Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans Athletics

Kupaa Harrison had one of the best all-around Vulcan basketball seasons in recent memory. The senior captain led the Vulcans in points (461) and points per game (17.7), rebounds (7.1), steals (42), starts (26) and minutes played (34.2). He was also second on the team in assists (58), and shot 49 percent from the field and 76 percent from the free throw line. Those totals placed him in the Pacific West Conference top 10 in five different categories, including third in scoring and fourth in minutes played. It also landed him Second Team All-Pacific West Conference honors. But "Koop" will probably be remembered most for his heroics and game winning shots--three different times he scored the game-clincher in the final moments.  His most memorable perhaps was on January 27 when No. 24 drained a three-pointer with one second left in overtime to top Holy Names, just one day after his basketball hero (No. 24) Kobe Bryant passed away. His coach GE Coleman called him "one of the best players in the league, if not the best." Harrison was a model of consistency, scoring in double figures in all but one game (he was sick, had one point vs. Point Loma). He will be a two-time All-PacWest Scholar Athlete and will graduate this spring with a degree in Psychology. Harrison won two state championships in high school before spending his first year of college at Lewis & Clark (Portland) and second at Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa, Calif.).