Pearl City boys volleyball head coach Brennan Velasco will remember 2015 as the so-called transition year, which invariably goes with the territory for a first-year coach. <\/p>\n
That he and his Chargers finished their season at last week\u2019s Division II state volleyball championships was understandably a cause for celebration. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a roller coaster of a season,\u201d said Velasco, a former University of Hawaii and Pearl City standout, \u201cbut it was a really good experience for us. This was the first time we\u2019d even been in an OIA championship game in a while, and I don\u2019t even know the last time they made the state tournament. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely a huge transition,\u201d he continued. \u201cI run a little different style offense and defense than they had, and it took me some time to get used to the kids and for them to get used to me. We anticipated it would be that way and were hoping to peak at the right time, and I feel like we\u2019ve done that.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Chargers, who took a 6-6 record into the state tournament, won three of their last four games to advance to the OIA DII title game March 31. Pearl City lost to Castle in the OIA finale, but Velasco was proud of the Chargers\u2019 effort, especially after losing senior P-Jay Solomon to a broken arm in the match. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll the credit goes to our team for believing and trusting in what we\u2019ve been teaching them,\u201d Velasco said hours before Pearl City took to the floor for their state tournament first-round game against top-seeded Hawaii Baptist Academy. \u201cI\u2019m very proud of them. I think they\u2019ve accomplished a lot. We\u2019re pretty prepared for the state tournament.\u201d <\/p>\n
Velasco cited the senior leadership of setter Tyler Canon and outside hitter Garette Kanamu as having figured big in Pearl City\u2019s success. <\/p>\n
\u201cTyler is our captain and a coach-on-the-floor for me,\u201d he said of Canon. \u201cAs our setter, he makes the team run. <\/p>\n
\u201cGarette has improved drastically from the beginning of the season to now,\u201d Velasco added of Kanamu. \u201cHe\u2019s been our kill leader in most games. He\u2019s a goto hitter now.\u201d <\/p>\n
In the long term, the program figures to benefit from the addition of junior varsity boys volleyball. The OIA just completed its first sanctioned JV season, and Velasco is hoping to generate more interest and strengthen Pearl City\u2019s numbers. The Chargers had just 13 players on their varsity roster this spring. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe did lose a few (varsity) roster spots because now we have to fill two teams instead of one,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were having a hard time recruiting players for the JV team. Hopefully, the varsity can show them that they can be part of a winning team.\u201d <\/p>\n
The program also gained added exposure with four appearances on statewide television, with the possibility of playing more late last week, depending on the results of the Chargers\u2019 state tournament games. <\/p>\n
\u201cLast year they hadn\u2019t had any, so they were extremely nervous,\u201d Velasco said. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely pressure. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow they\u2019re used to it and just play. We\u2019re just getting used to winning now.\u201d <\/p>\n
Pearl City has won 10 OIA boys volleyball titles in its history, with the last coming in 2002. Velasco was on the 1996 Charger team that won the title under then-coach Brad Comilla. He hopes there will be more. <\/p>\n
\u201c(Coaching at Pearl City) is a huge positive for me,\u201d Velasco said. \u201cI always wanted to come back here to coach.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pearl City boys volleyball head coach Brennan Velasco will remember 2015 as the so-called transition year, which invariably goes with..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-west-oahu-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n