was able to lead the Menehune to the KIF championship in overtime.
At the time of the transfer, nobody really thought anything of it, but when Waimea started to contend for the title, it was evident that it really made a big difference.
Staying on the hardwood, we’ll go to a recent transfer from Waimea to Kaua’i, where Jeremy Manuel, a KIF player of the year, won consecutive titles with both Waimea and Kaua’i.
Last season, Manuel left the Menehune in the dust, and along with Futi Tavana and Josh Bradbury, led the Red Raiders to an undefeated KIF championship season.
Also last year, Max Hadwin transferred from the Red Raider football program to Waimea.
His presence at quarterback gave Kaua’i fits, but in the end, Hadwin’s efforts weren’t enough to bring the title back to the westside.
This year, the Waimea softball team got an early Christmas present in Kaua’i transfer Shana Tafiti, who hit two homeruns in her Menehune debut this past Wednesday against Kapa’a.
Tafiti, who’s just a sophomore, should be a big factor this season in the KIF softball title hunt.
For Brun, Tafiti, and Manuel, the choice to transfer might’ve been for athletics, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but where do we draw the line?
All three live or lived on the southside, and according to the KIF, a student has the choice to go either to Waimea or Kaua’i.
These types of situations only happen once every two or three years, but when it comes up, the many questions are brought up concerning the nature of the transfer.
In some leagues, a student is required to sit out a year if they transfer to another school outside their district.
But considering that each student only has four years of eligibility to playe high school athletics, it would be silly to keep them out of play for a season.
Sometimes athletes who transfer make a big difference, yet sometimes they don’t and whatever the reason to transfer, the main thing is that the student-athlete is comfortable with his/her choice, because ultimately, they’re the ones who have to live with the decision.
