Hawaii Pacific guards West, Meza earn All-PacWest honors for Sharks
HPU guards Joshua West (4) and Quentin Meza (3) share a high five during a home contest in the Shark Tank. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN
HONOLULU – Dynamic duo in the backcourt.
Hawaii Pacific University guards Joshua West and Quentin Meza became the second pair of Sharks in head coach Jesse Nakanishi’s three seasons to earn all-PacWest honors on Wednesday, seeing West named to the conference’s 1st-team while Meza earned 2nd-team honors in his first season in the islands.
It’s West’s second All-PacWest selection in two seasons with the Sharks. The 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago, Ill., led the Sharks in scoring as he averaged the fourth-most points per game in the conference this year with 17.0 points per night. West also racked up 1.9 steals per game, tied for third-most per contest in the PacWest.
He also became the first Shark to earn a place on the All-PacWest 1st-Team since Niksha Federico did it back in the 2017-18 season.
“His story is just amazing,” head coach Jesse Nakanishi said about his star senior guard. “The steps he’s taken [as a player] after betting on himself in so many ways have been awesome.”
Joshua West.
— Hawaii Pacific Men’s Basketball (@HPU_MBB) March 5, 2026
1st Team All-PacWest.
Premier player in the conference.
Only player with multiple 30+ point games this season.
Elite on both ends.
A true culture changer for the Sharks. #TheSharkWay 🦈 pic.twitter.com/dVBNO6gryX
Meza earned a spot on the All-PacWest 2nd-team after averaging 16.1 points and 3.4 assists per game in his first season with the Sharks, ranking among the top 10 players in the conference for both categories. The 6-foot guard scored 10 or more points in 16 of the Sharks’ final 17 games of the regular season, including a 30-point explosion to help HPU to a road win over Vanguard on January 31.
The junior also became the first player in head coach Jesse Nakanishi’s three-year tenure to win multiple conference Player of the Week awards, earning PacWest POTW honors in both November and the end of January for a few scoring explosions that helped the Sharks to winning weeks.
“He grabbed this opportunity by the horns and just ran with it,” Nakanishi said about Meza’s impact in his debut season in the islands. “He gets to play with a lot of freedom, and we believe in him a lot to take big shots.”
Quentin Meza — 2nd Team All-PacWest 🦈
— Hawaii Pacific Men’s Basketball (@HPU_MBB) March 5, 2026
One of the top PGs in the conference.
Bucket getter. Elite playmaker. Killer mentality.
Big time season from QBall. 🎱#TheSharkWay 🦈 pic.twitter.com/pWcDPvaIIE
The Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team returns to the PacWest Tournament on Thursday as the No. 4 seed, taking on No. 5 Vanguard in the quarterfinals with a date against top-seeded Point Loma awaiting the winner. The Sharks were placed seventh in the most recent NCAA West Region rankings as teams jockey for at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament.
Tip-off between the Lions and Sharks on Thursday is at 12:45 p.m. HT/2:45 p.m. PT and can be seen on the PacWest Network.
Wyoming whacks Hawai’i to reclaim Paniolo Trophy
Football provides the option to snatch souls or get your soul snatched. The University of Hawai’i football team experienced the latter of the two on Saturday, seeing their losing ways in Laramie continue as Wyoming (2-2, 1-0 Mountain West) took...
Hakas hits career-high mark as Hawai’i handles New Mexico in Mountain West opener
HONOLULU – Service pressure, near-perfect passing and a pretty strong debut in the Mountain West. The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team tallied a sweep of New Mexico on Friday night, (25-17, 25-13, 25-21), as Tali Hakas tied a...
Waipahu rolls past Waianae on homecoming night, 42-14
WAIPAHU — Jake Garcia and Jayse Braun connected for three touchdowns as Waipahu rolled past Wai’anae 42-14 in a homecoming game Friday night at the Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex. Garcia, a sophomore quarterback, completed 19 of 34 passes for 388...
Hawai‘i heads to Wyoming looking to retain Paniolo Trophy
Hawai‘i returns from its first bye week of the season with a rivalry trophy in tow and another opportunity to get its season moving in the right direction. The Rainbow Warriors (1-2, 0-1 Mountain West) travel to Laramie to face Wyoming (1-2, 0-0)...
Mitchell brings fast, fun rebrand to familiar Rainbow Wahine basketball product
HONOLULU – Meet the fast and furious Rainbow Wahine. The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team kicked off practices for the 2026-27 campaign on Tuesday, marking the true start to first-year head coach Khalilah Mitchell’s tenure. “Grateful,...
Hawai’i basketball rolls into brand new era with brand new roster
HONOLULU – There’s plenty different about this year’s Rainbow Warriors. The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team officially opened up practice for the 2026-27 season on Monday, embarking on the program’s first journey through a new...
At 6-0, Mililani holding strong atop Lasquero’s latest HS Football rankings
Michael Lasquero gives his Top 25 best teams in the state heading into the eighth weekend of the Hawaii High School Football season.1. Mililani (6-0) Previous rank: 1 Last week: beat No. 3 Kahuku, 28-6 This week: vs. No. 2 Campbell Saturday...
Rainbow Wahine Fall to UCLA in Five-Set Battle to Close Lucky Aces Invitational
LAS VEGAS — Hawai‘i came within two points of closing its non-conference schedule with a win over UCLA, but the Bruins rallied late to hand the Rainbow Wahine an 18-16 fifth-set loss Sunday at Orleans Arena. Hawai‘i (8-3) fell 25-19, 22-25, 25-20,...
ADVERTISEMENT
