On weekdays, Maddox Pung is in class, practicing, playing basketball for the fourth-ranked, defending OIA champion Kailua Surfriders.
On weekends, he has another skill set down to a science. Pung is behind the counter at Warrior Acai Kailua on Uluniu Street.
“I started working there after last season. My friends PJ (football player Paul Tavares), and (teammate) Tyler Parker work there. I was talking about getting a job and they said come work with us,” Pung said. “It’s very tough. I learned how to cut fruit. It’s learning to make the stuff and good customer service.”
Serving the public can be pressure, something he’s dealing with on the court.
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This season, the senior runs the offense in lieu of Parker, who is recovering from a football injury. In Coach Walter Marciel’s blueprint, the Surfriders morphed from a guard-dominant attack two years ago with then All-State scorer Jonny Philbrick to a less predictable, heavy motion offense last season.
This winter, Pung is the maestro in crunch time. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 19 points per game, coming off last season’s Star-Advertiser All-State selection. Kailua uses both motion and iso sets with some pick and roll blended in. With Pung at the point, someone will get a good shot, whether it’s Nainoa Hirasuna-Kenny, Sebastian Ledda, Dylan Kunz, Joseph “JJ” Bieniek or Pung. All five starters are efficient scorers and playmaker. Controlling the pace is their superpower.
“That’s kind of situational. If we’re up 10, four minutes left, we’re trying to take down at least some clock before we start action. At the beginning of a game, we can go,” Pung said.
When the Surfriders needed to control the pace and get high-percentage shots, they slowed the game down. There was Pung, working against his man to get high-percentage mid-range jumpers as Kailua rallied from an 11-point deficit before losing to Punahou in overtime, 72-70.
Pung finished with 27 points. Kailua played an A+ game in the second half. Punahou was A++.
“In those third and fourth quarters, Maddox played the best he’s ever played. He said in the summer, ‘Coach, my goal is to be able to play 32 minutes.’ He shoots every day, on and off season.” Marciel said. “He’s our coach on the court. This senior year he really wants it. He’s been directing players on the court, getting them where they need to be. He’s explaining to them during a time out. You should be here. You should be there. We’re fortunate not just on his playing skills, but his leadership on the court.”
Whatever happens, Marciel’s core values are intact: “We Are Together” has been imbedded in the program since day one. The current senior class is as tight as any he has seen in 13 seasons as the Surfriders head coach.
“Most of our guys now are seniors,” Pung said. “Me, Seb, Dylan for four years. JJ and Nainoa three years. Keichii (Wilson) two years. A lot of experience. We’re just bigger and older than a lot of teams.”
In the beginning, Pung was a slender third-grader who tagged along to his brothers’ practices and games. Pung was fearless in the paint, battling centers who were taller, older and three times heaver. His footwork was as impressive as his fearlessness.
Marciel was enjoying the games as a spectator when he noticed Pung in action.
“I saw him at Enchanted Lakes Park. He was playing for Eastside. Not just Maddox, but Sebastian, Dylan, Nainoa and JJ. I think he was in sixth grade. He could play at that age already,” Marciel recalled. “What impressed me was his vision. He could play low post and handle the ball, and that’s unusual at that age, and that caught my eye. And today, he’s able to do that.”
Kailua ended a dry spell last season by winning its first OIA boys basketball Division I title since 1982. George Puou, Andy Roe and a stellar cast of pure ballers led by Louis “Koko” Santos also brought home a state championship. However, the norm on Windward Oahu was a large export of athletic talent that depletes the district year after year, decade after decade.
“It’s about how we all grew up together,” Pung said. “After games at 6 p.m., we’d be at the park until the lights went out. The parents eating together. I always wish I could go back, but it’s a memory,” Pung said. “There’s nobody from my age group, from the core, that didn’t go to Kailua. All of us went to Kailua. The older groups like Aiva Arquette and Kahiau Bruhn went to private schools. Jonny would’ve been playing with those guys if they had stayed.”
Clete Pung recalls those years fondly.
“When my kids were young it was like a golden era of Kailua basketball. There were a lot of great athletes, boys and girls. They would stay and watch the older games. That kind of grew Maddox’s love for basketball, and the other kids, too,” he said.
After KBA, they played for a new club team, Eastside, which grew into one of the state’s best.
“The ones that didn’t go private school, Damien (Guerreiro) brought them in. They all played together or against each in KBA, but they played for Eastside,” Clete Pung said.
The norm has changed. The exporting of talent has turned into homegrown highlights from the gridiron to the hardwood to the baseball diamond. This year, the grassroots movement had its pinnacle on the gridiron as the Surfriders won their first state football title. The rise and success of talent raised in the district, from Kailua to Waimanalo, makes the rooted effort priceless.
“We’re all proud of it,” Pung said. “Most of the time you see guys from all different cities playing for Punahou or Kamehameha. Our core of guys, even Skyler (Unten), we all grew up in Kailua. It’s rare to see,” Pung said. “That’s definitely our goal, to win OIA and states, but I don’t like to focus on the end goal because if we do everything we can to get there (and lose), I don’t believe it’s a disappointment.”
Pung doesn’t obsess over the future. He plans for it. A 3.4 grade-point average and dreams of staying home to play college basketball keep his daily work constant. He is aiming for a degree in Kinesiology.
Pung grew up as the third of three sons, all athletic, all wired for action. Eldest brother Oni Pung played at Kamehameha, but lost his senior year of hoops when the winter season was canceled in Hawaii due to the pandemic. He recently graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in civil engineering and returned home. In his free time, he and baby brother Maddox get the reps in at Enchanted Lakes.
“It’s a lot different (from my dad). He’s a really good dribbler and he has a lot of good drills. It’s different from putting up shots with my dad. We get probably two hours every day, maybe a little more. It’s a lot of game-realistic work. He’s a pretty good trainer.”
Middle son Wyatt, arguably the most athletic of the three, played at Kalaheo, then stopped to get a job. He now works for the Hawaii Army National Guard. The brothers get their calm, almost serene countenance from their father, Clete, who played at Kamehameha. His smoothie of choice: taro-haupia. It’s a small, simple pleasure in the life of a busy superdad.
Pung’s mother, Heather, moved back to San Diego during the pandemic. Oni stayed in touch with her while he attended college in San Diego.
Maddox misses his mother, but doesn’t dwell on it. Not openly. He witnessed the decline of his parents’ relationship and, eventually, the split was inevitable. He was still in middle school.
“They’re separated. I wasn’t surprised. It was going on for a while. I almost wanted it to happen,” he said. “My dad was trying to wait for me to finish high school.”
Everyone pitched in around the house. Clete kept moving forward. There’s no bitterness, no regret in the youngest’s tone.
Fortunately, for the boys, dad can cook. His fried rice and BBQ meatballs are favorites.
“He would cook and he would work until 1 in the morning so he could take me to my games,” Pung said. “He sacrificed a crazy amount to take care of me.”
It didn’t take long for Pung to get the smoothies down. Making one at home is one thing, and so is hitting clutch shots against the best teams in the state. Mastering every flavor and making thousands of smoothies for a buying public? That’s pressure.
“You’ve got to add the right amount of liquid. Too much makes it a juice. If there’s not enough, it won’t blend. It’s chunky,” he said.
There were test runs.
“I don’t know, it was a lot. “It took me about a month. The most popular one is definitely the peanut butter banana. It’s just really good,” said Pung, a loyalist to the bone.
“It’s a secret recipe. I will never share it.”
Kailua (9-3) meets Bolingbrook (Ill.) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the opening round of the ‘Iolani Classic.
Maddox Pung
Kailua basketball • 6-3 • Senior
Old school vs. new school: Pung has two shooting sessions per day, working on shots from all three levels.
“When I think about you almost need a mid-range to be an elite player or team. If they take away the drive and the 3, the midrange is a shot you can get off. A lot of game-winners are mid-range or jump shots. They take away the layup with the help, or they guard the 3.”
Picky picky: “I love pick and roll. Seb (Sebastian Ledda) or JJ (Joseph Bieniek)? Hoo, that’s a tough one. JJ’s better on the roll, but Seb can post up. JJ, if he roles, we probably want him to go back out.”
What is your passion away from sports?
“I am very passionate about sports science and how the body moves and functions. That’s definitely what I want to study. I like working out so I like knowing the best exercises. I want to study kinesiology.”
Hobby: “Lifting weights with Sebastian. I started lifting after my freshman year, but I didn’t take it very seriously until after sophomore year, lifting by myself. After junior season, every day in the offseason, Sebastian would come to my garage. We have a full cage (squat rack), dumbbells, lat pulldown cable.”
Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Snowfall”
2. “Draft Day”
3. “Vinland Saga”
Top 3 homemade food
1. Dads fried rice
2. Grandma’s banana cream pie
3. Dad’s BBQ meatballs
“My grandma (Bea Pung) makes the pie only for my dad’s birthday.”
Top 3 foods (eating out)
1. Meat jun (Willow Tree in Aikahi Shopping Center)
2. Nacho fries (Taco Bell)
3. Mac salad (Zippy’s)
Top 3 music artists/favorite song
1. NBA Youngboy: “Gravity”
2. Jhene Aiko: “My Mine”
3. Ot7 Quanny: “Dog Talk”
Favorite athlete/team: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Funniest teammate: Nainoa Hirasuna-Kenny
“He’s constantly talking and it’s always funny. He’s a very unserious person. You need one of these guys.”
Smartest teammate: Sebastian Ledda
“I’m pretty sure he has the highest GPA. He’s probably the only one out of all of us taking Calculus.”
GPA (cumulative): 3.4
“Freshman and sophomore year I was pretty bad with procrastination, so that dropped my cumulative GPA a lot. I had to make a change in junior year. I try to do my work at school and finish the rest at home.”
Favorite teacher and class (all time): Mr. Clint Medeiros, AVID (college prep)
“He’s been my teacher for three years. He’s a funny and chill teacher.”
Favorite motto/scripture: You’re either a dog or dog food.
“I might’ve gotten that from TikTok.”
New life skill: Golf
“In the offseason I would go golfing with my dad and my brothers, or with my friends sometimes. Either Pali or Bayview.”
Bucket list: “Go to Japan. Skydive. See falling snow anywhere. I’ve never seen falling-out-of-the-sky snow.”
Time machine: “I would travel back to 1988 to see how good my dad was at basketball. I would love to see it.”
Youth sports: Basketball, soccer, flag football, baseball.
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?
“Keep working hard and keep your head up through all of your wins and losses. Stay humble.”
Shoutouts
“Shout out to all my family that supports me at my games, especially my dad and brothers who have sacrificed a lot to make me a better player and person.”