The Maui Interscholastic League suffered through a 1-16 combined record at the boys state basketball tournaments in 2007 and 2008.

Things were different in 2009, as the league underwent a dramatic improvement, even with its modest 5-6 mark.

If players like Baldwin High School's Lincoln Seto and Molokai's Joseph Akaka emerge in the future, the MIL upswing may continue.

Seto, a 5-foot-10 point guard, and Akaka, a 6-1 post player, both enjoyed breakout senior seasons and were voted by the league's coaches as MIL Division I and Division II Players of the Year, respectively.

Seto grew into an offensive threat the league has not seen in some time, averaging 23.3 points per game as the Bears compiled a 14-0 league mark for their first title since 2006.

When told he was the MIL Division I Player of the Year, Seto looked back at the journey that landed him there.

''It sounds great after a hard couple years of hard work,'' he said. ''I had a lot of fun with my teammates, we were all close on and off the court.''

Coaches from the University of Hawaii-Hilo and Hawaii Pacific University watched Seto at the state tournament, where — missing injured front-line starter and fellow first-team All-Star George Firmignac — the Bears went 0-2.

''College, I am really uncertain right now, maybe a junior college in California,'' Seto said. ''I have been talking to (HPU) coach (Tony) Sellitto. We will have to see what happens after a year (of junior college).''

Seto is eligible to play at a four-year school, something MIL D-I Coach of the Year Wayne Gushiken of the Bears thinks he could do straight from the Wailuku campus.

''Guys like Lincoln come along every four to five years in our league,'' Gushiken said. ''It is rare for any team to have someone with his scoring ability, and fortunately for us, we got him. I think he made a conscious effort to work on the other parts of his game — moving the ball around, driving, playing some offside defense — to make himself a more complete player. After his (freshman junior varsity) year he really worked on his shot, increased his range, and he has got a really sweet shot now.

''I think he can play in college, no doubt, probably at a D-II or D-III school. I don't know the current status, but I know that Sellitto and (UH-Hilo coach Jeff) Law were looking at him when we were at the state tournament.''

Gushiken mentioned two former standout Baldwin guards — Cody Tesoro, who just finished his junior season as a starter at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., and the late Ray Wilhelm — when asked for comparisons to Seto.

Seto is joined on the MIL D-I first team by Firmignac, a 6-1 forward; Kapono Kong, a 5-9 guard who attends Kihei Charter School and plays for Maui High; King Kekaulike's Garrett Gunter, a 6-3 center; and Kamehameha Maui's Kekoa Turbeville, a 6-0 forward. Turbeville is a junior, the rest are seniors. Kong is the first Kihei Charter student to be a first-team MIL All-Star in any sport.

Akaka is the third straight front-line senior Farmer to be named MIL D-II Player of the Year, following Manu Adolpho and Kaden Tabil. The rest of the first team comprises teammate Scottie Rapanot, a 6-0 senior forward; Seabury Hall's Michael Palmer, a 6-1 junior guard, and Dylan King, a 6-3 sophomore center; and Lanai's Philip Bolo, a 5-8 senior guard.

Like Seto, Akaka got to his award with hard work.

''It makes me feel happy because I feel I came a long, long way,'' Akaka said. ''I only played last year and this year — the last time before that was in the 12-year-old league.''

Molokai coach Lee DeRouin, the MIL D-II coach of the year, said he was surprised when Akaka came out for basketball as a junior after wrestling his first two years.

''He was a pleasant surprise to the coaching staff from the onset because he just worked his way into the starting lineup and once he worked his way into the starting lineup, he never left,'' DeRouin said. ''Now this year, in 2009, it shows you that defensive players play such a huge factor in the game. I have to say, I think Joseph Akaka is the best help-side defender in the league. With him back there, it gives other guys opportunities to try for stops and steals, and he always limited teams to one shot. And now, he is able to add in that scoring.''

While Seto was the clear choice for the D-I Player of the Year nod, Akaka was one of five players who got votes for the top honor from the six D-II coaches. He averaged 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, and was named to the state all-tournament team as the Farmers reached the final four for the first time since Jarinn Akana led them there in the one-level tournament in 1988.

''In all the meaningful games, his confidence just carried over,'' DeRouin said. ''From the MIL — he had a great MIL tournament — great state tournament and down the stretch he helped us advance into the semifinals. Joe is a player who doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low. He just plays the game hard.''

Seto saw Akaka in a nonleague game between the Bears and Farmers in late December.

''He is tough, he grabs a lot of rebounds and he is relentless on the boards,'' Seto said of Akaka.

Akaka said he is leaning toward trying to play football in college, something he hasn't done since Pop Warner days. He may go on a two-year Mormon mission before college, which would allow some time to add bulk to his 168-pound frame.

''I played in the midgets two years, when I was 14 and 15,'' Akaka said. ''I played just about everything, defensive end, tight end, quarterback and nose guard. I have been trying to get into BYU-Provo and I am thinking about serving my mission right after I graduate — to get it out of the way and I might get bigger.''

Seto started working for the A-Plus after-school program at Maikai Elementary School in Kahului soon after the season ended. He plans to play on a summer-league team with some of Maui County's best beginning in June.

''The A-Plus program is a lot of fun,'' Seto said. ''I teach some of them how to play basketball most of the time. I tell them if they work hard they will end up being successful and that goes towards school, basketball or whatever they do.''

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