Hawaii Pacific picks up talented USCB guard Evan Kilminster out of portal

HONOLULU – It’s a shark transplant!

The Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team secured its first addition of the 2026 transfer portal period, going cross country and getting a verbal pledge from University of South Carolina-Beaufort guard Evan Kilminster on Thursday.

Kilminster earned 2nd-team All-Peach Belt Conference last season with USCB after leading the Sand Sharks in scoring and assists, averaging 13.2 points and 4.1 assists across 29 starts. The 6-foot-3 guard drilled 56 3-pointers, shooting 40% from behind the arc while connecting on 83% of his free throws and helping USCB to a 19-10 overall record and 13-7 mark in the Peach Belt.

He scored 10 or more points in 20 of his 29 appearances, going off for a career-high 27 points along with eight rebounds and seven assists in a 114-112 loss to Fayetteville State on January 19.

The Newcastle, Australia product began his college career at the College of Charleston, spending three seasons with the Cougars before transferring to USC Beaufort. Kilminster redshirted during his true freshman season before appearing in 27 games across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons for Charleston, scoring 28 points, grabbing 22 rebounds and handing out 20 assists while playing 171 total minutes as he dealt with a variety of injuries.

The Peach Belt produced one of the best teams in the country this past year in Division II national runner-up Lander, who went 30-6 overall and won both the regular season and conference tournament titles.

Kilminster put up 20 points in just 18 minutes in a 95-82 loss against Lander on February 16, draining 3-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc while going 5-for-5 at the charity stripe. It was one of the five times that Kilminster posted 20 or more points in his lone season with the Sand Sharks.

After making the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history last year, Hawaii Pacific watched as more than 75% of the team’s scoring production either graduate or hit the portal.

Kilminster’s playmaking chops will help the Sharks as well after he handed out 118 helpers in 2025-26. Hawaii Pacific was led in assists by Quentin Meza, who dished out 97 assists for the Sharks before hitting the portal for his final season of eligibility.

HPU returns Shawn Villanea, Zane Gaul, Ike Sutton, Nemanja Sarenac and captain Avi Halpert to the roster next year. The Sharks have made the PacWest Tournament in two of the three seasons under head coach Jesse Nakanishi and continue to work to refresh the roster ahead of summer workouts.