Some years ago, Braden Kojima made a fateful decision.
Picking between two sports he loved — basketball and soccer — Kojima committed to a life on the pitch rather than the hardcourt.
“You don’t see a lot of 5-foot-6 guys signing on to play basketball at the next level,” Kojima said with a laugh. “I think I made the right choice.”
Kojima — a Hawaii Prep senior who will play his college soccer at Pacific University next year — received further evidence of his correct decision, being named the BIIF Division II Player of the Year, as voted by West Hawaii Today, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald and the league’s coaches.