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More than wins and losses

Despite team’s record, Lahainaluna grad Hafoka loves life at San Jose State, excited for future

By Robert Collias 6 min read

Fiemea Hafoka is the first of a kind for coach Jamie Craighead and the San Jose State University women's basketball team.

Hafoka, a 2016 graduate of Lahainaluna High School, was the first recruit from Hawaii for Craighead, who is in her sixth season as the SJSU head coach. As a junior, Hafoka is now in her second season as a captain for the Spartans.

The Spartans are 2-20 this season and 1-10 in the Mountain West Conference going into Saturday's game at Nevada-Las Vegas. It's quite a change for Hafoka, whose Lunas teams went 56-0 against Maui Interscholastic League competition and didn't lose 20 games total in her four-year prep career.

Despite the results, Hafoka says her time with the Spartans has been "a blessing."

"I love it here, I love the Bay Area, I love everything around and it's more than just basketball," she said after practice on Wednesday. "Coach has given me the opportunity to be here, which is why I'm so bonded to this program and everything that my coach has set for us. I'm happy."

And Hafoka won't be the only Hawaii athlete on the Spartans roster for long. On her way to San Jose is Kalina Obrey, a 5-foot-10 forward from Kamehameha Kapalama who just finished the state tournament with 86 points and 42 rebounds in four games, including 38 points and 17 rebounds in a semifinal win over Kalani.

"I'm actually really excited for next year, I'm even more excited because (Obrey) is from Hawaii and I finally get to play with someone from Hawaii," Hafoka said. "I'm thankful that my coach and coaching staff were able to look in Hawaii and see the potential and athletes in Hawaii. Next year, we come in and we only lose one senior -- we have the exact same team coming back.

"We're bringing in two extremely talented freshmen and we also have a redshirt who is a transfer from Cal Poly and she is a very good point guard. We also have a big freshman who redshirted this year, so I'm excited for next year."

Naming Hafoka a captain twice already, Craighead knows the junior guard will be a large part of any success to come.

"I think that 'Mea has always led with her hard work and her energy and her positive attitude," Craighead said. "I believe that she brought that over from Maui with her and it's been a big part of what we've been trying to build over here. She's been a starter now for us and she's just kind of that staple, glue player on the court.

"I know I lean on her very heavily as someone that I can talk to and get her to be positive with her teammates or relay things to her teammates."

As a captain, Hafoka said she has become more vocal than she ever was for the Lunas.

"It's pretty cool, it's kind of a big role but it's kind of not when you have a team who knows that they have to push themselves," Hafoka said. "They know what's expected of them. It's D-I, they all came here for a reason and the coach has expectations for each person.

"It's kind of cool that my coach believed in me, saw what I was capable of doing and I like this role."

She is the only player on the SJSU roster to have started all 22 games and is third on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game, third in rebounds (3.5 per game), second in total assists (55) and second in steals (27).

"She's just one of those players that she can do a little bit of everything," Craighead said. "She's an all-around, well-rounded basketball player on both ends of the court. Right now, she plays multiple positions for us and gets a lot of minutes."

Hafoka is majoring in child and adolescent development with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 and plans to be a teacher after graduation.

She was one of three NCAA Division I signees in the Lunas' class of 2016, joining Cameron Fernandez and Keleah-Aiko Koloi. Fernandez has since transferred from Washington State to Alaska Anchorage, while Koloi retired from basketball after her freshman season at Hawaii.

"They've been struggling a little bit, the program," Fernandez said last month of her lifelong friend. "I feel bad for her because it's tough when you just keep losing and losing and losing. You are giving it everything, but some of it you just can't control, so it's frustrating. I have watched her play sometimes and you can see how much she has improved. I know how good she is."

Hafoka will start her senior season in familiar territory -- Craighead told her that the Spartans will be part of the Maui Jim Maui Classic tournament hosted by Oregon State later this year.

"I get to come home and that is such a blessing," Hafoka said. "I'm very thankful that my coach has given me the opportunity to go home, to play in front of my family, my friends, especially at the Lahaina Civic Center -- that's where all my games were held. I practiced there, so it's a blessing."

She remembers those days as a Luna when she dreamed of being an NCAA D-I player. No matter the record, it is a dream she is now living.

"At the end of the day, I'm here and I'm on a full-ride scholarship," she said. "I think D-I college basketball, every single game that you play is a dogfight. You can play the top team in your conference or the team that is right above you. I think it's more than the wins and losses, being in college. It teaches you lessons on the court and off the court. That's how I look at it.

"A lot of people look and see 2-20, 'You're losing, you're losing,' but I don't think I will ever lose. I think I will learn from everything I'm experiencing here in college (and it) is going to help me for my future."

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

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