Testimonies

"I was 11 years old when I first met Coach Cheyne. He was playing for the Maui Magic in an exhibition game against the Harlem Ambassadors. Despite being over matched by ex-college and professional basketball players in a playful showcase he was able to put a valiant effort in putting on a show of his own tricks. He put the ball between the legs of their star player and the crowd went crazy! After the game, kids were lining up for autographs from the Ambassadors as well as from Cheyne. Prior to this game, my mother who is also a basketball coach had taken me to a lot of Cheyne's high school games to watch him play. She used to tell me, "watch how he gets to any place on the court that he wants to and how he's able to create a shot for himself anytime he needs." He was clearly special and someone many admired.

4 years later I was outside my house getting some shots up and he walked by with his dog. He invited me to go play some pick up games with him that night. Excited, I ran in the house and told my mom that Cheyne De La Garza just invited me to go play basketball with him. That night on the way home from Kula gym, I told him that I had a picture of him signing his autograph for me years ago. He was excited to learn that I was the little boy in the picture that he also had a copy of and kept all these years. He proceeded to ask me what my current standing was on the Baldwin high school basketball team. I explained to him that I'm a 3rd string guard on the varsity team right now. Ill never forget his response, he said "No, you're not going to be that, you're going to be the best basketball player on that team this year, I promise you that!" It was at that point I think he felt the desire to give back to someone who had looked up to him for so many years. I thought he was crazy for making such a statement. That summer I spent almost everyday with him learning and observing everything he did and said. We played basketball, we talked basketball, and we slept basketball. Sure enough, by the time my sophomore season rolled around I was a starting guard and the best player on my team by my junior year. He showed up to all of my games, he encouraged me from the first row of bleachers across the scorers table, he gave me feedback after each game, and he was there for me in every way he could. We continued this all the way through my senior year. In my Junior season I averaged 18 points and was selected to the All MIL First Team and fell just short of the MIL Player of the Year award. In my senior year, I led the State in scoring by averaging 24 points per game in a system that wasn't built for scoring. I hit the game winning shot at the buzzer to win the MIL Championship, I was again selected to the All MIL First Team and selected as the MIL Player of the year, I was also selected to the All State Second Team according to Honolulu Advertiser, and selected to the ALL State FAB 15 according to Honolulu Star Bulletin. I then went on to play college basketball at South Western Oregon Junior College.

It is my belief that Coach Cheyne has had a profound effect on my development as a basketball player. He helped instill special qualities in me, taught me important subtleties of the game, and ultimately believed in me that I could be someone special."

Lincoln Seto - Class of 2009