Maui Invitational returns to a Lahaina still grappling with raw emotions left by deadly wildfire

HONOLULU (AP) — Three generations of TJ Rickard's family lost their homes in the deadly Maui wildfire more than a year ago, and he and his extended family still have not rebuilt. That leaves Rickard, a high school basketball coach, conflicted about next week's return of the storied Maui Invitational college tournament.

Like many, Rickard is excited to have top-drawer basketball played in Lahaina's humble arena, but he worries people will think it's business as usual in his hometown. In truth, he says, Lahaina is still struggling after the fire killed at least 102 people and leveled thousands of homes.

“Not even a minute drive away from where they play, there’s houses that are burned down that are still waiting to be rebuilt,” said Rickard, the boys head coach at Lahainaluna High School.

Many residents are excited about the local exposure to high-caliber competition and the economic boost the Maui Invitational will bring. But there's also a fear that travelers might show disrespect by wandering into the Lahaina burn zone and taking photos of the devastation, or trigger unpleasant memories with questions about that catastrophic day.

“People are in a weird state right now over here because there’s so much displacement and loss of community,” said Jon Conrad, Lahainaluna's athletic director. “It’s a highly sensitive and slightly charged environment.”

Boosters coming to Lahaina should know “it’s been a year and more, but things are still a little raw," Conrad said.

The Maui Invitational will bring eight of the NCAA's best men's teams — including two-time defending champion UConn — to Lahaina's 2,400-seat gymnasium for three days.

Last year, organizers moved the tournament to Honolulu instead of intruding on Lahaina when many survivors were still living in hotels and charred rubble littered properties. This year, they decided to bring the 40-year-old event back after meeting with the governor's office, the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Maui's mayor, said Tom Valdiserri, executive vice president of KemperSports LIVE.

“It’s our home and we want to be there. And Maui is our ohana, frankly,” Valdiserri said, using the Hawaiian word for family.

Reconstruction is progressing slowly. The Army Corps of Engineers has fully cleared all residential lots and 91% of commercial lots of fire debris. Maui County has issued 133 building permits after receiving 291 applications. One property has been finished.

Rickard's experience shows how challenging housing is even 15 months after the fire. The blaze burned down his grandparents' house and the in-law unit on their property where Rickard lived with his wife and dog. His parents' house a few lots away got torched. The blaze claimed a cousin's house across the street and another cousin's place the next street over. A great-aunt who lived down the road lost her house, too.

Rickard now lives in an apartment a 45-minute drive away that's paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. His relatives are living with friends or other family.

Maui officials hope the tournament will help rebuild the tourism industry, which took a massive hit. In 2022, the last year the Maui Invitational was held in Lahaina, the competition brought 6,500 visitors and $24 million in spending to Maui, KemperSports LIVE said.

University of Hawaii researchers said last month that fewer than half of those who had full-time jobs in Lahaina's tourism industry still do. Those with jobs are working fewer hours, their report said.

Rebuilding helps Javier Barberi cope with the disaster. His company, Hana Hou Hospitality, reopened a popular beachfront restaurant that was spared by the flames — Mala Ocean Tavern — eight months after the fire. He and his partners overhauled another restaurant and launched it as a new establishment called Coco Deck. To him, the tournament's return is a sign of hope.

“Like, hey, we used to have this. It was gone. Now it’s back," Barberi said. "That restaurant was gone. Now it’s back. That house was gone, now it’s being rebuilt. To see these things happen, it starts to bring things back to normal and bring Maui back.”

Jason Donez, general manager of Leilani's restaurant, remembers his daughter Lola meeting Mike Krzyzewski, Duke's head coach at the time, at a free-throw contest in 2018. The Hall of Fame coach told the 12-year-old she had a nice shot, she should stick with it and he would see her in college one day, Donez said.

Today, Lola Donez is a freshman guard at Cal.

Being around the teams helped her “dream big,” her father said.

Tickets to the games this year range from $56 to $236 depending on the game and seat location, but local residents get about a 28% discount. Tournament organizers and teams will hold basketball clinics for local students.

Organizers have reminded participating schools and their teams to be respectful, and the tournament website has the same message for fans. The athletes and their coaches say they understand.

“I think that’s where you try to remind guys that we’re very fortunate to be able to travel and do the things the way we do, and we’re going to a community that had a huge devastation that none of us would want anyone go to through,” said North Carolina assistant coach Sean May. “So we’ve got to have some compassion."

"But I think at the end, they’re happy we’re there, we’re happy to be there, it’s great for the community. And to me, it brings so much excitement.”

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AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this report.