Everything perfectly fell into place for Kamehameha-Hawaii senior Daniel Aina Jr., who landed a volleyball scholarship at Hawaii, where he gets to play his favorite position, libero, while continuing a family tradition.
Everything perfectly fell into place for Kamehameha-Hawaii senior Daniel Aina Jr., who landed a volleyball scholarship at Hawaii, where he gets to play his favorite position, libero, while continuing a family tradition.
Aina recently signed a Kuaana merit scholarship, which is available to native Hawaiian students and waives UH’s $9,100 tuition, allowing the Rainbow Warriors to maintain their 4.5 scholarship allotment.
The 5-foot-9 Aina, a setter and outside hitter for Kamehameha, knows that roster spots are just as rare as scholarships in men’s volleyball.
“I’ve got a guaranteed roster spot. They only give out four, and I got one,” Aina said. “The day they called, I couldn’t think straight. I was like, ‘Wait. Is this for real?’ I feel really good my parents don’t have to pay for school. It makes them happy as well.
“At first, I was really confused. I never heard of that scholarship before. But the coach (assistant Vernon Podlewski) who was recruiting me, he got it. I’m happy I can stay home and play in the Stan Sheriff Center. I’ve never really played there. It’s a really big thing for me. I can be on TV, too.”
Aina comes from a volleyball family. His grandmother, Luella Aina, coached the Hilo girls to state championships in 1972 and ’74 — the Big Island Interscholastic Federation’s only titles — when there wasn’t statewide classification. She was also a longtime BIIF official.
“The four things my grandma reminds me to always remember is obedience, respect, humility and integrity,” he said. “Once you know all that, you have what it is to be a really good team player. And everything is about team in volleyball.”
His three sisters — Luhia, Ala and Leo — all played in college. His dad, Daniel, coached the Waiakea girls, and his mom, Candace, played high school volleyball back in the day.
For those hoping to play college ball, there’s a well-worn motto: Always play as if someone important is watching. That held true for Aina, who was scouted by UH at the state tournament last season at Keaau High’s gym. Though ball-handling isn’t his main function at Kamehameha, he was impressive enough with his limited touches to garner an invite to UH’s summer camp.
He attended, received a roster spot guarantee, and verbally committed to the Rainbow Warriors last September, turning down BYU, which was scouting him. Right now, the temperature in Provo, Utah, is anywhere in the 20 to 50 degree range, a fact not lost on Aina, who has a 3.4 grade-point average and plans to major in sociology.
“I told BYU, ‘It’s nice that you’re scouting me and thanks for everything.’ My parents told me it gets really cold over there,” he said. “They’re only a 45-minute plane ride away from UH. They can always come and visit me.”
Aina plays club ball for Keaukaha, coached by Jay Rowe. He has been attending USA Volleyball High Performance camps since the eighth grade and started logging time at libero last summer.
“I loved watching my sister, Leo, who graduated from Kamehameha in 2006, play libero,” he said. “I wanted to be a libero. I liked the way she never let the ball touch the ground. That’s how I am. I like the feeling of getting the ball up when somebody hits it so hard.”
Kamehameha is currently in San Diego playing in the Best of the West tournament, which ends today. The team will stay an extra week to play pick-up games against local high schools. Its next BIIF match is March 17 at home against Kealakehe.
Last season, the Warriors stirred up excitement at states, beating Leilehua in the first round and No. 4 seed Baldwin in the quarterfinals before falling to powerhouse Punahou in the semifinals.
It was a roller-coaster ride Aina can’t forget.
“I think we’ll end up really good this season,” he said. “The key is to keep our heads in the game, not beat ourselves. If we keep our minds on the same page we’ll be really good. We’re a really good ball-control club this year. My ball-control is good. I’ve been working on it a lot in practice, fine-tuning a lot, too.”
He realizes that hard work got him a rare scholarship and spot on UH’s roster, and he offered simple advice for others hoping to follow in his footsteps.
“If your heart is in it and you give 110 percent, you can get a scholarship somewhere, a junior college, Division III. It’s something,” he said. “If you put everything in it, you’ll do fine. That’s what I did. Since I was small, I was putting everything out.”