Free youth basketball clinic registration opens for Kauai keiki

A free basketball clinic at Kapaa High School gym will put Kauai boys and girls in grades 5 through 8 in front of University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball coaches, but only 50 spots are available.

Kauai County’s Department of Parks and Recreation said online registration opens at 8 a.m. Friday, May 8, and families who want a place will need to move quickly. The clinic is set for Thursday, May 21, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with check-in beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Kapaa High School gym.

The county is keeping the clinic free, a detail that makes the event especially significant for parents looking for a no-cost athletic opportunity close to home. Participants are asked to bring a basketball, water bottle, athletic clothing and athletic shoes, practical requirements that point to a structured on-court session rather than a casual open gym.

The partnership with University of Hawaii at Hilo adds another layer of value for local families. UH Hilo men’s basketball head coach Kaniela Aiona, a Honokaa High School graduate who joined the university from Menlo College in 2020, brings college-level coaching experience to Kauai. UH Hilo has described its basketball camps as a long-running tradition, and Aiona has said he grew up attending camps himself, a background that helps explain why the program has emphasized youth development across the islands.

For Kauai, the clinic fits into a broader pattern of youth sports programming already visible on the county’s basketball page, which also includes spring league materials for 5th and 6th grade and 7th and 8th grade divisions. That makes the Kapaa clinic more than a one-day event. It sits within a county pipeline of organized basketball opportunities for middle-school keiki, with the added draw of instruction from outside the island.

The county’s notice also says alternate formats are available, including large print, Braille and electronic copy. For families planning ahead, the message is straightforward: the clinic is free, the age group is specific, the cap is firm, and the registration window is short. In a county where youth sports openings are often limited, this is the kind of opportunity that can disappear as soon as it appears.