Kyran Canete's will to win is only matched by his hatred of losing. 

Canete, a senior guard on the Pahoa boys basketball team, emptied his proverbial tank over the course of last week's Hawaii Army National Guard/HHSAA Division II State Championships. 

The 5-foot-9 Canete averaged 34.7 points in the Daggers' three games in as many days on Oahu. 

Canete recorded back-to-back 35-point games against Kaimuki and Seabury Hall in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively, Wednesday and Thursday. He closed out the tournament with a 34-point effort in the third-place game against Damien Friday. 

"I joked around about it to him and he agreed with me, but the craziest thing is he had probably his worst shooting performance, yet it was probably his best scoring performance over a three-game stretch," Pahoa coach Kili Oliveira said. 

In the 63-55 win over OIA champion and third-seeded Kaimuki, Canete shot 14 of 22 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range. He made 5 of 13 from the free-throw line and grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with four assists, one steal and a block. 

Canete followed that up by shooting 12 of 29 on field goals in the 76-53 loss to defending state champion and No. 2 seed Seabury Hall. Canete made 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, but was just 1 of 9 on 3-pointers. He grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, had three steals and one assist. 

"We needed him to be at that level to realistically contend and he brought it. He did a great job and even the shots that he missed are shots that he usually makes. He did amazing for us, especially given the fact that at one point, Kaimuki had a box-and-one on him, Seabury treated him special and Damien pressured him all game, but he did enough for us to stay easily competitive," Oliveira said. 

Full statistics were not available from the 71-54 loss to the Monarchs, but Canete hit one 3-pointer and shot 8 of 19 from the free-throw line. 

Pahoa's fourth-place finish was its best placing in 15 years. The Daggers won their lone D2 state championship in 2010 and finished second the following year. 

"It was a great season. We didn't finish the way we wanted to, of course, nor how we wanted to in those games, but I told my boys that Pahoa hasn't been in that position since (2011). It's a great honor for them and it's just a testament to how hard Kyran and the boys worked together for that goal. You never like losing, but you can't be mad at achieving something that hasn't happened in (15) years," Oliveira said. 

According to Oliveira, the fourth-year coach of the Daggers, he hasn't coached a more competitive player than Canete, who was named to the D2 state all-tournament team last week. 

"Even in practice when we have intrasquad scrimmages, if a kid scores on him in practice, you can see it in his face where everything shifts. He's a very competitive kid and he really likes to win. He's very similar to myself where we don't like losing. He's very frustrated when we lost and he takes a lot of the blame on himself. Even if he had a great game, he always looks at it like he could have done better," Oliveira said. 

Canete has been a prolific scorer, to say the least, over his years in the program. He averaged a shade under 14 points per game as a sophomore two years ago. 

Oliveira vividly recalled a moment that took him by surprise during Canete's sophomore season. 

"His first year on the varsity, his sophomore year, I had a talk with him where I told him that he's probably going to be more of a combo guard, just because we were more of a well-rounded team that year. At the same time I told him that when we needed him to score, he's gotta score. He didn't average much that year, maybe nine points a game, but that year we played at Honokaa and I asked my assistant coach, our stats keeper, how much (points) did Kyran have?," Oliveira said. 

"I thought maybe he had like 16, but my assistant told me ‘no, he had like 26.' I was like, ‘are you serious?' From that game it was game after game after game where he was our leading scorer and we went as far as he went," he added. 

As a junior last season, Canete took his production to another level. He eclipsed the 20-point mark in 14 of Pahoa's 15 games, including six games where he scored at least 32 points. He averaged 27.7 points per game in BIIF play that year and earned All-Hawaii D2 First Team recognition. 

"He's very fast, super athletic and slippery. He can beat you down the lane, he can get downhill quickly on you, he has a decent set shot from 3-point range and a pretty good mid-range jumper as well, but he doesn't like to complicate the game and he doesn't really like to settle. He wants to get the easiest shot for himself and for the team," Oliveira said. 

Canete's ability to get to the basket and draw defenders into the paint has helped his teammates get open looks from the perimeter. 

"Big time. I mean, we've seen it these past three years where the moment he gets down the lane — maybe after the first two times — teams will overly help and try to collapse on him to stop him and then everybody get sets set shots and they just gotta hit it. He creates great opportunities for other players where they don't have to work that hard to get their own shots," Oliveira described. 

Although Canete plays a prominent role offensively for the Daggers, he has no qualms taking a back seat if need be. 

"The funny thing is I watched him play with his club team and he's fine with playing a role if he's gotta. If someone else is hot, he's fine with stepping back, but if he's gotta be the guy, he'll step into that. He's one that is willing to make his teammates better every single day because he knows that one single person can't win a championship," Oliveira said. 

Oliveira noted that as a captain, Canete would go above and beyond to ensure the team was functioning as one. Canete often would provide transportation for his teammates to and from practice or offseason conditioning sessions. 

"He made sure it wasn't just himself, but he wanted to be a full team together, always striving for one goal, so as a teammate he's been big for these guys," Oliveira said. 

Although he become a known commodity for his offensive prowess, Canete certainly doesn't overlook his duties on the other end of the floor. Oliveira said Canete regularly takes on the task of defending the opposing team's top player. 

"He likes that challenge. On the defensive end he brings quickness and athleticism and if you're not the fastest guard, he can frustrate you defensively," said Oliveira, who added that junior guard Rysaiah Abadilla also serves a key defensive role. 

"They'll kind of flip flop so if Kyran needs a slight break, Rysaiah gives him that slight break," Oliveira said. 

Canete and the Daggers finished runners-up in the BIIF to Kohala in 2024 and 2026. Canete ranked among the state's top scorers in both his junior and season seasons. Oliveira said the legacy Canete leaves behind can't be measured simply by the numbers. 

"Personally, he was by far the best player I've coached in my four seasons. He leaves behind a pathway for the upcoming kids. We didn't win a championship during his tenure, but we got to states twice and we were competitive even in the year we didn't go to states and a big part of that was because of him. He has nothing to hang his head on, he did the best he could; He's just an amazing player," Oliveira expressed. 

Canete, who moved to Hawaii from the Philippines as a middle schooler, will suit up for Pahoa's boys volleyball team in the spring. His future beyond that remains up in the air. 

"He's talked about moving back home to the Philippines and maybe playing pro out there. He's trying to keep his options open for himself where maybe he can walk-on to a school of choice and then just build himself up from there," Oliveira said. 

BOYS BASKETBALL

Declan Beckette, Iolani — Scored 14 points with 11 rebounds, two steals, one assist a block in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Janzen Butay, Waianae — Scored 18 points in a win over Kaimuki 

Ethan Chung, Punahou — Scored 19 points with three rebounds and two steals in a win over Kailua 

Kashus Daley, Kahuku — Scored 18 points with five steals, four assists and three rebounds in a win over Iolani and scored 26 points with three rebounds, three steals and one assist in a win over Punahou 

Levi Damo-Agcaoili, Damien — Scored 20 points in a win over Pahoa

Herman Ellis IV, Waianae — Scored 21 points in a loss to Kapaa 

Nainoa Galletes, Konawaena — Scored 17 points in a loss to Mililani 

Ayden Goo, Iolani — Scored 18 points with four rebounds and one steal in a loss to Kahuku 

CJ Jenkins, Kapaa — Scored 11 points with 11 rebounds and two blocks in a loss to Damien and scored 18 points in a win over Waianae 

Layden Kauka, Kohala — Scored 23 points with eight rebounds, eight steals and three assists in a win over Kihei Charter, scored 31 points with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in a win over Damien and had 28 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in a win over Seabury Hall 

Dylan Kuia, Baldwin — Scored 20 points in a loss to Iolani 

Sebastian Ledda, Kailua — Scored 19 points with five rebounds, four assists and a steal in a win over Leilehua 

Zion Lefotu, Saint Louis — Scored 20 points with three assists, two steals and one rebounds in a win over Nanakuli and scored 21 points with four assists, one rebound and a steal in a win over Baldwin 

Bronson Lei, Mililani — Scored 20 points in a win over Konawaena 

Siotame Malafu, Kapaa — Scored 18 points in a win over Kihei Charter 

Kilinahe Mata-Goldmann, Kekaulike — Scored 17 points with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in a loss to Mililani 

Keanu Meacham, Saint Louis — Scored 18 points with five rebounds and two assists in a loss to Kahuku 

Dillon Oandasan, Kohala — Scored 20 points with six steals, three rebounds and three assists in a win over Kihei Charter 

Sebastian Peterson, Seabury Hall — Scored 17 points with five steals, four rebounds, two assists and a block in a win over Waianae and scored 38 points with 12 rebounds, one assist and a steal in a win over Pahoa 

Maddox Pung, Kailua — Scored 32 points with five rebounds, five assists, one steal and a block in a win over Leilehua, scored 22 points with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in a win over Konawaena and scored 25 points with two rebounds and two assists in a loss to Punahou 

Kainoa Santos, Damien — Scored 17 points with six rebounds, three steals and an assist in a win over Kapaa, scored 17 points with four rebounds and a steal in a loss to Kohala and scored 18 points in a win over Pahoa 

Tanoa Scanlan, Punahou — Scored 23 points with eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block in a win over Mililani 

Asher Starr, Seabury Hall — Grabbed 18 rebounds, scored eight points and had two blocks, one assist and one steal in a loss to Kohala 

Raymon Teocson, Iolani — Scored 18 points with four steals, two rebounds and two assists in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Nehemiah Thompson, Nanakuli — Scored 17 points with one assist and one steal in a loss to Saint Louis 

Tui Tukimaka, Mililani — Scored 16 points with five rebounds, three steals and one assist in a win over Kekaulike