HPU visits Special Education Center of Hawai’i for March Madness Event

HONOLULU – They call it the “Big Dance” for a reason. 

Hawai’i Pacific’s men’s basketball team continued an emphasis on giving back to the local community on Tuesday, visiting the Diamond Head location for the Special Education Center of Hawai’i (SECOH) to help prepare the clients for their “March Madness” event. 

SECOH’s mission, as stated on their website, is to provide personalized services to people with disabilities in the spirit of enriching lives. Working with clients of all ages, HPU had 12 representatives (three coaches, nine players) in attendance for a day full of fun. In honor of the NCAA Tournament for both men and women, SECOH and HPU’s men’s basketball team combined forces for an hour-and-a-half practice session for clients to go through basic basketball skills drills with the team – with some breaks for bonding on the side. 

It was something that clients had been looking forward to ahead of time, says HPU athletic director Debbie Snell – who has a son named Dillon that attends SECOH. Dillon, an avid Sharks fan that could be seen at numerous games inside the Shark Tank this past season, was just one of MANY people excited to work with HPU. 

The team arrived around 9:40 a.m. for the 10 a.m. session, excitedly anxious to get to work giving back to those in local communities in just another way. Despite having offseason workout sessions later in the day around noon, nine players (who didn’t have academic responsibilities as a time conflict) from last year’s squad piled into the Diamond Head location to help prepare those at SECOH for Wednesday’s modified and non-modified scrimmages. Along with head coach Jesse Nakanishi, associate head coach Patrick Frost and assistant coach and lead recruiter Cam Flabel, even soon-to-be graduate Tyrease Terell joined the Sharks in the fray despite his eligibility being used up. 

“The team is amazing and so good with folks from all different backgrounds and levels of ability,” athletic director Debbie Snell said about the men’s basketball program at HPU. “The way they jump right in and make the experience memorable for the participants is truly heart-warming.” 

It wasn’t all hoops, there were times for dance breaks and bonding between SECOH’s clients and the Sharks’ hoopers. 

“Today was an awesome, new experience for our team visiting SECOH and helping their clients with their March Madness event,” Flabel said in a phone interview with HSRN. “It was a great event filled with lots of smiles, laughter and dance moves! We were happy to help come together and make an impact and help make their day. It’s all about perspective and that is something we are reminded about daily.” 

The fun day is just another example of the continuous work that Nakanishi and his program do in the community. During the 2023-24 regular season, Hawai’i Pacific men’s basketball received the runner-up title for the 2024 Division II Award of Excellence while being the winner for the honor from the PacWest conference. Among the events the team participated, planned and put together were Maui Food Drives, basketball clinics to support the rebuild of the island after the Maui wildfires and the first annual “Field Trip Game” in conjunction with the Shark Bite Mentorship programs the team participates in with Noelani Elementary School and Mānoa Elementary School. 

*Note: Photos provided by HPU Men’s Basketball*