Kaden Tabil smiles when he remembers what had been his last season of playing basketball.

It was with Micah Ritte-Manangan at his side, when Tabil was in the 8th grade and playing for the Moloka'i All-Stars in the Maui County Menehune League.

Reunited for Tabil's senior season and first on the basketball court in four years, the pair rediscovered that inside-outside magic for Moloka'i High School.

The combination worked well enough to lead the Farmers to the Maui Interscholastic League Division II title, the school's first basketball crown since 1995.

Tabil, currently a standout pitcher for the Moloka'i baseball team, only went out for basketball because of the doubt that his school — baseball state champions in 1999 and 2000 — would be able to field a team on the diamond.

Tabil, a 6-foot, 175-pound forward, is the choice of the league coaches as MIL D-II Player of the Year. He is joined on the first team by Ritte-Manangan, a 5-9, 140-pound junior guard, Lana'i center Dustin Donato (6-3, 220, senior) and guard Elmer Agtarap (5-8, 165, senior) and Seabury Hall guard Michael Palmer (6-1, 150, sophomore).

The D-II MIL Coach of the Year is Glenn Foo Sum, who led Ka'ahumanu Hou to five league wins and an upset of top-seeded Lanai in the MIL tournament.

The Division I first team is led by Player of the Year Paul Salvador, a 5-8, 145-pound high-scoring senior guard for Lahainaluna, Lunas center Nuti Pousima (6-1, 215, senior), Kamehameha-Maui frontliners Erwin DeCoite (6-1, 200, senior), last season's MIL D-I Player of the Year, and Kaiea Medeiros (6-3, 220, senior) and Baldwin guard Lincoln Seto (5-9, 140, junior).

The MIL D-I Coach of the Year is Lance Cagasan, who led Kamehameha back from a slow to start to a second straight title.

''I had a whole lot of fun,'' Tabil said to The Maui News. ''It was really fun. I didn't think I was going to have this much fun playing. I basically decided to play since we had the seasons change for volleyball and I was really looking at sitting out two (sports) seasons, two seasons of nothing. I was trying to get back in to shape. Coach (Lee) DeRouin, I heard a lot of good things about his training. I just thought that (playing basketball) would be a really good thing to get in shape before baseball, if we were going to play baseball.''

Sitting out the game as a freshman, sophomore and junior had even Tabil wondering how his final season might go.

''The last time I played organized basketball was back in 8th grade, when it was me and Micah,'' Tabil said. ''I didn't think that I would make player of the year my first year back because there are so many other good players. At times, I didn't expect to be first-team at all my first year playing in a long time.''

Encouragement from Ritte-Manangan, a former high school volleyball teammate, helped push Tabil back onto the court.

''Micah, he is just such a passionate player of the game,'' Tabil said. ''It was really good — I used to play with him on that all-star team and we had our chemistry from volleyball. He was one of those guys at practice who motivated me and helped me get better. Me and him pretty much carried the team this season.

''Micah was a player I really identified with. He is one of the best guys in the MIL. His passion for the game allowed me to become better every game offensively and defensively. He is a player who likes to get teammates into the game as much as possible. Without him, a lot of the balls that came to me wouldn't have been there.''

Ritte-Manangan said that Tabil fit in from day one. They both garnered player of the year consideration from the coaches. ''Everybody had a role on our team, but Kaden stepped up to be the captain we needed to help and push us,'' Ritte-Manangan said. ''I think Kaden is just the captain material. He knows from baseball and he can just boost everybody.''

Tabil, a right-handed pitcher and shortstop, is considering Brigham Young, Utah, Southern Utah and a few junior colleges to continue his baseball career. He won the first nine decisions of his MIL career as a freshman and sophomore and is 1-0 this year.

''My plan is to play baseball in college, but I'm really glad I took my last chance to play high school basketball,'' Tabil said.

Salvador, who had a season-high 32 points and seven 3-pointers in a win over Maui High early in the season, said that he hopes to keep playing basketball at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore. The Lunas clinched a state tournament berth and the MIL regular-season title with a dramatic win over Kamehameha in February.

''I was just trying to win a championship, but that didn't happen, so this is the second-best thing that could have happened for me,'' Salvador said. ''It feel great. I'm really speechless right now.''

Pousima said Salvador was the engine that ran the Lunas. ''Paul was big, Paul was very big for us,'' Pousima said. ''He was captain of our team and every time we made mistakes, every time we were down, he always found ways to get us back. Paul was very important to our team this year, he was a big reason why we went to states.''

Salvador said he will never forget playing in a crowded Lahainaluna gym, especially in a pair of dramatic wins over Kamehameha. ''We got to 10-1 and clinched the regular season in one win (over the Warriors),'' Salvador said. ''It was our senior night, our last game home game and it was packed. I think that was the most memorable moment. I think the two games against Kamehameha at home, those are the two games that stick in my mind the most.''

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