Hepa fulfilling his role as captain
Regardless of what happens on the court, the character of a team is often defined in the immediate aftermath of a game.
With that in mind, the University of Hawai’i basketball team should be OK following an unexpected 53-51 home loss to Texas A&M-Commerce on Wednesday.
In the post-game press conference, head coach Eran Ganot said he expects the Rainbow Warriors to “own it” and “do your interviews” after tough losses.
Senior co-captain Kamaka Hepa did just that, answering each post-game question thoughtfully and professionally. As an example, Hepa was asked if he agreed with Ganot’s observation that the Warriors let their subpar shooting affect their defensive effort.
“If he said that and he sees that, he’s the head coach and he sees everything that we’re doing, so yeah, I agree with him,” said Hepa, who is a co-captain with fellow senior Samuta Avea.
Moments later, Hepa noted that the Warriors need to hold themselves accountable, and the positive communication between players would be important heading into the next game – December 7 vs. UNLV at Henderson, Nevada.
“The coaches can say everything they want to, but at the end of the day, we’re out there on the court with each other,” he said. “It’s going to be important for the leaders on our team to continute to be in each others’ ears … at the end of the day, it’s us out there together.”
