West Maui Youth Basketball League is led by Commissioners Sean Gordon and Yolanda Dukes. They have both been involved with the league since its inception 35 years ago.

LAHAINA – Year 35 for one of the state’s sterling youth sports programs, the West Maui Youth Basketball League, tips off on Jan. 12, 2019, with opening day festivities and contests on the sparkling new floor at Lahaina Civic Center, home of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational college basketball tournaments.

WMYBL will be guided by veteran organization leaders Sean Gordon and Yolanda Dukes, both of whom have been with the league since its inception 35 years ago.

Since then, the program has grown and prospered into one of the island’s top youth athletic leagues and a model for youth sports across the state.

For the 2018-19 season, some 400 West Side keiki are signed up to fill the 32 teams divided into four divisions – Termites (kindergarten), Tiny Mites (grades 1-2), Pee Wees (grades 3-5) and Midgets (grades 6-8).

The Termite teams will mostly learn basketball skills and then play controlled scrimmages. The Tiny Mites will play eight games, the Pee Wees play nine and the Midgets have ten league games.

All divisions will play through to the March 16 All-Star and Awards Day program for the entire league.

The remarkable dedication and endurance of the WMYBL officials is exemplified in the staff led by Commissioners Gordon and Dukes, all of them also 35-year pillars of community support of children’s sports.

The staff is made up of Steve Ashfield, Al Dasugo, Casey Smythe and Steve McCabe.

A long list of coaches who have dedicated their time and effort to the success of the league for its duration includes Lori Kaufman, Andy Alavazo, Ray Lasco, Karyn Murphy, Edgar Brands, Chris Salem and Mario Balagso.

The league would not be as successful as it is without the support of sponsors, some of them for most of the 35 years of its existence, including the County of Maui, James Ward Contractor, Thad Henry Design Group, Scott Brothers Pacific, Jim Falk Motors, Hula Grill, Leilani’s on the Beach (all-star game sponsor), Beyond Beauty Salon, Kaanapali Alii, Lahaina Plumbing, Kimo’s Restaurant, State Farm Insurance, Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Ed’s Union 76, UFO Parasail, Maui Photo World, Westside Hoops, Key To Life Chiropractic, Royal Lahaina Resort, Kumulani Chapel, Duke’s Beach House, No Ka ‘Oi Deli, Maui Brands Massage, Billiards Services Maui, Valencia Construction, Action Photos Hawaii, Blaze It Up, Diamond Legacy Home Solutions LLC, The Block Maui, DJ Ron, Nalu Grindz, DBLII, Central Pacific Bank, Teppanyaki2Go, Hawaii Hustle and Studio Auto Body.