HAPUNA BEACH, Hawai'i — The executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations said he has confidence in Hawai'i's ability to find reasonable solutions to the problems it faces with the pending switch in sports seasons.

Bob Kanaby, speaking to The Advertiser yesterday at the Hawai'i Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association's annual conference at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, said other states recently faced similar challenges with scheduling and a lack of facilities and officials.

"Other states have recently had to work through these changes, and it will be the same thing here," Kanaby said. "You have good people here, and I'm sure they will do a good job of making things work out best for the student-athletes. I'm confident of that."

Kanaby said Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota recently had to switch sports seasons, which Hawai'i will do this coming school year when girls basketball moves from spring to winter, softball moves from winter to spring and boys volleyball moves from fall to winter.

The moves are causing concern across the state, because having boys and girls play their basketball seasons in the same months will cause major logjams in scheduling and gym space, and so will playing baseball and softball in the same months, since many schools use the same field for those sports.

Kanaby also said that although each state has its own set of circumstances, the fact that the other 49 states play girls basketball in the winter almost obligates Hawai'i to fall in line.

Kanaby said changing seasons will not have a big impact on Hawai'i girls being offered more scholarships.

"Personally, I don't think there's any advantage (to switching seasons)," Kanaby said. "Now there are so many means by which students are recruited and found."

But Kanaby said that the courts seem to have established the significance of "traditional seasons," and that might be the overriding factor in why Hawai'i must follow suit.

"Everybody must show that they are giving students the same opportunities, however flawed the outcome might be," he said.

Kanaby also praised Hawai'i High School Athletic Association executive director Keith Amemiya.

"Keith thinks things through and goes through the whole thought process," Kanaby said. "He's done a good job with the Division I and Division II tournaments and Hawai'i is on the cutting edge of some sports."

DII FOR BASEBALL, BOYS SOCCER

A HIADA sub-committee voted unanimously last night to approve Division II state tournaments for baseball and boys soccer.

Amemiya had proposed adding those two tournaments, leaving girls water polo as the only remaining team sport not to have a separate DII tournament. But there are only 30 girls water polo teams statewide, compared to 54 for baseball and 52 for boys soccer.

The proposal passed by a vote of 28-0, and will advance to a floor vote at tomorrow's general assembly, where it is expected to sail through.

Also last night, a proposal to guarantee each of the state's four biggest leagues at least two state tournament berths in almost every 12-team state tournament was tabled for discussion until today. Group leader Glenn Nitta said the committee wanted to wait for Amemiya's input before voting; Amemiya was sitting in on another committee.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.