Experience may not appear to be on the side of first-year Kahuku coach Alan Akina come Thursday night. It's not his experience, however, that he's banking on, but rather that of his well-seasoned assistants.

The second-ranked Red Raiders will try for their eighth Oahu Interscholastic Association crown when they take on ninth-ranked Farrington in the 7 p.m. tournament final at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium.

Two of those previous league titles came under current Kahuku assistants Nathan James in 2005 and Alan's father, Hiram Akina in 2009.

"This is my first time around, so I'm a little rookie doing this and I'm trying to figure it out, but with them it's very helpful," Alan Akina said. "Coach James won one, my dad won two — one at Mililani (in 2008) and then one at Kahuku — and I was an assistant coach on two of those (teams), so I've kind of been around it, but as the head coach it's a little different, so I'm learning the ropes, but it's a good thing that I've got them."

Hiram Akina is the grizzled veteran who has seen it all in his nearly 40 years of coaching both prep and collegiate basketball, but has largely taken a back seat to his son.

"He don't need me around. He does everything professionally and tries to make sure everything is taken care, every detailed thing, so he's right on cue where we need to be, especially making this run right now," Hiram Akina said of Alan. "He's got the guys playing real good team defense, so he's taking care of things."

The elder Akina said he and James will sometimes "make our suggestions and let him know, but he can figure it out. We just stay on the side.

"He's got enough experience that he knows what's got to be done and how it's going to be done," Hiram Akina said. "He does thing the way they're supposed to be done. He might miss some things, but he asks and we give him our ideas, but he's doing good."

The Red Raiders, who missed the postseason altogether in 2014, have now won 11 straight games under Alan Akina, including Tuesday's 48-30 semifinal win over Leilehua, and are aiming for their first OIA championship since 2012.

The leading scorer in that game? That would be sophomore guard Keanu Akina, the son of Alan and grandson of Hiram, who made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points.

"It's real special for me to be a part of this and to have my family involved with Alan coaching and Keanu playing just makes it that much more special," Hiram Akina said.