The team is 4-4 as the Maui Interscholastic League Division II season winds down.

NAPILI — The high-flying Maui Preparatory Academy varsity basketball team continues as a force heading into the final week of regular season competition and the Maui Interscholastic League Division II Tournament that will determine the seedings to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championships the first week of February in Honolulu.

In only their second year of varsity competition, Maui Prep completed an undefeated 17-0 season and captured the HHSAA D-II state title for the 2022 season — the independent school’s first championship in any sport.

The current campaign has proven to be a tougher challenge, as Na Pueo currently are in the middle of the MIL standings with a 4-4 record with two games left to play before the post season tournament.

Head coach Zach Bailey remains optimistic in facing the rough road to repeating last season’s success.

“We’re a young team and still learning how to create good habits and become a team,” he said from the sidelines at the Bozich Center for Athletics and Performing Arts at the entrance to the campus at the foothills in Napili.

“Things are a little different this year; we’re learning together for later years. We’re a real blue collar team, and we play scrappy defense with strong guard play and instincts that create good habits on the floor.”

Coach Bailey, who graduated from D-1 Tennessee Tech, where he played guard, is assisted by Jim Ellia and Mason Triplett this season.

The player roster is headed up by senior team captain Emerson Flores, junior Amadeo Drechsel, sophomore captains Kai Godwin and Kai Shively, classmate Ezra Offergeld, and freshmen Flynn Williams, Reef Lombardi and Cameron Henry.

“My thanks go out to God, my wife, my kids and the entire Maui Prep community for their support of the program. That includes the school administration, the coaches and the families who give of their time to build a successful team. And special thanks to Athletic Trainer Analisa Figueroa for all she does to keep the kids safe. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to coach here and see the team grow,” concluded Coach Bailey.