Justice Augafa, who was born and raised in Alaska and played the past two seasons at Los Angeles Harbor College, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he accepted a scholarship offer from the Rainbow Warriors. Augafa will join the Warriors for training camp, which begins on July 26. He will have three years to play two UH seasons.
“Being a Polynesian from Alaska, I just thought it was the place for me,” said Augafa, who is of Samoan ancestry. “It was a better environment for me.”
Augafa is 5 feet 11, 205 pounds, and capable of running 40 yards in 4.5 seconds.
As a South Anchorage High senior in 2014, Augafa was name Alaska’s offensive player of the year as a running back. He also was named to the all-state first team as a safety. That year, he rushed for 1,360 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also scored five touchdowns on returns — three on punts, two on kickoffs.
He was used primarily as a safety at L.A. Harbor.
San Diego State, Washington State and TCU recruited Augafa. But Augafa said he chose UH after last week’s two-day visit to Hawaii.
“It was a better environment for me,” Augafa said. “The coaches are excellent. The players have a good chemistry. I thought it was a good place to pick.”
Augafa is expected to compete at safety and on special teams.
Augafa said he has relatives in Hawaii. His hobbies include longboarding and playing the ukulele. He also said he plays “a little bit of guitar.”
Augafa is joining coach Nick Rolovich’s second UH recruiting class. The Warriors welcomed 13 freshmen this past weekend for the start of the bridge program, the two-course session that leads to the opening of training camp.
’Bows hoops to visit Utah
The Hawaii men’s basketball team will play at the University of Utah on Dec. 2, in what could be the Rainbow Warriors’ lone nonconference road game of the 2017-18 season.
Utah released its full nonconference schedule on Monday. It is the second stand-alone nonconference game revealed on UH’s schedule, after the Reno Gazette-Journal reported Nevada will play at the Stan Sheriff Center on Nov. 24.
UH, entering its third season under coach Eran Ganot, did not play a nonconference mainland game in 2016-17. The program’s only such game in 2015-16 was an 82-74 loss at Texas Tech.
Ganot could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Senior forward Gibson Johnson, a native of Centerville, Utah, won a championship at Salt Lake Community College prior to transferring to UH. He tweeted, “I’m gonna need Davis county to show up in Hawaii green on December 2nd … then you can go back to your red.”
Davis County is just north of Salt Lake City.
Utah of the Pac-12 Conference went 20-12 last season, including a 66-52 win over UH in the Diamond Head Classic second round on Dec. 23.
The Runnin’ Utes went on to lose to Boise State in the first round of the NIT.
Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said in the Utes’ release, “We are looking forward to our nonconference schedule heading into the upcoming season. It will be a challenging schedule for our team and it should be very motivating for our program as we continue to work and get better over the next four months.”
Big man David Collette, who led the Utes against the ‘Bows, withdrew his name from the NBA Draft in time to return for his senior season.
UH is 1-22 all-time against Utah in Salt Lake City, with the lone victory there coming by a point (69-68) on Crosetti Speight’s halfcourt heave on Feb. 16, 1984. The teams last played on the Utes’ court on Feb. 13, 1999, a 27-point Utah blowout. UH trails in the overall series 48-10 — its most losses to any opponent.
• Former standouts Noah Allen and Stefan Jankovic will be playing in the 2017 NBA Summer League.
Allen is on the roster for the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, while Jankovic will be playing for the Orlando Magic.
Allen, a native of Pacific Grove, Calif., is one of 18 players on the Warrior’s summer team that will head for Las Vegas early next month.
All of Golden State’s preliminary Summer League games will be televised on ESPN2 or NBA TV.
Jankovic, meanwhile, will compete in the Mountain Dew Orlando Pro Summer League with a five-game schedule beginning Saturday, July 1. Joining the Magic are the Charlott,e Dallas, Detroit, Indiana, Miami, New York and Oklahoma City.
All games will be televised on NBA TV.
