UH volleyball player reflects on unique journey to make the team
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Kawai Hong took an unconventional route to the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball roster.
Hong was a standout at Punahou School, where he helped the Buff ‘n Blue to three state championships before the pandemic shuttered his senior year.
That’s when Hong took a step back from volleyball to focus on other passions.
“I had the freedom and flexibility to pursue some of the passions that I’m really interested in, which is ceramic art,” Hong told Hawaii News Now. “I love to do pottery and like 3D sculpture, as well as I love to cook and go diving and fishing and all those kinds of things.”
Instead of pursuing collegiate volleyball, Hong enrolled at Santa Clara University as a student and eventually joined SCU’s club volleyball team where he was named league MVP three times.
Hong graduated from Santa Clara last year and decided he wanted to come home for grad school and potentially continue playing volleyball, but the journey was not easy.
“If a local boy were to come back, would I get an opportunity to play? And initially, it was kind of funny. The answer is like, no,” Hong said. “You know our roster is full already.”
Motivated by the initial rejection, Hong trained over the summer to prove himself at open tryouts, willing his way on to one of the country’s elite volleyball programs.
“As long as you have a great mindset in terms of culture and work ethic, we think there’s a spot for you, and so that’s what I’m really loving in terms of this opportunity,” Hong said.
“Playing in front of all of the fans here in the stands is really something that’s unique and I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” he said.
Now that the season is underway, Hong is a reserve player, however he’s not discouraged as his role on the team goes beyond the court.
“Whatever it is, I wanna be the best at that, so me and some of my teammates that are on the side will challenge each other with who can wipe the floor the fastest,” Hong said. “At the end of the day, it’s again just supporting whatever the team needs.”
That support is getting noticed by his coaches.
“He comes up and thanks me personally every single day after practice, and that’s the kind of guy you want to root for,” head coach Charlie Wade said. “We roll him out there and he’s done a nice job when he’s gotten a chance.”
Despite not being in a prominent role, when asked if he regrets not pursuing collegiate volleyball earlier, Hong says its all part of the plan.
“It’s all been a part of my journey and it’s all a part of who I am,” Hong said, “kind of just knowing myself and I’m glad that I was able to find that early on. That was really helpful.”
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