Kameron Ng is that guy. You’ve seen him before in the basketball movie classic “Hoosiers.” Pick any character, and that’s Ng, only in a UH-Hilo uniform as a sophomore guard, who transferred from UH-Manoa.
Ng’s passion for hoops is so strong that he doesn’t mind the drop down in amenities or exposure to a future job opportunity. UH-Manoa has a shoe deal with Adidas. The Rainbow Warriors are on Spectrum, available for future employers to watch his games and interviews to access his character and work ethic.
After 11 games in 2019-20 and four games the next season, he opted out. Ng, who’s 6 feet and filled with to the brim with lightning quickness, went into the NCAA transfer portal and unleashed all that stored up energy at practice.
“He brings it every day, works hard, great enthusiasm,” coach Kaniela Aiona said. “He’s made the team raise its level at practice. The level is so high now. Iron sharpens iron.”
The kitchen drawer is full of sharp knives. There’s an overflow of depth at the guard position, including the return of 5-8 junior starter Darren Williams, freshman and 2020 Waiakea graduate Kia’i Apele, Milwaukee top recruit freshmen Donald McHenry and Max Kunnert, seniors Steven Hubbell and Anthony Hackett, sophomore Payton Grant, plus Ng. Jackson Culhane, a 6-2 freshman from Texas, is slated to redshirt.
“Darren can score. He can facilitate. His quickness is deadly as we’ve seen in the past,” Aiona said. “We brought in a couple of freshmen from Wisconsin. Both are tough players. Ng has done some nice things. Kia’i had a great offseason and has gotten better. Steve Hubbell is a guy you can plug in, and he’ll bring effort and energy. He’ a glue guy out there. As a whole, we’ve looked good at guard.”
At a recent practice at Hilo Civic, Ng played fast, smart basketball. He fired 3-pointers when open, passed to teammates when someone had a better shot, and attacked the rim when a seam appeared.
Asked what he did to improve during the offseason, Ng said he watched film. The sociology major and 2019 Saint Francis graduate understands the best way to sharpen himself: self-evaluation. Find a flaw and work on that weakness, until it turns into a razor-sharp strength.
“I like good competition. You have to earn your spot,” he said. “Coming here I can focus on the main thing, which is basketball. What I like best is getting everybody involved, being a playmaker.”
Apele played for his dad Randy “The Helicopter” Apele all his life, so he’s very similar to Ng, who played for his dad Kekoa, and Grant, who played for his dad Kelly. They all played under the HHSAA umbrella, so frequent battles at the state tournament were often friendly, competitive reunions.
But it’s not just scoring skills that were taught by the Helicopter, once upon a time a high-flying St. Joseph Cardinal long before the invention of iPhones, YouTube, and TikTok.
“The competition is good for me,” said the younger Apele. “You get better every day, and I’m going to give 100 percent whether I get zero minutes or 40 minutes.”
Apele, also 6 feet and known as a workout Warrior long before his Waiakea days, already understands that being a good teammate is the best dish to bring to the table, whether you’re getting zero minutes or 40 minutes.
The 6-1 McHenry went to Milwaukee Academy of Science, and the 6-4 Kunnert attended Hillcrest Prep. They battled during the season and often on the AAU circuit, so it was nice to have a familiar face on the same team 4,160 miles away from home.
Here are some interesting side notes about McHenry. He used to watch “That ’70s Show,” based in Wisconsin as character Steven Hyde used to shout “Hello, Wisconsin!” at the end of the opening theme song.
McHenry was unfamiliar about “Laverne and Shirley,” the comedy also based in Wisconsin, which had one of the greatest opening theme songs in TV history. He can watch it on YouTube to hear that inspirational theme song.
Kunnert was born in Chicago, so it’s a lifetime requirement to be a Bulls fan. But McHenry knows all about the Bucks and was outside the stadium when they won the NBA title over the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 for their first championship in 50 years.
“It was packed. It was a good experience, and I liked the energy,” McHenry said.
Aiona has been impressed with the two Milwaukee hoopsters, who’ve displayed diverse skill-sets.
“Don is a natural scorer. He has the ability to make plays. He can shoot, get to the rim and is so quick. Between him and Darren we have two of the quicker guys around,” Aiona said. “Max can really shoot it. He’s a smart, competitive player. He can make a pass and get to the basket. He’s a smart, strong defender. He doesn’t look like a freshman.
“Steve is a tough, smart, unselfish guy. He makes the guys around him better, even if he’s not scoring baskets he’s helping the team. We have a number of guys who will get in and contribute.”
For the guys who don’t start, they’ll be following Apele’s lead and bringing the best dish to the table: being a good teammate.
“Great bunch of guys,” Aiona said.