Hawaii youth coaches balance tough love and being dads

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – In youth sports across Hawaii, parents are usually the ones coaching their kids, especially fathers. Often, these lessons go far beyond the sport.

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For many young athletes, their coach is also their biggest fan.

“My dad has been my coach all my life since I was really young,” said basketball player Keoni Vivas.

Keoni’s father, coach Matt Vivas, knows juggling both roles isn’t easy.

“He understands that he’s going to be pushed, his standards are higher [than] the other players on the court just because I’m his father,” Matt Vivas said.

Across Hawaii gyms, these coaching dads aren’t just drawing up plays.

“It’s definitely hard for him because he has to take time out of his busy schedule to come to practice,” said Tobias Ng-Osorio.

Tobias’ father, Kanealii Ng-Osorio, called the experience “challenging but very rewarding” because it allows them to share those moments together.

Others said coaching demands long days. Lucas Guzman’s father, coach Charles Guzman, said his day starts at 4 a.m. “It’s long days and long nights, and weekends are full of basketball, but I love it,” he said.

Another challenge for these fathers is knowing when to be a coach and when to just be a dad.

“That dad-player-son relationship, it always gets a little bit hard because you’re trying to teach life lessons but you’re also trying to teach them basketball, and it completely blends, crosses lines and just makes it really, really hard,” said coach Dean Shimamoto.

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There are highs and sometimes lows, and the relationship is often a balancing act.

“We get yelled at a lot,” said Daxton and Kash Nagamine.

“I love my children till the end, so I just decided to just be hard on them like everybody else,” said coach Dean Nagamine.

Coach Daniel Tautofi said he looks at coaching basketball to help raise the young women on his team, including his daughter.

“If it wasn’t for my dad, I wouldn’t have come this far,” Divine Tautofi said.

“Having my dad as a basketball coach taught me to put effort into everything I do,” Koa Shimamoto added. “Thank you for always being there for me through the hard times and the happy times.”

Keoni Vivas said he looks up to his dad.

“He’s done so much for me,” Keoni Vivas said. “I love you dad.”

“I just wanna say I love you and thank you for always being there for me,” Tobias Ng-Osorio said.

“Thank you for pushing me this far, and I love you,” Lucas Guzman said. “Happy Father’s Day!”

After the practices, games and tournaments, it’s the memories of their time together that they hope will last.

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“Love you dad! Thank you for being my coach!” said Sage Ueyama-Gibson.