High School Sports

Alaska basketball star Hepa says he’ll be a Texas Longhorn

Alaska's most sought-after high school basketball player is going from the top of the world to the heart of Texas.

Kamaka Hepa, the 6-foot-9 power forward who led the Barrow Whalers to state championships in 2015 and 2016, made a verbal commitment to the University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday, according to the sports websites rivals.com and scout.com.

"#HOOKEM," Hepa tweeted, a reference to the "Hook 'em Horns" slogan popular among Longhorn fans.

One of the highest-ranked high school seniors in the nation, Hepa told rivals.com he picked Texas over other schools because of head coach Shaka Smart and assistant coach Darrin Horn.

"At Texas, I just felt like I could help turn the program around," he said. "After talking to Coach Smart and Coach Horn, building a relationship with them, I just felt really comfortable with them. I trust them to help me to get where I want to be."

[Barrow big man Hepa ready to make his high school debut]

After dominating Alaska basketball for two seasons, Hepa moved to Portland, Oregon, in the spring of 2016 with the goal of elevating his game.

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He starred for Jefferson High last season and spent the last two summers turning heads at showcase tournaments and summer-league games with his size, skills and versatility.

Hepa can shoot 3-pointers — he shot 41.6 percent from long range last summer in 16 games in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League — moves well with or without the ball and is known for unselfish play.

[Barrow star leaves Alaska to improve his game, and colleges are noticing]

Hepa told scout.com he picked Texas over Gonzaga. His parents helped guide the decision, he said.

"It wasn't something that happened instantly," Hepa told the website. "But I was thinking about it after taking my two visits in September, I sat down with my parents and really had to figure it out. I was stuck between the two so I had to sit down and let it set in.

"This past weekend when my mom came down, I talked to her and I talked to my dad again and we just thought that the University of Texas was the better option for me."

At Texas, Hepa joins a program believed to be on the rise under 40-year-old Smart, who is entering his third season with the Longhorns.

Smart, the darling of the NCAA Tournament in 2011 when he coached Virginia Commonwealth to the Final Four, was 20-13 in his first season at Texas but slipped to 11-22 last season.

Hepa is his latest big catch, part of a big recruiting class led by Mo Bomba, a 6-10 power forward who has been called the Longhorns' most important recruit since Kevin Durant in 2006.

Beth Bragg

Beth Bragg wrote about sports and other topics for the ADN for more than 35 years, much of it as sports editor. She retired in October 2021. She's contributing coverage of Alaskans involved in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

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