by Brendan Sagara

If home is where the heart is, then 2004 City Bank UH Hilo Hall of Fame inductee Nelson Wong’s cardiac clicker beats in time with the Hilo rain.

The Aiea, Oahu native arrived on the Big Island in 1987 following a stellar two-sport career at Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, and endured an early case of home sickness to find that his new town, would soon become his hometown.

Nelson Wong

“When I first got here,” Wong said, “I just wanted to go home. I came here during the summer to work the basketball camp, and there was nothing going on. But obviously, I’m really glad I stuck it out.”

Wong’s decision to stick it out, soon resulted in him standing out on the hardwood, as he became a presence in the Vulcan lineup, earning himself NAIA All-American recognition as a senior during the 1990-91 season.

“Nelson was a really, really good athlete,” former Vulcan coach Bob Wilson said. “He was a very physical presence for us. He was recruited as a defensive back in football to the University of Hawaii, and he brought that kind of toughness to the court. Pound for Pound, Nelson was the best rebounder I have ever coached.”

Wong, who remains among UH Hilo career leaders in rebounds (10th, 383) and games played (6th, 97), played the three and four spots on the court for the Vulcans under 21-year college head coach Wilson, teaming with All-American Trevor Wright to help the Vulcans to a pair of NAIA
District 29 Playoff appearances. Like fellow Hall of Famer Wright, Wong was a leader.

“He was a quiet leader,” Wilson said. “With his rugged style of play, Nelson really didn’t have to say much being a leader by example. But when he said something, you can bet that everyone listened.”

And like his fellow Hall of Famers, Wong was the total package. Between all of the excitement and success he enjoyed on the court, Wong still found time to excel off of it, earning NAIA Academic All-American honors as a junior.

“The entire scholar-athlete experience–the travel, the memories, the basketball, the education–was a reward in itself,” Wong said. “There were so many great things that I got to experience at UH Hilo. Playing in front of the home crowd at the Civic, and traveling to different parts of the country, I’ll always remember those experiences.”

“I remember my first snow experience,” Wong said. “We were on the road to play Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and it was like seven degrees with a minus-20 wind chill. The van had no heater and when we opened the motel door the snow just blew in, so me and Bruce Ferriera (former Vulcan basketball and baseball player) jumped outside and made snow angels. It was crazy.”

When Wong completed his eligibility in 1991, he decided that Hilo was his home, and has been on the Orchid Isle ever since. Wong stayed and made coaching stops at St. Joseph’s School, Waiakea High and with the UH Hilo program. After 12 years working at Big Island Candies, Wong recently became the first head boy’s basketball coach at the Kamehameha Schools’ Keaau campus, where he is also a physical education teacher. Wong, a husband for eight years, has truly made a home of Hilo.

So when asked about his induction to the Vulcan Hall of Fame, the transplanted hometown hero was honored.

“I was pretty blown away,” Wong said. “Looking at all of the guys who have put on the uniform, I am very, very flattered. With all of the experiences that I had, this is just icing on the cake. The people that I met here while I was playing and still have relationships with have meant a lot to me. Bill O’Rear, and Ramon Goya and all of the people who brought me here and took care of me gave so much to me.”

“Now I guess it’s my turn to give back. As a coach, I get to promote something that’s near and dear to me, and I get to work with kids. This is home for me now. I like that wherever I go here, I can run into a familiar face.”

And the familiar faces are glad to see him, too. After all, he’s a local boy made good.