Youth Teams Invited to Enter HI-PAL Winter Basketball Classic

Youth basketball teams from throughout the state will gather Dec. 26-29 in Hilo to compete in the 32nd Annual HI-PAL Winter Basketball Classic.

Sponsored by the Hawai‘i County Department of Parks and Recreation and the Hawai‘i Isle Police Activities League or HI-PAL, this popular tournament is open to boys and girls ages 5 to 14 years old.

Last year’s highly successful tournament attracted more than 500 keiki athletes from 52 different teams.

This year’s games will be played at various East Hawai‘i gymnasiums. A dinner banquet for all participating teams and a special skills challenge will be part of the four-day tournament.

Teams have until December 14 to register. The fee is $80 per team, with a discounted $60 price for each team entering the 8-year-old and under category.

Tournament scheduling will give teams, coaches and parents opportunities to visit some of East Hawai‘i’s world-class attractions. The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i’s full-dome planetarium, Hilo’s black-sand beaches, majestic Rainbow Falls, and the free Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens are all located within a short drive from the tournament venues. For those wishing to venture a little further, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park includes Kilauea Volcano, which has been erupting continuously since 1983.

For more information or to register, please call HI-PAL’s Joey Botelho Jr. at 961-2220 or 961-8121. Inquiries may also be made to Darrell Yamamoto, P&R recreation specialist, at 961-8740, ext. 25, or Jason Armstrong, P&R Public Information Officer, at 345-9105, or jarmstrong@co.hawaii.hi.us.

HI-PAL Winter Basketball Classic Information

The Hawaiʻi Isle Police Activities League (HI-PAL), in collaboration with the Department of Parks & Recreation, will hold the 31st Annual Winter Basketball Classic from Monday, December 26, through Thursday, December 29. in Hilo.

Officer Joey Botello

Teams have already registered and will participate in the following age group divisions:

5-6 and 7-8 divisions at Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium
Boys 9-10 and Boys 11-12 divisions at Andrew’s Gym
Girls 10 and under and girls 12 and under at Waiākea High School

Start times for all locations will be 9 a.m. The public is invited to attend these “non-admission” games and watch teams from Oahu and Maui compete against teams from our island.

On Tuesday, December 27, a “Chili Dinner and Skills Challenge” event will be held at the Hilo Civic Auditorium beginning at 5:30 p.m. During this event, special guests will be on hand to provide informational messages of encouragement about athletics, education, respect and life lessons.In addition, all participants of the Winter Basketball Classic present will be asked to recite a pledge against the use of “meth” or “ice.” The author of this pledge, Bohdi Amar from Kohala Middle School, will be recognized for his entry into the “Second Annual HI-PAL Pledge Against Meth” contest for middle school students throughout the Big Island.

On Wednesday, December 28, the championship games for the 5-6 and 7-8 age divisions will be played at Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium beginning at 9 a.m. On Thursday, December 29, the championship games for the remaining age groups will be played at the Ah Fook-Chinen Civic Auditorium starting at 9 a.m.

For more information, please call Officer Joseph Botelho Jr. at 961-2220.