If you ask people to point to someone who made a big difference in their lives, they will often mention a person who coached them as part of school athletics. I asked readers about the great coaches they have known. In this issue we’ll look at three great basketball coaches who were, coincidentally, all born on the Big Island.
James Alegre, Radford High
“James Alegre was a Radford basketball coach, well respected by his peers and always remembered by his players,” Wayne Shiohira said. “Even the referees who called the games were glad to see him, on or off the court.
“I worked as a custodian for the gym and football field, with Mr. Alegre as Radford’s athletic director.”
Shiohira said he never saw Alegre argue or yell at a referee because of a call that went against his team. “He expected his athletes to carry themselves likewise. Even after three state basketball titles, he had a friendly, unassuming air that endeared him to those that knew him. Some called him ‘Gentleman Jim.’
“Coach Alegre always taught the basics in practice: Be prepared for different situations; stay alert; learn from your mistakes; don’t let emotions affect your efforts; be a team player; have confidence in yourself and your team; be tenacious; and know that competition offers you a chance to do your best.
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“But even more important to the coach was teaching the student athletes that what they learned in practice and on the court can be applied to life. Be industrious, loyal, enthusiastic and alert. Hold fast to your principles and beliefs.
“He felt it was important to show the characteristics and traits that represented a path to becoming a better person,” Shiohira believes.
James Shigeo Alegre was born in Honokaa to a Japanese mother and Filipino father. He was just 5 feet, 3 inches tall, Honolulu Advertiser sports editor Andrew Mitsukado wrote in 1969.
“When he is with his Radford High School basketball players, he looks like a student manager rather than the coach. But he is a giant as a basketball mentor.
“The Radford Rams are the undefeated champions of the Oahu Interscholastic Association for 1969, and Alegre deserves a lot of credit for the team’s superb accomplishment.
“The Rams had many good players, but it was Alegre who pulled the team through some critical situations with keen coaching acumen. Without him, Radford might have lost a couple of games.
“Alegre is one of the coolest basketball coaches we have ever seen. He is always a picture of composure.”
Following Radford’s 1989 state championship win, MVP Troy McCoy said, “Coach Alegre didn’t just teach me basketball, he changed my whole outlook on life. He was like a father to me.”
Alegre died in 2005 after a yearlong battle with cancer. Journalist Lee Cataluna wrote that “James Alegre was the basketball coach at Radford High School for 34 glorious years, filling the trophy case and record books with more than 600 wins, four state championships (1969, 1971, 1977 and 1989) and nine OIA titles.
“Even more than for his winning record, Alegre was known for his warm smile, infallible integrity and the strength of character he taught along with basketball skills.”
Francis Yap, Waiakea High
Former state Department of Public Safety Director Ted Sakai sent me this in January 2024. He died a few months later.
“I attended Waiakea Kai School in Hilo. When I was in the eighth grade, I made the school basketball team. The coach was a PE teacher named Francis Yap.
“We weren’t very talented, but he taught us how to compete against better teams from bigger schools. Once in practice, he put us through a difficult drill. I muttered under my breath, ‘That’s too hard.’
“He immediately turned to me, in front of all the other players, and said in a stern voice, ‘Don’t you ever say that. You have to try.’ It’s a lesson I’ve carried with me for the rest of my life.
“Mr. Yap was an outstanding coach, but what made him great was his vision and creativity for all of the students at the school, and his insistence on participation by every student. This was in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
“In our PE class he introduced us to the standard sports (softball, basketball and volleyball), but he somehow fit in archery, wrestling, pingpong and all of the track and field events. I remember throwing the discus, shot putting, doing the broad jump and learning how to high-jump. All of this was in addition to the running events.
“We were required to run sprints, the middle distance and the mile. And this was before the physical fitness movement was introduced by President Kennedy. When kids were required to do the Physical Fitness Tests, the kids at Waiakea Kai were ready for them.
“Mr. Yap was a major influence in my life. He taught me discipline and persistence, and he exposed me to things I would have never tried without him.”
Frank Minato, McKinley High
Raymond Iwamoto said: “I would like to mention high school basketball coach Frank Minato, who led McKinley High School to the ILH basketball championship in 1955.
“He had Ted ‘Fuzzy’ Smith for center, Jim ‘Dunkin’ Duncan and Earl ‘Legs’ Shim as forwards, and guards John ‘Magic’ Madali and Noble ‘Calamity’ Kila.
“McKinley faced a formidable opponent in Kamehameha, led by their all-star, Pedro ‘Pete’ Velasco Jr.
“Velasco was lighting up the ILH scoreboard every game, averaging double figures. McKinley had to stop him.
“Minato devised a defense where four players would play a box zone while Noble Kila played man-to-man defense on Velasco.
“Kila hounded Velasco all night and held him to only take four shots in the entire game and scored just one (free throw) point. McKinley won and went on to win the ILH championship. I never saw a defense like that again. It was great coaching!”
Kila, Shim and Smith all made the Advertiser all-star team that year, as did Velasco, who went on to become an internationally famous volleyball star and played on the U.S. team in the 1954 and 1968 Olympics.”
Frank Minato was born in Hilo in 1906. When he died in 1978, Timmy Teichiro Hirata, former principal at McKinley High School, said Minato “left lasting imprints in the young minds of thousands of its graduates who came in contact with him over four decades.”
James Alegre, Francis Yap and Frank Minato are three of the many excellent coaches Hawaii has had over the years. If you had a great coach who made a difference in your life, tell me about it.
Bob Sigall is the author of the five “The Companies We Keep” books. Contact him at Sigall@Yahoo.com or sign up for his free email newsletter at RearviewMirrorInsider.com.
