CJ Caraang | SL

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Standing at just 5-foot-9, Jayden Hook offers more than meets the eye.

Although Layden Kauka's 24 point night will grace most headlines, Hook's performance in the title game of the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Division II Basketball Championship cannot be overlooked.

Hook took care of the dirty work in Saturday's overtime thriller against Seabury Hall: taking charges, setting screens, and crashing the boards to propel Kohala to a second straight title.

The junior forward finished the game with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, one of which was a crucial offensive rebound off of a Hezekiah Wilson missed free throw that snuffed out all hope for Seabury, as Kohala retained possession up 48-45, with only ten seconds left in overtime.

After he was fouled intentionally, he calmly knocked down the first free throw, sealing the game for Kohala.

Hook described his mindset as focused during the high-pressure play and offered praise to his coaches.

"Our coaches remind us to always lock in and always imagine different situations and how we would play them out. Even during the game, we have to imagine these situations and execute in the moment. [Our] coaches also remind us to know that we are made for these things. We work hard for these moments," Hook said.

Kohala head coach Kihei Kapeliela regarded the sequence as just another day in the office for Hook.

"That's what he does. I wasn't surprised. He grabs those extra rebounds and gets those extra possessions. We see that every day in practice, so it wasn't shocking to see what he did." Kapeliela said.

While you wouldn't expect it based on appearances, nine of Hook's 13 points came from post-up opportunities. The other four came in the form of an emphatic alley-oop slam with 2:05 left in the first quarter and a layup off a hard roll to the basket in the third.

In fact, Kohala routinely initiated the offense by entering the ball into Hook on the block or having him act as the screener in pick-and-rolls.

The most important sequence of his success in the paint came with 5:47 left in the game, as Kohala was down 29-36 and lacking momentum. Hook converted a powerful and-one through Zack Devane and followed it up with a drop step-hook shot on the right block a possession later, energizing the Kohala crowd and his teammates alike while bringing the score to 34-38.

"He [Jayden] is our workhorse. He's undersized, but he's really underrated; he can handle anybody in the post. We'll post him up against 6'5 guys. He's quick, he can jump, and he has great timing on the ball. Whenever there's a mismatch underneath, we will go to him all game," Kapeliela said regarding Jayden's role and abilities as an inside threat.

When asked about his mindset during the game and surrounding looking to score in the post, Hook kept it simple.

"[My focus is] to execute and dominate in the paint," Hook said.

Kohala brought back their third state championship and becames the first repeat D2 state champion since Saint-Francis did it in 2017–2018.

"We had this on our map 96 days ago. These kids looked at that, and they pushed themselves at practice everyday for this moment. They put in the work and they deserve this," Kapeliela said.

"It's a great way to end an era," Hook added.

Raising the Koa trophy in Blaisdell Center—a great way indeed.