Is it any wonder basketball is a popular sport in Utqiagvik, the most northern point in the country? The Alaskan city of 4,400 experiences below-freezing temperatures from early October through late May.
During the extended winter conditions and then in the summer nights when it is SPF-50 bright at 1 a.m., Hawaii post Kamaka Hepa played basketball. His father, who grew up on Kauai, signed him up at the Little Dribbler program as a kindergartener. “That’s how I started,” Hepa said.
In middle school and then high school, Hepa was the post player who brought up the ball. After his sophomore year, he moved to Portland, where he progressed into a nationally acclaimed player at Jefferson High.
As a senior, he was rated by Rivals as the nation’s 47th-best basketball prospect. Recruiting service 27Sports gave him a 4-star rating. Gonzaga, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, USC, Arizona, Stanford, Utah, Miami and Nebraska made scholarship offers. He signed with Texas.
But after three years and a coaching change, Hepa decided to enter the transfer portal. In committing to the ’Bows, he expressed a bond with the UH program and a desire to connect with his Hawaiian culture. Hepa and his father had often visited relatives on Kauai and Maui.
“I didn’t go as much when I got older because basketball had picked up and it was hard to find time for vacation,” Hepa said. “But (Hawaii) definitely felt like a home away from home.”
Hepa said he embraces his bicultural background. His mother grew up in Alaska. “It’s kind of crazy to think both my parents are from different places,” Hepa said. “It provides something cool to just have some extremely opposite experiences and cultures that are in those different areas.”
Hepa has blended into a team with six first-year ’Bows, including three transfers from Division I schools. In team voting, Hepa was selected as a tri-captain. Bank of Hawaii entered into an endorsement partnership with eight student-athletes, including Hepa, as part of the NCAA’s approval of name, image and likeness usage.
At 6 feet 10 and 215 pounds, Hepa can tussle in the low post, launch behind-the-arc shots, or attack the lane with cross-over drives. He views the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant, a tall player with wing skills, as an inspiration.
“I enjoy watching him a lot,” Hepa said. “He’s one of the most skilled NBA players to ever play in the league. … I work on all aspects of my game, and not necessarily confine it to just in the paint or outside on the perimeter. I like to try to mix it things up a little big, and really work on those things.”
AT THIS POSITION
NO. PLAYER CL HT WT HOMETOWN
5 Bernardo da Silva So. 6-9 210 Rio Das Ostras, Brazil
Shot-blocker with 7-foot-2 reach limited to 5 games because of injury
11 Mate Colina Jr. 7-0 240 Melbourne, Australia
7-footer is leading returning rebounder (5.1) who signed a future Australian football deal
22 Jerome Desrosiers Sr. 6-7 235 Quebec, Canada
Princeton transfer was voted as a tri-captain
24 Brock Heffner Fr. 6-8 215 Grafton, Wis.
Stretch-four averaged 21.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg as prep senior
44 Kamaka Hepa Jr. 6-10 215 Utqiagvik, Alaska
Grad transfer has two remaining UH seasons
