Moanalua 6-footer Shailoh Liilii boasts sky-high ability

Once upon a time, a young princess in the Liilii castle loved watching movies with her father.

Every day, after school, she would sit on the sofa. When dad came home from work, it was the same request: “Can we watch ‘A Bug’s Life’?”

As with all life-altering decisions, this regal father weighed his decision each time. Some requests were handled by the queen, Shailoh Liilii’s mother, Lin-Tai. Some decrees were jointly expedited and mandatory. Good grades. Good heart.

Her dad, Rick, always said yes when it came to “A Bug’s Life.”

“It was our favorite when I was little. We would watch it two or three or four times a day,” recalled Liilii, now a 6-foot basketball player at Moanalua. “That’s how obsessed I was with it.”

These days, she is less a little princess and more of a shot-blocking, tenacious-rebounding force in the paint for an otherwise aptly nicknamed Na Menehune squad. Liilii is busy keeping her 3.4 grade-point average humming as Moanalua prepares to contend for an OIA championship.

On the hardwood, Moanalua’s core of talented returnees took a big hit in the offseason when point guard Braylee Riturban suffered a knee injury. The seasoned floor general is sidelined for her entire senior season. That left the easy-going Liilii and her teammates — and coach Kirk Ronolo — processing through each stage of grief.

Liilii’s favorite reminder is scripture for troubled times, 2 Corinthians 5:7.

“It means when you’re going on your ways, you should always trust in God’s word and not just believe in what you see,” she said.

With just four days of practice, Moanalua played in two preseason tournaments against six quality opponents. Na Menehune are 1-5, but are gradually building chemistry. Ronolo has a mature group of returnees who are intent on improving one day at a time. Even with the nonconference losses, Moanalua is a contender for the OIA title, and Liilii is the biggest reason why.

“She is very personable, very respectful. I can’t remember having any player who played for me that was the most talented player on the team and also the most coachable,” Ronolo said. “Shailoh knows she’s the best player on the team and she’s very coachable, and she’s willing to help other girls get better. She’s special — her size, athleticism, mentality and her work ethic. … Her willingness to get better.”

Losing Riturban, the player, is fueling Liilii in a different way.

“I think for her the sky’s the limit for Shailoh. This year, she contacted me to do individual workouts over the summer. She wanted to improve. With that mentality, sky’s the limit,” Ronolo said.

Liilii got workouts in, honing her skills as a high and low post scorer. A natural mid-range shooter, her team needs buckets at point-blank range to counter-balance a heavy surplus of long-range shooters.

“She always wants to improve. That Campbell game last year when we came up short, she kind of took that hard,” Ronolo said. “They would swarm her and it led to turnovers or lost possessions.”

Reading defenses has become a way of life now for Liilii. As a freshman two years ago, she was part of a Moanalua squad that made the state tournament but lost to Waiakea in the opening round. Last year, Moanalua beat Kailua 58-34 in the opening round before losing to powerhouse Konawaena 47-34 in the quarterfinals.

Rhea Nobleza and Akaecia Mateo are among the key playmakers who fortify Na Menehune from the perimeter. Newcomer Shanti Castillo, a transfer from Kalani, is also making a crucial contribution.

Before Liilii entered high school, her family considered applying her at Kamehameha and Maryknoll. Her mother, Lin-Tai, is a Kamehameha “lifer.” Maryknoll was coached by Tony Hoolulu at the time. He had coached his daughters in youth leagues and tournaments for years.

“I remember Shailoh as a fifth grader playing in a PAL tournament. She was very long and athletic for her age, and could run. She has improved by being able to put the ball on the floor and attack the rack with some very nice touch around the rim,” Hoolulu said. “Defensively she has great timing on blocked shots and rarely gets into foul trouble. She plays relentlessly, grabs rebounds and blocks shots like a Dennis Rodman type. Offensively, she reminds me of George ‘Iceman’ Gervin because she is smooth around the basket with active hands.”

Liilii was “on the cusp” of attending Maryknoll before freshman year, Hoolulu added.

“We had her ready, but COVID hit,” he said.

Maryknoll’s loss was and still is Moanalua’s gain. Chico Furtado was in charge of basketball operations at Maryknoll at that time.

“I saw Shailoh first play when she was a freshman. I recall her being long and athletic. She ran the floor well. Her skill set was a little raw, but I could see her potential. She has definitely improved her skill set since then. Her ball skills are much more refined and she attacks the basket well,” Furtado said.

Liilii’s mobility and quickness drew a comparison from the longtime coach.

“She is a load to handle around the basket because of her length. Her length and athleticism remind me a little of Kamalu Kamakawiwo‘ole. Moanalua will definitely be a front-runner for the OIA East along with Kahuku. Shailoh will need to be a consistent offensive contributor to make up for the loss of their point guard. She has already shown she can carry the scoring load, scoring 20 against us. Moanalua also has other veteran players they can lean on.”

‘Iolani coach Dean Young and assistant Cy Ohta also got a glimpse of Liilii before she was in high school.

“Coach Cy remembers the first time we saw her was in our varsity summer league when she was really young and playing for Eastsidaz. He could tell that she had potential because of her athleticism. Since then, we’ve seen her at Moanalua. The athleticism and size are still there, but the skill has really improved. Her length makes her a good rim protector and her shot is really smooth. With the loss of their point guard, I expect that more of the offense will be run through her. She’ll have to force teams to send help, which will allow her to get her teammates really good looks.”

Liilii spent the fall season playing volleyball with Moanalua’s highly ranked program, increasing her vertical leap. She opened basketball season with a 12-point effort against No. 2 Kamehameha, then poured in 20 against No. 6 Maryknoll the next day.

Two days after that, Liilii scored 13 points against four-time defending state champion ‘Iolani. Last Wednesday, she pumped in a season-high 22 points against Foothill (Calif.).

She tallied a low of eight points against Punahou, but her defense and passing helped Na Menehune upset the ninth-ranked Buffanblu 43-36.

“The day before, it was Thanksgiving Day. I slept the whole day because I wasn’t feeling good after the Foothill game. I think the only thing I ate on Thanksgiving was mac and cheese,” Liilii said. “I had a headache. The day of the Punahou game, I got liquid IV before the game,” she said.

A day after playing Punahou, Liilii finished with a very respectable 14 points against California powerhouse St. Anthony’s. Liilii is averaging nearly 15 points per game, a big bump from last year’s clip of 8.5.

Timing and spacing, vision and footwork. Liilii is learning to maximize her options. Her struggle against a smaller, swarming and trapping Campbell squad in the OIA playoffs last season caused her greatest IQ growth.

“I remember wanting to dominate in the middle. I have to dominate. There’s no big. I see a triple team coming, I’ll pass it out,” she said. “To make up for it, I play defense, block shots. I don’t even worry about scoring anymore.”

Stepping up to meet higher expectations, no surprise.

“Last year, Coach told me whether I like it or not, I have to step up. Everybody looks up to me because of my skill set, I need to help Braylee out. Now I’m on the court telling them what to do. I don’t like telling them what to do. I’m not even doing it for myself. I have to do it for my teammates,” she said.

Her coach sees it too.

“With her growth and maturity, it’s coming out more. The last two seasons when she got mad about something she’d be really aggressive on the court. I like that — not being mad, but being aggressive. Now she knows that game face is there,” Ronolo said.

During the Menehune Peek tournament, Liilii would transform shortly before tip-off. Calm, stone-cold focused, walking through the gym with her mind solely on the task at hand. It’s a version of Liilii that the little princess may have never imagined. She will crush bugs.

“My mentality is just keep working, keep dominating the middle — just play basketball. No matter who the competition is, you should always be playing hard and always play the same way,” she said. “I feel like we’re gradually going to go higher from here. The only way to go. The energy we need before every game, we need high intensity. Talking things out.”

Change isn’t always growth, but it is for Liilii.

“She’s not really vocal, but when she gets upset and getting on her teammates, it’s ‘Let’s go!’ in a positive way,” Ronolo said. “She’s the type, she took a back seat when she was younger, but I told her you’re a leader because of your skill set. Girls will follow you because of your work ethic and how you play. She’s accepted that. She knows.”

Back in those movie-binging days, the young princess was already playing soccer and volleyball. One day, her father made the push for hoops.

“I was in second grade practicing with older kids. My dad wanted me to play. He would take me to seventh and sixth grade practices. I would learn from watching and applying it on my own,” she said. “I played soccer in first grade for a half a season. I had church on Sunday and games were on Sunday.”

Soccer’s loss was Lakeside PAL’s gain.

“I think she was in the seventh grade. She was playing for Salt Lake PAL. I was like, ‘Wow, we have to get this one before the ILH does.’ She had it. She was a natural — long, tall, could handle the ball, athletic,” Ronolo said.

A number of current Menehune played in the feeder program.

“Rhea is like my Day One, ever since we played PAL together. Freshman year came and we had a good season. Everything I did with Rhea and Braylee was always fun,” Liilii said.

Riturban’s absence on the court won’t be as extreme when she’s at practice every day, guiding her teammates. Her wisdom as a friend is just as valuable.

“Braylee’s basketball IQ is helpful,” Liilii said. “And she can help me with any problem.”

That is a trait Liilii has, too.

Ronolo doesn’t claim that his talented center is perfect. She just has a perfectly winning attitude. She was never really a princess, of course. Her parents just made sure she has everything she needs to reach her goals academically, and follow her dreams on the court. They have always led by example.

“My parents are so hard-working,” Liilii said.

They named her after the city of Shiloh, adding a letter to her name.

“It’s from the Bible. Shiloh is where the prophecies were fulfilled. I remember always being in church, in the back of the bible there’s a map. I would see my name and my parents said, ‘Your name is from the Bible.’ That’s interesting,” Liilii said.

She follows a bloodline of superb athletes. Her cousins, including Lofa Liilii, were standout football players at Aiea in the mid-2000s.

“Our family, we always play two sports just to test our limits,” she said. “Any sport that includes a ball, we’ll adjust to it and play it.”

In the past three years, Liilii has traveled with the Kona Stingrays, Team Aloha and Eastsidaz. There are college basketball programs that have shown some interest, but no scholarship offers yet. A basketball trip to Oregon over the summer left quite an impression.

“I really want to go to college there. The land over there is beautiful,” Liilii said. “It’s somewhat like home.”

She’s now the one in the spotlight, finally comfortable with the emotional roller coaster of basketball life, embracing responsibility.

“I feel like the younger ones look up to us. They see what has to be done,” Liilii said. “If they see one person doing it, they know they have to meet that standard.”

SHAILOH LIILII’S FAVORITES

6-0 • Junior • Basketball, volleyball

>> Top 3 movies/shows:

1. “Toy Story” — “I like the first one. I have a good memory of it when I was little.”

2. “A Bug’s Life” — “My dad and I, it was our favorite life when I was little. My dad would sit next to me and watch it. After school, I would always ask him, ‘Can we watch “A Bug’s Life?”’ Two or four times a day. That’s how obsessed I was with it. I haven’t seen it in a year.”

3. “The Grinch” — “I like Christmas movies. I used to be really scared of the Grinch. He would grin and I would close my eyes. My brother, Ricky Jr., still reminds me of the Grinch. His personality is not like the Grinch. Ricky is really kind.”

>> Top 3 foods/drinks:

1. Cool blue Gatorade

2. Boba (Shaka Shaka at Salt Lake, or Teapresso in Kalihi)

3. Burritos. “There’s this Mexican place (El Charro Mexicano) by Aiea Bowl. They have the best California burritos ever. It has carne asada, cheese, french fries in it. It’s just amazing. We ate there after the Maryknoll game (at McKinley).”

>> Top 3 homemade food

1. Chicken tortilla soup. “My mom (Lin-Tai) makes it every other week. I can’t make it.”

2. Turkey sandwich. “I make it at home — dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato.”

3. Saimin. “I add kimchi to the beef-flavored saimin.”

>> Top 3 music artists/favorite song:

1. “Reckless Love” (Bethel Music)

2. “Summertime in the LBC” (the Dove Shack)

3. “Singing the Blues” (Positive Motion)

>> Favorite athlete/team: Las Vegas Aces. “Two years ago, when I played on Team Aloha, there was this girl who came down and talked to us. She told me stuff about the Aces.”

>> On playing for the Kona Stingrays travel team in 2021: “That’s big for (Konawaena). That’s the program they live off of and it’s so cool that the community is tight. It seems like they live, eat, sleep through basketball, but it’s different.”

>> Funniest teammate: Rheanna Nobleza. “Rhea is like my Day One. Ever since we played PAL together. Everything I did with Rhea and Braylee (Riturban) was always run.”

>> Smartest teammate: Braylee Riturban or Natalie Collo. “Natalie is school smart. Every time I need something, she knows how to do it. We were adding up free-throw percentage, how many we made out of 20, and she’s like a human calculator. Braylee’s basketball IQ is helpful, and she can help me with any problem.”

>> GPA: 3.4. “I just try not to get a D. Anything else, I’m fine.”

>> Favorite teacher: Mrs. (Lynn) Hashizume. “She teaches my Foundation of Health class. She’s fun to talk to. She doesn’t care what anybody else thinks. I had her son as my physics teacher freshman year. They’re way different.”

>> Favorite class: Foundation of Health

>> Hidden talent: “I can somewhat solve a Rubik’s cube. It takes me about four or five minutes. I can’t solve the top layer. It’s been like that since sixth grade.”

>> New life skill: “Communication. Taking on new challenges. Trying new things.”

>> Bucket list: “Go to college, explore new things, Become a radiologist. I’m thinking of playing in college. When I took my MRI, I thought it was really cool how they did all this stuff with the machine, how they knew what was going on with the body. I knew I always wanted to go into the nursing field. I want to learn new stuff. See a Las Vegas Aces game. I always see it on TV, but I wonder how it is in person.”

>> Time machine: “I would travel to the future to see myself and what I would be doing. Probably 10 years from now. Whatever my life has planned for me, I just go with the flow. I don’t mind it having some changes, I don’t.”

>> If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self? “I would tell my younger self, ‘Don’t be satisfied.’ If you get an accomplishment, don’t settle with your results.”

>> Shoutouts. “God up above. My parents especially, my family, my team. My coaches throughout my life. Without them, I wouldn’t know how to play basketball.”