Kapā‘a, Waimea Lead KIF Boys and Girls Basketball All‑Stars as Spring Approaches

LIHUE - The Kauai Interscholastic Federation released the KIF All‑Stars for the boys and girls basketball programs on Thursday, with Kapaa and Waimea leading the selections across both rosters. Kapaa High School captured the KIF Central Pacific Bank championship and went on to finish fifth at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II state championships. Waimea High School girls basketball earned the KIF CPB championships and continued on to finish in third place at the HHSAA Division II state championships after the No. 2 seeded Menehune topped the No. 4 seeded Lanai High School, 63-32 on Hawaii Island.

Boys All‑Stars honors put Kapaa forward: Player of the Year is CJ Jenkins (grade 11, Kapaa). The published boys All‑Stars list includes Shayden Mandel (grade 12, Kapaa), Laurence Ganir (grade 12, Kauai), Diego Mariano (grade 12, Waimea), Matt Dobashi (grade 12, Island) and Siotame Malafu (grade 11, Kapaa). Coach of the Year for the boys was named as Kamahalo Kauhane of Kapaa High School. The selections note that “Kapaa’s Shayden Mandel, the Warriors’ playmaker on the court, rounded out the graduating seniors, and junior Siotame Malafu, a perfect complement to Jenkins in the paint, rounded out the All‑Stars.”

Photo: “Kapaa’s CJ Jenkins looks for the basket over the defense of Kauai’s Karter Reichle during a Kauai Interscholastic Federation boys basketball game played on Jan. 27, 2026, at the Bernice Hundley Gym.” - Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island file

On the girls side, Waimea’s junior Alyssa Gummerus was named Player of the Year (grade 11, Waimea). The published girls All‑Stars are Ari Acosta (grade 12, Waimea), Wailana Tanigawa‑Christian (grade 11, Waimea), Breyanna Alfonso (grade 10, Island), Matea Nua (grade 9, Kauai) and Laakea Kauwe (grade 9, Waimea). The photo caption accompanying the coverage highlighted Gummerus in action: “Waimea High School junior Alyssa Gummerus bulls through the defense put up by Kauai High School’s Tori Bukoski during a Kauai Interscholastic Federation girls basketball game played on Jan. 17, 2026, at the new Kauai High School gymnasium.” - Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island file

The All‑Star lists underline the underclass talent returning for both programs: Kapaa placed two juniors among the top honorees (CJ Jenkins and Siotame Malafu) while Waimea’s selections include juniors and ninth‑graders such as Alyssa Gummerus, Wailana Tanigawa‑Christian and Laakea Kauwe. The published rosters also list two players identified simply as “Island” (Matt Dobashi and Breyanna Alfonso) as printed in the KIF release. Those All‑Star selections mirror the county’s postseason results and position Kapaa and Waimea as the headline programs emerging from the 2025-26 KIF season as spring athletics ramp up.