FIRST IN A THREE-PART SERIES
When you’re a sportswriter, you tend to know a bunch of sporty people — some who you know well, some who are acquaintances and even some who are your neighbors.
You wish them well in their endeavors. But you don’t necessarily expect them to be superdy-duperdy, top-tier athletes in their chosen sport.
For some reason, though, during this winter and spring, one after another of people I know competing on the mainland are just doing incredible things in various sports.
What follows is the first in a three-part series.
Former ‘Iolani standout Camy Aguinaldo of Mililani is a third-team Division III All-American for Pacific University.
The Basketball Was Always Bouncing
Living in the flag lot behind our home in Mililani that we owned from 2005 to 2020 was the Aguinaldo family.
And the basketball was always bouncing in their extra big driveway, which was an excellent place for their three kids to learn the ins and outs of the sport and the necessary skills to possibly go far.
One kid, Camy, went to ‘Iolani and starred for Raiders before graduating in 2017. But because I was more on the wrestling and soccer beat during the winter at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, I think I only saw her play once at the ‘Iolani gym.
Back then, by all accounts, including from the Star-Advertiser’s high school basketball reporter Paul Honda, she was a very good player for the Raiders.
Then, after high school, Camy wound up going to Whitworth College (Spokane, Washington), and I knew she was doing very well there, too. But I do remember Alex Miguel (an uncle and a recently retired assistant athletic director at Kaiser) telling me there was a time when Camy was thinking about leaving the sport before her eligibility expired.
Sticking With It Through the Pandemic
Well, she obviously decided to stick with it through the pandemic, and, after a transfer to Pacific University (Forest Grove, Oregon) before her junior year, she just tore it up, especially this year.
While following Alex on social media this year, I watched the accolades for Camy that he posted come in — and continued to come in — up until today.
And, wow!!! Camy Aguinaldo of Mililani and an ‘Iolani alum is a third-team Division III All-American — only the third player in Pacific school history to be recognized as such.
Before that, she was named All-Northwest Conference for the fourth time. Then, soon after, Aguinaldo was selected as first-team All West Region.
‘One Of The Best Offensive Players In the Nation’
And here’s what the school writes about Aguinaldo on its website:
“Aguinaldo established herself as one of the best offensive players in the nation during her senior season. … The lightning-quick 5-foot-3 point guard averaged 20 points per game, making her the leading scorer in the NWC and the 20th-best scorer in all of Division IIII. She scored with unbelievable efficiency as she shot 43.8 from the field while attempting the most field goals in the conference (169).
“She amassed 1,994 points in her unbelievable career, solidifying herself as one of the most accomplished student athletes in Pacific women’s basketball history.”
The Boxers went 19-8 overall, losing 76-57 to Whitman College in the NWC championship game in Walla Walla, Washington.
Previously, Aguinaldo was the NWC Freshman of the Year and NWC second team in her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Ready For The 1-on-1
I’m sure Camy will be reading this and so my message to her is that I can beat her 1-on-1 …
… in hockey.
