The men’s varsity basketball team traveled to the Iolani classic basketball tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii. The tournament took place from Dec. 18-22. It was the team’s first year at the tournament after they were invited by Nike. “We’ve been waiting to go for a very long time,” varsity coach Tony Martin said.

The team was in Honolulu for seven days and finished with a record of 3-1. They beat the Yates Lions from Texas, a top 25 team, and their only loss was to a top ten team in the nation, Montrose Christian from Maryland. “We did very well,” Martin said. According to Martin, senior Rodney Elliot was a standout player. Elliot earned all-tournament honors.

The team defeated Yates 63-49, Coolidge 46-34, and Hilo 69-26. They suffered their only loss to Montrose Christian losing 28-43. Overall, the men’s team finished fifth in a pool of 16 teams from around the nation.

The team is not planning on attending any other major tournaments this year until the postseason, according to Martin.

Cole Alban is a Managing Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.