Kamaka Hepa

Hepa was born and brought up in Utqiagvik, Alaska (formerly known as Barrow), the northernmost community in the United States.[1] He grew up playing club basketball for the Alaska Mountaineers, with whom he won tournaments in North Carolina and California.[2] As a freshman and sophomore, Hepa played for Barrow High School. In each season, he led his team to the Class 3A state title and was named Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year.[3][4]

In March 2016, Hepa moved to Portland, Oregon to gain more exposure and to play for Portland Basketball Club on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.[5] He also enrolled at Jefferson High School, where he played under head coach Pat Strickland.[6] As a junior, Hepa averaged 16.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, leading Jefferson to its first Class 6A state title.[7] In his senior season, he led his team to a Class 6A runner-up finish. After averaging 16.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocks per game, he was named Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year.[8] On October 31, 2017, Hepa committed to play college basketball for Texas as a four-star recruit.[9]

In February 2019, as a freshman, Hepa suffered a head injury in practice and missed two games in concussion protocol.[10] On February 27, in his first career start, he scored a freshman season-high 11 points in an 84–83 loss to Baylor.[11] He finished the season averaging 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per game.[12] On January 15, 2020, in his sophomore season, Hepa scored a career-high 15 points and four rebounds in a 76–64 win over Oklahoma State.[13] As a sophomore, he averaged 2.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game.[12]

Hepa represented the United States at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in St. Catharines, Ontario.[14] He averaged 3.3 points and five rebounds per game, winning a gold medal.[15]

Hepa's father, Roland Hepa, is originally from Kapa'a, Hawaii and is of Hawaiian and Filipino descent. Hepa's mother, Taqulik (née Opie), is Iñupiaq Eskimo from Utqiagvik. [1][16] His mother played basketball for Barrow High School, while his father was a multi-sport athlete in high school.[6]

Hepa's older sister, Lynette, was a standout basketball player for Barrow High School before playing collegiately at Fort Lewis College.[2] On November 23, 2015, his half-brother, Radford Kawika Hepa, was shot and killed in Anchorage, Alaska.[1][6] Kamaka’s younger brother, Keoni, is a collegiate football player at Simon Fraser.

• Texas Longhorns bio