Throughout my several years of playing Ikaika Basketball, I have gained the insight that winning doesn’t come easy it’s a reward that you have to earn through hard work and dedication..  These words also hold true during fundraisers when your time and effort earn you a chance to be financially secure for the team trips.

Overall, Ikaika has been a great experience for me in a sense that it has prepared me for college; I got a chance to experience independence during the neighbor island and mainland trips.  The relationships I have created with others on this team are relationships I hope to bring with me into the future.  In the end, the amount of perspiration is grueling, but the rewards are spectacular.

     I was very privileged to play for Ikaika basketball and Coach Clayton Tang.  When I started playing for Ikaika, I was 6^th grade and I was not the best player in the world.  Not only was I the youngest but I was the shortest player.  Coach Clay has helped me become a part of who I am today, on and off the court.  He dedicates his time to help us kids out to make us a better person on and off the court.  He would even work with me on days we didn’t have practice and take me to a court to practice my shooting.  He has somewhat created me into the person I am today, and taught me about everything I currently know about basketball.           

     Playing for Ikaika was a very good experience for me because without it, I would be a totally different person.  Playing for this team helped me learn a lot of things like responsibility, communication, and leadership.  Ikaika has helped me become a more mature person on and off the court and I am very thankful for the opportunity to have played on this team.  Ikaika has taught me responsibility by being able to do things on my own.  If I didn’t do things correctly then I would have to be responsible for my actions and learn from it.  This team has also taught me communication is a main key in life because without communication, nothing would happen.  We all need to communicate in life whether it is a good thing or not.  Ikaika has also taught me leadership skills.  During my final year of Ikaika, I was one of the oldest ones there and I felt that I needed to step up and take leadership.           

     I think the most memorable times of this Ikaika experience were all the games we would play.  Coach Clay would always get us into a league somehow, whether it was on the island or not.  The experience these games provided were things that we would not be able to learn from just practice.  It allowed us to learn game time situations, like what to do when and how to accomplish it.  It didn’t mean always coming out with a win, but I honestly think you can learn more with a loss than a win.  Losses help you realize what you did wrong so that you can do it right the next time.           

     I was very privileged to have Coach Clay enter my life because he was not only a coach for me but he was also a true friend.  If I had problems with anything I could go to him and he would give his input on what he thinks I should do.  He would help me with any problems ranging from school ball to girlfriend problems.  He would always be there for me no matter what the situation was and I am very thankful for that.             

     Coach Clay would always emphasize the importance of one possession.  He made us read a poem that a man named Jeff Smith wrote.  It taught me the importance of that one possession when I turned the ball over or I made a bad shot.  With that one possession, the game could have came out a totally different way.  It has taught us to value each possession that we have because at the end of the game, it could come down to that one possession.             

     Overall, I am very glad to have played for this team because I would be a totally different person I didn’t.  Without the opportunity to play on this team, I would not have picked up important skills in life like leadership, communication, responsibility, and much more.  Ikaika is definitely one of the bright parts of my life and I would not exchange it for anything.  Even though Coach Clay got on my ass for a lot of things, it helped me a lot to become who I am today, and I am glad he did so.  Ikaika and Coach Clay has helped me become a better person on and off the court, and I would not trade this experience for a single thing.

Over the years, Ikaika Basketball has helped mold me into the person I am today. Through fundraising and team bonding events, I created a second family that I could trust and love to spend time with. As a previous member of the team, I learned how to work hard, strive to do my best, cooperate with my teammates and other members of the Ikaika family, and to be courageous.

            During the three years I was a member of Ikaika (2004-2007), I acquired many skills can be used in everyday life. I improved my social skills through fundraisers and many get-togethers and had a fun in the meantime. Before I was in Ikaika, I was a bit shy and unwilling to go out of my way to introduce myself and meet new people. I also wasn’t much of a determined basketball player or a very good basketball player. Now, after three years of fundraising, meeting new people throughout the Ikaika community, and hardcore practices I am a different person in more ways than one. As a freshman in college, I am really glad that my parents forced me to try my hardest in everything that I did in Ikaika Basketball. They told me to have good attitude and try to have fun. In doing so, I learned how much of a role determination, integrity, respect, and attitude play not only in basketball, but in everyday life. 

I played for Coach Clay for a little over 6 years, more then most of the players on Ikaika, and I was very privileged to not only be one of his players but to also have him as a friend.  Coach Clay loved the game and he taught us to love the game to.  He was very dedicated to teaching us and becoming great players both on and off the court, something that not much coaches can say they’ve done.  He has done so much for me that I couldn’t have done with other coaches such as going on trips to not only the outer islands but the mainland as well.  The things Coach Clay did for us was just incredible, he was not only a coach but also someone who cared about us off the court.

Throughout the years playing under Coach Clay I’ve really matured.  I came from being the hard head punk on the court to….well I never really changed from that but I really toned down haha.  The Ikaika team was basically always undersized but Coach Clay taught us that size didn’t matter but what mattered most was “Heart.”  Though Coach Clay expected us to play hard he always wanted us to play smart and be gentlemen and to me that’s what separated him from being a good coach to a great one.

Coach Clay did a lot for me.  He gave me so many opportunities that I believe no other coach could have provided.  I loved going on trips and bonding with my team members.  Ikaika was a 2^nd family to me.  I enjoyed playing with them more then I did at Moanalua.  I’d have to say the trips we took were the best part of being with Ikaika.  From Maui, to Kaua’i, to Las Vegas to California.  I would always look forward to the trips we would take and the games we would play away from home.

Everything Coach Clay taught me I applied during my basketball years.  I think playing with Coach Clay helped me start for 4 years at Moanalua High School.  Even though my years of being an Ikaika player is done id say playing for Coach Clay was some of the best times, even though they were sometimes stressful they were worth it in the end.  Even though I’m not playing it still doesn’t mean I'm not part of the family.  I know I will always be a member of Ikaika.  Coach Clay and Aunty Brenda still open their arms to me letting me come to practice to help teach and even come on trips with them, which means a lot to me.  Hopefully I can give back by helping Ikaika whenever I can and also applying everything I’ve learned in my life ahead.

for two years, i was fortunate to play under coach clay, who not only loves the game of basketball, but is very dedicated to working with young people. the effort and time that he spends teaching, coaching and interacting with his players is simply amazing.  not only were there the practices, the games, the fundraisers, the chauffering, etc., but he was always there when we needed advice on anything. 
 
he taught us a different style of play that regardless of our size, could experience growth and success as a team.  rather than having individual "stars" on the team, his team concept allowed our ikaika team to function as a unit and always be competitive.  he emphasized the importance of responsbility and communication on and off the court, as part of a team and life in general.  for example, when we could not make a practice or game, he expected us to personally communicate this to him.
 
coach clay provided me opportunities that i wouldn't have had.  i helped to coach the younger players during practices and had a fantastic experience playing in a tournament in las vegas!  during our las vegas trip, we were given a special tour of the unlv campus, including its famous basketball facilities.  we played several teams from the california area & really enjoyed ourselves on & off the court.
 
even though my ikaika years are over, i still remember the importance of responsibility and communication i learned under coach clay.  now that i am in college, and making my way through the real world, i find that i have more responsibilities.  the decisions i make are my own, and they will subsequently affect my future.  i am treated as an adult, and thus i must act like one.  no longer do my parents take responsibility for my actions, but instead i must face the consequences myself.  in college, i am responsible for turning in work on time, seeking help from teachers, choosing my career path, and even attending classes.  there is no one to get on my case if things are not completed on time.  i must be disciplined or else i will get left behind.  communication is just as important.  if i have questions or need something to be done, it is my responsibility to seek the help i need.