Peter Balding has been named girls volleyball coach at Punahou School, the administration announced yesterday.

Balding, a 1977 Punahou graduate, guided the Buffanblu girls from 1991 to 1995, including the 1993 state championship season. He also was a longtime coach for the Punahou boys volleyball team, guiding the Buffanblu to state titles in 1989, 1990, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Under Balding, the Buffanblu boys had a 56-match win streak from 2004 through 2006.

Altogether, Balding has spent more than 25 years coaching either boys or girls volleyball at the varsity, JV and intermediate levels. He also spent the 2008 season as a volunteer assistant to Dave Shoji in the University of Hawai'i's women's volleyball program and has coached with Outrigger Canoe Club and at the Olympic Sports Festival.

Balding replaces Jim Iams, who stepped down last month after four years at the helm, including state runner-up finishes the past two seasons.

Balding has been a teacher at Punahou since 1984 and currently teaches PE in the elementary school.

WORD OF LIFE PLAYER COMMITS TO HOFSTRA

Word of Life junior Kainoa Ocasek has made a verbal commitment to play volleyball at Hoftra University in 2011 on a full scholarship.

Two other players from Hawai'i — Kylee Maneja (Sacred Hearts '09) and Maile Scarpino ('Iolani '09) — play for Hofstra and St Andrew's Priory senior Ayesha Hein signed a letter of intent in November to join them in the fall.

Ocasek, a 5-foot-9 junior outside hitter, was a second-team Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division II all-star this past season and helped the Firebrands reach the DII state championship match for the second straight year. She also plays for Asics Rainbows Volleyball Club.

MUGIISHI TO COACH IN NIKE ALL-STAR GAME

'Iolani boys basketball assistant coach Mark Mugiishi, who stepped down as head coach after last season with 463 career victories and a record seven state championships, has been named an assistant coach for the prestigious Jordan Brand Classic high school all-star game at New York's Madison Square Garden on April 17.

The game — featuring many of the nation's top players — will be televised live on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. Hawai'i time.

Mugiishi will be one of two assistants for West squad coach Mike Peck of Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), now ranked No. 2 in USA Today's Super 25.

Jordan Brand is a division of NIKE Inc.

According to the game's Web site, recent Jordan Brand All-Americans have included NBA stars Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose.

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