It could have been easy for Brooke Samura to jump in the car and spend senior year playing for an elite girls basketball program at Konawaena or Waiakea.
Instead, the two-sport standout stayed and led the way, helping Hawaii Prep Academy, one the youngest teams in the state, reach the Division II state tournament again.
An All-BIIF D-II Player of the Year in volleyball, Samura was a two-time All-State Fab 15 basketball selection, averaging 27 points per game for Ka Makani. Her senior season included 33 points against powerhouse Konawaena, 31 against Waiakea and 35 against Kamehameha-Hawaii. Her career-high output was 44 points against Parker.
Her resilience and eye-popping numbers against some of the state’s best teams were more than enough to convince the HOH selection panel. Samura’s parents got the news via phone, but she actually saw the news on social media the next morning.
“I saw it on an Instagram post. They called my parents, but they were waiting to tell me. I saw it on the HHSAA (IG). I was very stoked. I never really heard about the Hall of Honor until last year, so I was really stoked, especially with a lot of Division I athletes. That’s pretty big,” she said.
Samura plans to work at least one part-time job this summer before going to Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Wash.).
“I might do maintenance at the school. I’m trying to get a restaurant job in Waimea,” she said.
Her older brother, Braeden, plays football at Pacific Lutheran. If she works on campus this summer, it’ll be with her father, Brad, who does maintenance at HPA. It’s Brad Samura, she believes, who will cry first at the airport when she leaves for college.
“He’s like my best friend, and I’m the baby, so he’s going to have to find some stuff to do while I’m gone. I know he’s mentally preparing for it. My mom (Melissa) will cry, too. Just quiet cry. You can’t let people know when you’re vulnerable.”
Samura plans to major in business.
“Shoutout to Mr. (Stephen) Perry (athletic director, my coaches, my family, my teammates and my friends,” she added.
Samura is the latest in a line of prodigious basketball talent originating from the Waimea and Honokaa districts.
“My advice would be to work hard, but to also remember that it’s about finding joy in playing the sport you love. Don’t overdo it. Know yourself and know when to take a break,” she said. “Just remember, sports will always be there. Work hard and have fun.”
—
Meet the 2024 inductees
>> Kamehameha’s Adrianna Arquette
>> Kalani’s Yuta Cole
>> Punahou’s Carly Cormack
>> Lanai’s Diesel Del Rosario
>> Kahuku’s Maia Esera
>> Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Maela Honma
>> Punahou’s Payton Jim On
>> Mid-Pacific’s Logan Lau
>> Hawaii Prep’s Brooke Samura
>> Mililani’s Belise Swartwood
>> Punahou’s Lulu Uluave
>> Kaimuki’s Jeremiah White
