Kainoa Wade, a star volleyball player at Kamehameha High School in Honolulu, is reportedly considering retraining to graduate early and join the Hawaii men’s volleyball team a year ahead of schedule. Wade confirmed the plan Wednesday night after his team’s loss to Punahou, saying it was definitely in the works. His intention is to graduate from Kamehameha in December and enroll at UH Manoa in January to play for his father, Charlie Wade, beginning in the 2025 season.
Wade’s impressive performance against Punahou was praised by Punahou coach Rick Tune, who called him “Superman.” Wade has been in touch with UH freshman setter Tread Rosenthal, who also graduated early to join the team as a junior. If all goes according to plan, the upcoming state tournament in May will be Wade’s last chance to try to secure the championship for Kamehamehi, who last won the title in 2011.
Despite Kamehameha’s current position in the Honolulu Interscholastic League, Wade remains confident in his team’s abilities and believes they have what it takes to compete for a championship. He verbally committed to play for UH last June after a standout performance during the state championship game in which he was unanimously named the state’s player of the year. Brian McInnis covers the state sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii and can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.