The goal was first laid out in “bold sparkly letters.”
A board on which Lily Wahinekapu and Jovi Lefotu printed their basketball dreams has hung in their home since early in their elementary school years.
It remained prominently displayed through the sisters’ decorated high school careers at ‘Iolani and now provides a reminder of their journey to this season’s reunion at the University of Hawaii.
“It’s all glittery, and I remember we made it one night and it said we want to play college ball together and we stuck it up there,” Lefotu said of the sign still hanging in her sister’s room.
“We think it’s funny and we think it’s crazy that it’s happening right now.”
The dream that drove them through their youth and prep years crystallized into reality last Tuesday when Wahinekapu and Lefotu shared the court in an exhibition game against Hawaii Pacific University at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
They’re set to make their official UH debuts on Monday when the reigning Big West champion Rainbow Wahine open the regular season at Oregon State in Corvallis.
“We love playing with each other,” Wahinekapu said. “One reason we love playing basketball is because we get to grow together and we get to connect on the floor. We’ve been always talking about playing college basketball, and playing overseas, together. It’s always been a dream of ours.”
They grew up together on the court from the time they started playing in youth leagues through state championship runs at ‘Iolani in 2019 and 2020.
Some of their earliest moments in the game came to mind as their mother, Dawn Wahinekapu, watched from the stands in Manoa as Jovi subbed in for Lily in the first quarter of UH’s 73-49 win over HPU.
“I remember when they were playing in the Hickam league. Jovi was bringing the ball down and this boy kept stealing the ball from her,” Dawn said of one of their first games together. “And Lily just came and started screening for her just trying to help her get down the court.
“I always remember that because they always help each other and are looking out for each other.”
As they’ve explained throughout their rise to local hoops prominence, Dawn wanted to perpetuate the family name when Lily was born and gave her the Wahinekapu name. When Jovi and their brother Zion followed, they were given the name of their father, Maea Lefotu.
Lily Wahinekapu topped the Star-Advertiser Fab 15 as an ‘Iolani junior in 2020 and Lefotu was No. 4 on the list as a sophomore. The pandemic wiped out Wahinekapu’s senior season and she moved on to Cal State Fullerton to start her collegiate career.
She made an instant impact with the Titans last season, hitting a buzzer-beater in a win over Southern Utah in her debut. She went on to lead Fullerton with 14.7 points, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game and was named the Big West Freshman of the Year.
“When we were playing against (Wahinekapu) our game plan was get the ball out of her hands. We had a great deal of respect for her,” UH coach Laura Beeman said. “What made Lily so special as a freshman was her pace. She did not play at freshman pace, she played at Division I pace. You don’t get that from most freshmen.“
Lefotu, meanwhile, finished off her ‘Iolani career with a third state title and the No. 1 spot in the Fab 15 after averaging 13.3 points and 10.3 rebounds for the Raiders.
Lefotu signed her letter of intent with UH last November and the siblings’ paths converged again last spring when Wahinekapu decided to return home and transfer to UH in the summer.
The HPU exhibition marked the first time they had played together in nearly three years, and the time they spent apart last season strengthened their connection.
“Being away from each other actually brought us closer more than I imagined,” Lefotu said. “We’d text each other every day. We’d call each other after each game and tell each other, ‘You could have worked on this,’ or ‘You did good on this,’ and stuff like that. I’m glad we took that time apart and now we’re back together.”
Wahinekapu got the start at point guard for UH’s exhibition game and had a quick message for her sister when Lefotu entered the game in the first quarter.
“I just told her, ‘This is your game, you’ve got it,”’ Wahinekapu said.
Lefotu promptly went into attack mode and hit her first six shots from the field and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in a game-high 20-point performance.
“She dribbles with her eyes up and she has good ball-handling — she has a full package,” Wahinekapu said. “Just the pace at the college level is a little bit different, but I think it’s not a biggie for her.”
The additions of Wahinekapu and Lefotu bolstered a UH roster led by 11 returnees as the Rainbow Wahine look to build on last year’s conference championship run.
As they blend into the program’s culture and work toward the team’s collective goals, Wahinekapu and Lefotu appreciate the opportunity to continue their growth together.
“They helped each other as far as learning the game when they were young and they pushed each other,” Dawn Wahinekapu said. “They’re very competitive with each other as well … in a supportive way. They’re competitive and they make each other better that way.”
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Rainbow Wahine basketball
At Gill Coliseum; Corvallis, Ore.
Hawaii vs. Oregon State
>> When: Monday, 3:30 p.m.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM
>> Online: osubeavers.com
