Baldwin boys basketball standout Dylan Kuia has no shortage of tools at his disposal in his varied skillset. 

Kuia, a 6-foot-4 junior wing for the Bears, has definitely done his sharing of scoring this winter — as evidenced by his Division-I best scoring average of 21.7 points per game — but that only tells part of the picture of Kuia's multiple talents on the hard wood. 

"He can do it all," Baldwin coach Cody Tesoro said of Kuia, a third-year varsity player and second-year starter. 

"He can shoot, he's got a midrange, he can play above the rim, he can pass and the thing is you never know what you're going to get with him. He attacks the rim really well, he's a good shot blocker — he kind of does it all," Tesoro described. 

Aside from his technical ability, Tesoro noted that it's largely the intangibles that Kuia possesses that make him special. 

"He's not afraid of the moment. He's not afraid to take the big shot, but he's also not afraid to mess up — if he messes up he'll keep going. He doesn't shy away from the moment and for the most part he stays level headed — he doesn't get too high or too low — and that's always a big thing," Tesoro said. 

Kuia's role for the Bears has increased with each season. He played sparingly his freshman year, when he averaged a modest 3.2 points per game, but Tesoro recognized, even then, that the moment was not too big for Kuia. 

"As a freshman he played a little bit, but I can vividly remember him coming in and hitting big 3s as a freshman," Tesoro recalled. 

The following year saw Kuia crack the starting lineup and increase his scoring average of 13.7 points per game in league play, second most of the team. He eclipsed the 20-point mark on two occasions and scored 15-or-more points six times against MIL competition. 

Kuia was voted by league coaches as a first team All-MIL selection last year and also received honorable mention All-Hawaii distinction. 

Kuia has taken things to another level this season, where he has scored no fewer 15 points in all but one of Baldwin's 14 league games. Kuia has netted at least 20 points seven times, including a career-high 33 points in a win over Kekaulike on Jan. 14. 

"He's playing amazing and we need his scoring. We're fueled by his energy, when he goes, our team goes, when he gets up and down, our team gets up and down, so we go as he goes," Tesoro expressed. "Even if he's not scoring, he's blocking shots and doing all the other stuff, so the team goes as he goes."

Only twice this season has Kuia not finished as the Bears' leading scorer in a game. He has hit 19 3-pointers on the year and is shooting 66 percent from the free throw line. Tesoro praised Kuia for his consistency scoring the basketball, but pointed out that he is anything but a volume scorer. 

"He's athletic so when he gets the ball and he elevates no one really can jump with him, so he has that to his advantage, but he's also a willing passer. When you share the ball, the defense has to play other people honest, which makes him open a lot more than just shooting all the time, so I think by him being a good passer and passing the ball, he's able to get open looks. Teams do key on him because they knows he's (scoring) around 20 points a game, so him being an able and willing passer allows him to score the way he does," Tesoro explained. 

Tesoro reiterated his point and described Kuia's passing ability and vision as underrated. 

"I know he scores a lot, but he can pass the ball really well. For someone that scores as much as he does, he's throwing full-court passes, he's splitting defenders with bounce passes — that's surprised me over the years and especially this season," Tesoro added. 

Kuia led the Bears with 17 points in a 58-26 win over Lahainaluna in an MIL semifinal last week Monday. In the title game the following night, however, Kuia finished with a season-low 12 points, one behind both Evan Manarpaac and Casey Talana.

The most important stat was ultimately the final score: Baldwin 56, Kamehameha-Maui 48. 

Tesoro credited the Warriors for making adjustments to their defensive strategy against the prolific Kuia, while he also heaped praised onto Manarpaac and Talana for stepping up to fill the void. 

"You definitely need balanced scoring, especially going into the state tournament. Here on Maui you play each team three times in the regular season and then a fourth time if you play them in the MIL tournament, so these teams know your tendencies and know the scouting report and being able to have a balanced attack makes it hard. These coaches will put together a game plan on how to stop these guys, so the Caseys and the Evans need to be able to score to be able to help the team. Dylan didn't have his greatest game, so it's great to see the other guys step up and play well," Tesoro stated. 

Aside from production on the court, Kuia is also in a position of leadership as a team captain. He does so, Tesoro said, largely by example. 

"Talking and the vocal stuff, that's something he could work on, but he definitely leads by example, with his play and again, we feed off of his energy, so that's how he leads. Maturity wise, he doesn't get as frustrated as much this year and although he's not that vocal, he's more vocal this year than he had been the last few years, so it's good seeing his growth," Tesoro said. 

With its win over Kamehameha-Maui last week, Baldwin captured its second MIL Division I crown in three years. 

Kuia and the Bears (12-2) are seeded fourth in this week's HHSAA State Championships and will take on No. 9 Kahuku in Wednesday's quarterfinal round. Tip-off at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium is scheduled for 5 p.m. 

BOYS BASKETBALL

Keaka Bennett, Le Jardin — Scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Assets, scored 18 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist and scored 16 points in a win over Molokai 

Kyran Canete, Pahoa — Scored 26 points in a loss to Hawaii Prep 

Brayden Colon, Molokai — Scored 20 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Le Jardin 

Chazen Dabalos-Vereze, Moanalua — Scored 18 points with two rebounds, one assists, one steal and a block in a loss to Kailua 

Kashus Daley, Kahuku — Scored 19 points with six rebounds, six assists and one block in a win over Nanakuli and scored 24 points with seven assists, six rebounds and two steals in a win over Kapolei 

Rivers Evans, Kahuku — Had 10 blocks, eight rebounds, five points, four assists and one steal in a win over Nanakuli 

Caelen Fernando, Saint Louis — Scored 22 points with five assists, two rebounds and one steal in a win over Punahou 

Roman Gabriel, Mililani — Scored 23 points with six rebounds and one steal in a win over Leilehua 

Jayden Hook, Kohala — Scored 19 points in a win over Honokaa 

Kaikuakea Kahana-Rowe, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 18 points in a win over Hilo 

Laakea Kamahele, Le Jardin — Scored 23 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

Layden Kauka, Kohala — Scored 24 points in a win over Honokaa 

Shealand Kazama, Aiea — Scored 15 points with 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals in a win over Kaiser 

Imai Kramer, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 19 points in a win over Kekaulike 

Nahiku Nahale-a, Kamehameha — Scored 17 points with five rebounds and three assists in a win over Maryknoll

Ronin Naihe, Kahuku — Scored 22 points with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in a win over Nanakuli and scored 19 points with three rebounds, two assists and one steal in a win over Kapolei 

Noah Park, Aiea — Scored 17 points with three rebounds and one block in a win over Kaiser 

Beckon Pierce, Le Jardin — Scored 18 points in a win over Molokai 

Maddox Pung, Kailua — Scored 30 points with three rebounds, two blocks, one assist and a steal in a win over Moanalua 

Pupu Sepulona, Saint Louis — Scored 18 points with six rebounds in a win over Punahou 

Kukia Tagabi, Honokaa — Scored 21 points in a loss to Kohala 

Emmanuel Tiritas, Kaiser — Scored 11 points with 11 rebounds and one block in a loss to Aiea 

Kolten Waikiki-Caldeira, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 19 points in a win over Kekaulike 

Tyree Wilson, Leilehua — Scored 20 points with 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block in a loss to Mililani and scored 18 points in a win over Moanalua 

Colton Wong, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 19 points in a win over Hanalani 

Nixis Yamauchi, Maryknoll — Scored 30 points with two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in a loss to Kamehameha 

Kiai Yasso, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 22 points in a win over Konawaena 

Joven Young, Konawaena — Scored 18 points in a win over Kealakehe