Po‘o Aiu of Kamehameha Schools Maui earned The Maui News MIL Player of the Year honor for Division I after leading his team to league title. GLEN PASCUAL photo
Po’o Aiu of Kamehameha Schools Maui and Kobe Garcia of Seabury Hall can both point to the inspirational person who guided them to breakout seasons in Maui Interscholastic League boys basketball in 2023.
Both players led their teams to league titles and are the choices of their division’s coaches as The Maui News MIL Players of the Year — Aiu in Division I and Garcia in Division II.
Aiu heard the news first from his coach, Angus Peters III.
“It was super cool, he called me and he said you have got to call … The Maui News, and I was a little bit suspicious, I was like, ‘Oh, for what?’ “ Aiu said. “He was like, ‘I think you got player of the year’ and I said, ‘What? No way, that’s super cool.’ I called … as quick as I could.”
Aiu led his team to the school’s third MIL basketball title ever and first since going back-to-back in 2007 and 2008 — they entered the MIL tournament as the No. 3 seed on a 1-4 skid.
Kobe Garica of Seabury Hall earned The Maui News MIL Player of the Year honor for Division II after leading his team to league titles. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
Aiu took the lead from there, scoring 43 points in three games over three days to lead the Warriors to the seemingly unlikely crown. In the first of those games, a tournament semifinal against Baldwin, Kamehameha Maui trailed by six points with 30 seconds to play before winning in overtime.
He scored 19 points two days later in a 47-37 win over Lahainaluna in a winner-take-all championship game.
The football, basketball and volleyball standout pointed to Kale Spencer, The Maui News 2022 MIL Boy Athlete of the Year last year and now a standout freshman volleyball player for Long Island University, as the person who led him to the MIL hoops honor.
Last season, the Warriors went to the state tournament as the MIL runners-up behind Spencer’s prowess. The two lifelong friends stay in touch, even with Spencer on the East Coast.
“That’s my boy, we’ve been playing together since elementary school,” Aiu said. “We’ve always been that duo that stuck together and I was happy last year we got to get to as far as we could. I felt (this year) that we had to win it for us.
“It was a big deal for me to win the MIL because last year we were both so heartbroken, last time ever playing basketball together. I learned a lot from him.”
Aiu is joined on the MIL D-I first team by KSM teammate Dylan Schnitzer, Lahainaluna’s Noah Flores Alexander and Kana’au Castro, and Baldwin’s Avery Pauole.
Aiu plans to play basketball in college.
“I have to say, easily my favorite sport is basketball, that’s what I plan to pursue in my collegiate career,” Aiu said.
The rare MIL crown will be something Aiu remembers forever. Peters was the choice of his peers as MIL D-I Coach of the Year after letting his players do the work to get things in order late in the season.
“To win the MIL title this year was just a real honor, I couldn’t have done any of it without my boys,” Aiu said. “We grinded, we grinded, kept working at it all season. We started off super hot and then we went into that skid. We just had to really come together. … We established our roles and we came together.
“Everything happens for a reason and to be the third seed and win the whole MIL was one of those times. So, it was just a real honor playing with those boys, I love those boys, they are my family and, yeah, it was a fun ride.”
Garcia, a junior point guard, needed to only look at the man running things from the bench to see his inspiration: MIL D-II Coach of the Year Scott Prather, the former legendary Maui High and University of Hawaii at Hilo point guard.
“Oh man, it’s nice playing under his arm, he was one of the best players, I’d say, ever to come out of Maui,” Garcia said. “So, again, a blessing.”
Garcia is joined on the D-II first team by teammate Bromo Dorn, Maui Prep’s Flynn Williams, Lanai’s Sam Dimaya III and Molokai’s Jericho Adolpho.
“Blessing” was a word Garcia said several times about his nod as MIL D-II POY.
“Oh yeah, it sounds like a blessing, man,” Garcia said. “It means a lot, I have been working really hard for this, a lot of offseason practices, a lot of workouts and many coaches. This is a blessing.”
Unlike the Warriors, the Spartans are used to winning MIL boys basketball crowns — Garcia led Seabury to its 12th title in 13 seasons in 2023 and gave credit to his teammates.
“Oh, it was a super-fun group of boys, we just have to put in the work in the offseason,” Garcia said. “I just can’t wait to get back out again and play with these boys for next season.”
Garcia and Aiu played together briefly with Lights Out Basketball Club.
“He is really solid, he is a good all-around player,” Garcia said. “Great shooter and a really good leader, too. I like the way he leads his team. … I’m working on that kind of leadership.”
* Robert Collias is at .
Division I Second Team
Kade Cunningham Lahainaluna Guard 5-11 Sr.
Nahale Dukelow KS Maui Forward 6-3 Sr.
Kamahiwa Molitau KS Maui Center 6-3 Jr.
Trotter Apo Baldwin Forward 6-2 Jr.
Noah Buford King Kekaulike Guard 5-11 So.
Division II Second Team
Cyris Laury-Schaeffer Haleakala Waldorf Forward 6-4 Sr.
Reece Etrata Lanai Guard 5-5 Sr.
Irie Mizner Hana G/F 6-2 Sr.
Dylan Stolley Seabury Hall Guard 5-9 Jr.
Emerson Flores Maui Prep Forward 5-10 Sr.
Honorable Mention
Division I–Baldwin: Ryal Burton, Kolt Yarbrough; King Kekaulike: Kyle Davies; Maui High: Jermain Baguyo, Julius Bueno, Ivan Domingo.
Division II–Haleakala Waldorf: Tim Walsh; Maui Prep: Kai Shively; Molokai: Damarea Braxton, Heath Lopez; Seabury Hall: Leo McKuin, Zach Devane, Ethan Palmer, Sebastian Peterson, Keahi Sjostrand.
- Po‘o Aiu of Kamehameha Schools Maui earned The Maui News MIL Player of the Year honor for Division I after leading his team to league title. GLEN PASCUAL photo
- Kobe Garica of Seabury Hall earned The Maui News MIL Player of the Year honor for Division II after leading his team to league titles. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
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