Hoops recruit

[MikeV73]

Texas gets 4* Kamaka Hepa a forward originally from Alaska who relocated to the NW last season.  Two time Alaska POY and choose Texas over Gonzaga.  Assuming this is actually legit...found on Bleacher Report.  Reports first Eskimo to play div 1 hoops.  Sounds a bit Hallmark movie of the week....anyone have confirmation on this one?

 

[BudreauReye]

From Burnt Orange Nation ... Clicky  Below ... notice that there are embeded links in the stories quoted below ... BTW, if you look at some of the videos of Kamaka available online, including the video linked in the first article below, be aware that some of them are from his freshman and sophomore years playing for his home high school team in Barrow, Alaska, the fartherest point north you can live in a town in the Continental USA, so he looks pretty young in some of the video.  They had to fly to all away games and fly in teams for home games.  His father is Hawaiian and Filipino.  His mother is full blooded from one of the Alaskan Native tribal groups ... she is Inupiat ... His family moved with him  to Portland, Oregon for his junior and senior high school years and so he could play AAU ball.  He was the Player of the Year twice in Alaska while his team won two state championships.  His high school team in Portland won the state championship his junior year, and if I remember correctly he was player of the year in Oregon last year and is considered the best senior basketball recruit in Oregon this year.  Kamaka's story is an intriquing one.  Be sure and read the background story from NBCSports linked here and in the Barking Carnival article cited below ...

https://www.burntorangenation.com/2017/10/31/16582554/kamaka-hepa-commits-texas-longhorns-2018-basketball-recruiting-shaka-smart


"Texas lands 2018 4-star PF Kamaka Hepa


Shaka Smart and company just secured their fourth pledge of the 2018 recruiting class.


by Anthony Rizzo and Wescott Eberts  Oct 31, 2017, 11:35am CDT
 


Four-star power forward Kamaka Hepa announced his commitment to the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday morning. The versatile 6’8 prospect from Portland (Ore.) Jefferson choose Texas over Gonzaga after visiting both schools in early September.

After talking with my family, my mom and my dad, we have decided that the University of Texas is going to be the best option for me,” Hepa told Scout.

'For me, it was not only the relationship that I had, but also that my family had with coach Smart and the rest of the staff as well as going on the trip to Austin. I had a great time, bonded with the players and I really liked the environment. So those were some of the key things and I know a lot of people don’t see the fit of me going there but after talking with coach [Shaka] Smart and coach [Darrin] Horn I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that I could go down there and affect that program.'

In Shaka Smart’s up-tempo system, Hepa is the perfect fit because he brings lots of skill, versatility and an outside shooting stroke. Primarily recruited by Horn, Hepa was also able to sit down with Smart on his official visit and discuss how he’ll be employed by the Longhorns once he arrives in Austin.

Because Hepa is a good enough outside shooter to hit over 40 percent of his three-point attempts during Nike EYBL play this year, he’ll occupy a stretch four role that will open up driving lanes for the rest of the offense. Perhaps more importantly, Smart sold Hepa on having the offense run through him and the freedom that he’s afforded Dylan Osetkowski and Mohamad Bamba to facilitate transition opportunities after defensive rebounds.

Hepa is currently ranked as the No. 50 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings, the No. 13 power forward, and the No. 1 player in Oregon.

With the addition of Hepa, Texas now has four current commits in the 2018 class. Hepa joins SF Gerald Liddell, SF Brock Cunningham, and C Jaxson Hayes. This leaves Smart and staff with a strong recruiting class that could possibly add one, more depending on five-star guards Quentin Grimes and Keldon Johnson. Back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes are in sight for the ‘Horns."

 

[MikeV73]

Thanks Budreau...only question I have is the "SHART" reference at the end of the article?  Is that what we are looking for in a solid hoops recruit?  Good sharting?!  

 

[BudreauReye]

Thanks Budreau...only question I have is the "SHART" reference at the end of the article?  Is that what we are looking for in a solid hoops recruit?  Good sharting?!  

 : )  Beats the hell out of me !!!  In Uzbeki, "shart" means "compulsory. condition, proviso, or stipulation".  There are also several obscure Bollywood films with the Hindi term for "shart" in the films' title.  In common English vernacular, the term "shart" translates as "SH(it)-(f)ART"  ... let's see if this makes it past the censors !!!  ; )

With regards to basketball, I seem to recall seeing the term used maybe last year.  Maybe in regards to somebody crapping up their shooting percentage, or perhaps in an attempt to be positive ... every time someone took a shot,. it went in like a well placed poop in the toilet ... In other words, to quote the inimitable Peter Gabriel ...

"I don't remember,

I don't recall,  I got no memory of anything,

Anything at all"

Maybe since this reference occurred in a properly attributed Barking Carnival article, perhaps Bitterwhiteguy can elucidate on the subject for us,   ; )

 

[BudreauReye]

THIS JUST IN !!! ... Clickety Clackity ... Clackity Clickety !!!  (He said breathlessly !!!)  BREAKING NEWS !!!   In a comment in THIS story on Burnt Orange Nation, VirginiaLonghorn just referred to "SHART" as a seeming reference to the Longhorn version of HAVOC !!!  You see, the term HAVOC officially belongs to VCU ... The Longhorns have to have there own name for HAVOC ...  I still don't know what "SHART" is supposed to MEAN in a Texas Basketball context !!!

 

[tejasrulz]

Well as an old guy, a shart is not a good thing. 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

 

[BudreauReye]

Well as an old guy, a shart is not a good thing. 

Well ... I guess that depends on how thrilling the REST of your life is !!!  ; )

 

[BudreauReye]

Don't you just love it when threads really reach the pinnacle of what they can be?  ; )