Big Island standout Big Ten-bound
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
What an 18th birthday it was for James Kamoku yesterday.
Jeff Horton • University of Wisconsin
When he arrived at Kealakehe High School in Kailua-Kona, he was escorted into the gymnasium, where a large "WISCONSIN" banner hung in front of the trophy case.
Kealakehe safety James Kamoku posed in the Wisconsin locker room with a jersey inscribed with his name on a recruiting trip. Kamoku signed with the Badgers yesterday.
With students, faculty and teammates watching, Kamoku officially became the first Big Island football player ever to sign a scholarship agreement with a Big Ten Conference university.
Applause followed the formalities, and then his classmates brought Kamoku down to earth.
They pelted him with pies, cakes and whipped cream.
"I got creamed on my birthday," Kamoku said.
Kamoku was among more than 20 high school seniors who signed National Letters of Intent with NCAA Division I colleges yesterday — the first day they could sign for football, soccer and men's water polo. About half signed with the University of Hawai'i and the rest are going to the Mainland.
The early signing period for all other sports starts April 16.
As recently as last year, Kamoku never dreamed of a day like this. "I never thought of playing in college, I just played because it was something I love to do," he said.
But Kealakehe coach Sam Papali'i, who was a college coach for 18 years, saw Kamoku's potential. "I had enough years that I know who can play Division I," Papali'i said.
Papali'i wrote to 20 coaches with whom he had worked, including Jeff Horton, Wisconsin's quarterback coach. Horton had a half-dozen players from Hawai'i when he was head coach at UNLV and knew the talent here.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Wisconsin looked at tape of Kamoku, a 6-foot-2, 202-pound strong safety, and Horton phoned him in October. "I was asleep when he called," Kamoku said. "I thought it was a joke — one of my friends."
Saint Louis School football players, from left, Wilson Afoa, Tolifili “Andre” Liufau, Jason Rivers, Timo Paepule and Jeremy Inferrera signed their letters of intent at a school ceremony yesterday.
Horton convinced him he was real. "He told me Hawai'i is where the heart of football is," Kamoku said.
Horton invited him to make an official recruiting visit — Kamoku's first trip out of the state.
"I went in December, alone," Kamoku said, "a 10-hour flight to St. Louis and then another stop before we got to Madison.
"I walked off the plane in surf shorts and slippers into a snowstorm — 20 degrees below zero. I had never seen snow fall before. It was a real treat."
Horton had a plan to warm up Kamoku. He took him first to the Badgers' football locker room, and showed him a game jersey and a locker with Kamoku's name on them. Kamoku is very proud of the picture Horton took showing him clutching the red jersey — No. 20.
Donovan Raiola, a junior center from Kamehameha, was his official host and with Lyle Maiava, a junior defensive tackle from Saint Louis School, made Kamoku feel at home. "We played video games," he said.
As part of his visit, Kamoku talked with an engineering professor. He is a 3.6 GPA student who has taken advanced placement classes and he intends architectural or mechanical engineering to be his major.
"They have five libraries, an academic center for athletes only, special tutors and study groups," Kamoku said.
Kamoku also went on a recruiting trip to UH and said "it was really great, but they asked me to walk on and get a scholarship my second year. My thoughts were focused on Wisconsin because of the academic status and resources there."
The decision was easy, he said.
"I hope I do well and create a steppingstone for kids on the Big Island, and the Neighbor Islands, and Hawai'i to higher learning and higher achievements," Kamoku said.
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