Punahou's Justin Kam lets a three-pointer fly against Kalaheo. Greg Yamamoto | SL

×

122313_Pun5_8068.jpg - Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase this image
4x5 5x7 8x10 image download

With so many games and tournaments scheduled in the preseason, fatigue often takes a toll, affecting the performances of several teams and players.

Despite playing in three straight games this weekend, Punahou's Justin "J.P." Kam bucked the trend, gradually increasing his scoring during the three-day span, totaling 41 points and nailing ten triples.

"I think I did good," Kam said on his performance after the Buffanblu's game with Baldwin. "Coaches just kept telling me to shoot, so I just kept shooting and they were falling in."

While they may not have been on target 100 percent of time, they were dead on when they needed it the most, infectious to team's morale. In the tournament's finale against No. 9 Baldwin, the top-ranked Buffanblu faced an early deficit, trailing 7-0 to start the game. Following a much-needed timeout, Daniel Andrews found Kam at the wing for a three-point shot. With a quick trigger, Kam knocked it in, kick starting a 14-2 run to close out the first quarter.

"He's playing great," Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said on Kam's performance. "We new he would have this type of year – and especially when a team is going to (play) zone (defense against) us, he's going to get a lot of open looks. He was very aggressive today, looking for his shot. He got a lot of good looks and he hit them."

In what was a battle of runs against the Bears, it was Kam that delivered the knock out punch that put the Buffanblu up for good. Baldwin opened up the third quarter with a 10-2 run, taking the lead at 30-24. Showing that he had much more than just the three-point shot in his arsenal, Kam responded with a baseline floater over Baldwin's Josiah Magiente-Tonu to cut the lead to four points.

Kam later knocked in three treys – all from teammate Randon Oda – to cap a 14-5 run that gave Punahou a 39-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.  Baldwin was unable to overcome the deficit and the Buffanblu were able to move on to an 11-0 start to the preseason.

The junior wing has come a long way since not making the varsity squad a year ago to begin with. Kam was regulated to the junior varsity team, but he wouldn't stay there for long. After lighting it up in his first JV game, Matsuda and his coaching staff plucked him out from the JV ranks and opened a seat on the varsity bench. The experience playing in varsity his sophomore year has prepped Kam to become a starter on the top-ranked team in the state.

"He actually had it in him last year," Matsuda said on Kam's development. "He's gotten a little more athletic and his mental game has really stepped up a lot. "He's starting to really understand the type of player he can be; he's starting to realize his potential. Now it's about improving and working on your game every day."

While one more week in the preseason remains, the Buffanblu are starting to look like the early favorites to win the big dance. Kam's sharp shooting skills from distance opens up some things for his teammates, making this Punahou squad a really deadly team. As long as Kam is sniping from the perimeter, no challenge will be too big for the Buffanblu to overcome.