KILAUEA — Basketball coaches Philip Baclayon and John Kaneholani unveiled a new Furlough Friday program, Friday at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center. About 20 students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades of North Shore schools were joined by some students
KILAUEA — Basketball coaches Philip Baclayon and John Kaneholani unveiled a new Furlough Friday program, Friday at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center.
About 20 students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades of North Shore schools were joined by some students from the King Kaumuali‘i School at the first basketball clinic.
“When we sent out invitations, we limited it to North Shore schools, but it’s actually open to anyone who wants to come,” Kaneholani said.
The program centering around Furlough Fridays is free thanks to sponsorship from the Kaua‘i Police Activities League, the County of Kaua‘i, the North Shore Lions Club and various other community organizations, said Kaua‘i Police Department officer Mark Ozaki, a K-PAL coordinator.
“We can take up to 60 students according to coach Phil,” Ozaki said. “Right now, about 20 students came out for the first one, but anyone wanting to attend can come.”
The Furlough Friday programs will continue through the end of the school year, coinciding with the eight remaining Fridays, Ozaki said.
“We have the K-PAL 12 and Under basketball program starting its practices in March and games running April through May at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center, so this prepares students for that program,” Ozaki said.
But the program goes beyond basketball, Ozaki said.
“It’s a combination of physical activity and classroom work. The students work through the basics of basketball in a clinic format, have lunch, and following lunch, spend the remaining time up until 2 p.m. in a meeting room discussing subjects like law enforcement, drug awareness, and other subjects,” Ozaki said. “It’s almost like going to school and it does help keep students occupied and off the streets while parents are at work.”
Kaneholani said some of the areas of instruction outside of the drug awareness are first aid, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, and how students can help other students if the need arises.
“One girl said she saw her mother applying CPR when her grandmother had a heart attack and wants to learn how to do it,” Kaneholani said. “But all of this would not be happening if it wasn’t for Officer Mark and K-PAL.”
Kaneholani said the basketball clinic format was inspired after he and Baclayon experienced a good turnout of students during a previous clinic.
“We work with the students in the basics of basketball, working with individual skills such as passing, dribbling and explain fouls and how players can eliminate the common fouls,” Kaneholani said. “As it gets closer to lunch, we work on combination plays and the students get to work up an appetite.”
Ozaki said both coaches have clearances with K-PAL so it was not a problem when they approached him with the idea of doing a Furlough Friday activity.
“They said they had a dream and volunteered to do this,” Ozaki said. “It’s good that K-PAL can help them fulfill that dream. The best thing for the kids is that it’s free, and we even feed them.”
Baclayon, the head coach of the Hanakila youth program and the Kapa‘a High School boys basketball team, said he wants to instill the values of life and basketball in the youth while they’re still young.
“Once, I thought I would just train my son and teach him everything I know,” Baclayon said. “But I realized that he might turn out good and if no one else is as good, he won’t be that good. That changed my outlook to where John and I agreed that if it takes a village to raise a youngster, we can work to train the village so everyone becomes good.”
Baclayon said he feels fortunate that a lot of good coaches have joined him in training youth of all ages.
“We’re just working on Furlough Friday pay,” Kaneholani said. “That means Free!”
