Sea Kings looking for improvement

Chris Yemma

Having gone through three coaches in the last five years, the Corona

del Mar High girls basketball program is looking for some stability.

That’s where first-year coach Scott Kahawai enters the picture.

“The team is in kind of a transition period,” Kahawai said. “With

the three coaches in five years, there’s been a lot of turmoil, so

I’m going to try to bring stability.”

The Sea Kings are coming off a 7-16 season, where the team failed

to make the playoffs. Five seniors from that team were lost to

graduation, but Kahawai is not looking at this season as a rebuilding

year.

After only winning two games in the Pacific Coast League, the team

is due for a change in the lineup, and there is not much to rebuild

from last season.

Kahawai said he wants his team to be at least .500 this year and

make the playoffs. He said he thinks that it’s possible because he’s

got a core group of returners. And despite losing the first two games

of the season, he has seen some flashes of brilliance.

“If nothing else, if someone walked into our gym and didn’t look

at the scoreboard, they wouldn’t know if we were up by 20 or down by

20,” Kahawai said. “Because the competitive nature and the drive to

want to be successful has taken them to a new level.”

But the team is still young and somewhat inexperienced. Right now,

early in the season (the Sea Kings are 1-5), Kahawai said he is

looking for the simplest, noncomplex way for his team to score. That

would be running the floor, he said.

“I’m looking for them to create the easiest opportunities,” he

said. “They don’t have a full grasp of our half-court offense at this

point to get a high quality shot, so running is the biggest key to

our success.”

Dictating the pace of the game is also a big key, Kahawai said.

This year’s starting lineup includes juniors Kristina Wayte and

Allison Long, seniors Ashley Marks and Sanya Wadhwa and sophomore

Allie Duernberger. Junior Megan Benbow is expected to be coming off

the bench as the sixth player.

“[Benbow] has great speed and will provide a change of pace when

needed,” Kahawai said. “She helps up the tempo.”

Wayte is going to provide the post presence for the Sea Kings. At

6-foot, Wayte should be able to hold her own down in the paint,

Kahawai said.

Wayte’s twin sister, Andrea, will also be coming off the bench

when needed. Andrea is about two inches shorter and a little less

physical than her sister, and is more of an outside finesse player.

Kahawai said the stability he is going to provide for the team

will be a long-term process. His goals are to have a better season

this year and have an even more improved team next season.