HONOLULU — Ryan Rapp, a 6-foot-5 combo guard for the Hawaii basketball team, comes from a hoops background.
His father is in UC San Diego’s Hall of Fame. His aunt Jess Foley played on two of Duke’s Final Four teams. His 6-10 brother Austin Rapp is considering attending UH. And his grandfather Lee Wimberley, who died in 2021, was the head coach when UH coach Eran Ganot played at Swarthmore College. Rapp, who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, had an 8-inch growth spurt when he was 16.
Last Saturday’s game was the first time Rapp started in a regular-season contest since his junior year at Washington State, a span of 674 days.
“It was nice to be on the court with all the boys, being able to play, ” said Rapp, who logged 49 minutes in the nine preceding games this season. “I’ve been trying to keep myself ready because you never know when your number’s going to be called. You always have to be ready for your teammates. That was an honor to be out on the court, being in front of all the fans. It was a fun time.”
It was a significant milestone in Rapp’s recovery from a nerve ailment that had impacted him during the 2022-23 season, his first at UH after three years at Washington State.
In 2022, he experienced numbness in his right foot. An MRI showed a 5-inch cyst that was pushing against the tarsal tunnel, a major nerve line in his foot. “I lost a lot of feeling in my right foot, ” he recalled. “When I pushed off my right foot, I didn’t know how hard I was pushing off. It affected how I would sprint or jump.”
After undergoing surgery to remove the cyst, he joined the Rainbow Warriors in July 2022. But he did not participate in the first month of offseason training.
“When I first got here, I could only feel 25 % of my foot, ” he said. “Because I wasn’t able to feel my right foot, it led to the left side of my body over-compensating just because I didn’t know how hard I was pushing off. That led to me pulling my left groin, pulling my left hip flexor. It kept going to the other side of my body.”
Rapp was limited to three appearances last season.
He was granted a medical redshirt for the 2022-23 season. Counting the COVID-year exemption, he received the NCAA’s blessing to play this year and the 2024-25 season.
“Now I’m injury free, ” Rapp said. “Now I’m as good as gold.”
Rapp was in the opening lineup for an exhibition game against Saint Mary’s in October. In practices, he played the one through three positions. While finding a role as a wing, he also is a skilled ballhandler. Until his growth spurt, when he shot up from 5-8 to 6-4, he was a point guard. He retained his point skills—ballhandling, passing, directing—while also playing off guard and the wing.
“I’ll play wherever they want me to play, ” Rapp said.
Rapp has made an easy adjustment to Hawaii.
“Hawaii was actually recruiting me my senior of high school (at Mazenod College in Melbourne ), ” he said. “It was between the University of Hawaii and San Francisco. I ended up choosing San Francisco.”
He ended up withdrawing his commitment when USF coach Kyle Smith accepted the head coaching job at Washington State. Rapp then joined the Cougars. But after three seasons, Rapp decided to leave as a graduate transfer.
“I love Wazzu, but I thought it was time for a change for me, ” Rapp said. “I wasn’t playing much at Wazzu. I wanted to get more playing time.”
In choosing UH, Rapp said, “I knew Eran really well. He knew my grandpa really well. I knew the coaches. I knew the culture here.”
