Utah Tech sharpshooter Chance Trujillo chooses Hawai’i as home

HONOLULU – The Beehive State continues to be sweet like honey to Hawai’i.

Former Utah Tech redshirt freshman Chance Trujillo announced his commitment to the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball program on Friday, joining the wave of talented players from Utah to take their skills to the islands over the past couple years.

Trujillo, 6-foot-4, was outstanding in his lone year with the Trailblazers as he matched the program record for made 3-pointers in a single season (73) and finished second on the squad in scoring at 12.3 points per game. He also grabbed 3.4 rebounds and passed out 2.7 assists each night, providing a little bit of everything at Utah Tech.

Hawai’i and Trujillo got a good look at each other last November when the Rainbow Warriors held off Utah Tech in the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic finale, 68-62. The 6-foot-4 guard had nine points and three rebounds for the Trailblazers, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in 31 minutes of action.

Despite the loss, the overall experience during the Rainbow Classic for Trujillo was one that stuck with him throughout the rest of the season and into the transfer portal process.

“Just being on the island, the environment was something different,” Trujillo recalled of his November trip to Hawai’i with the Trailblazers. “You could really feel how supportive the community is.”

The redshirt freshman guard went on to push his game to another level during conference play, drilling 39.5% of his attempts from long range against WAC opponents while averaging nearly a steal per game.

Trujillo appeared in 33 games (23 starts) with Utah Tech, providing a scoring punch to the lineup whenever he suited up. The shooting guard racked up 21 double-digit scoring games as a redshirt freshman, topping out with a 24-point, four-assist showing against Abilene Christian on February 26.

Hawai’i was the first program to reach out after Trujillo entered the portal, getting a text as midnight hit from assistant coach Gibson Johnson that the Rainbow Warriors were interested.

“From day one, my relationship with the staff was solid,” Trujillo said recounting his recruitment by Hawai’i. “Coach Ganot, Coach Gibson Johnson and the rest of the staff kept it real with me and made me feel like a priority. They built up that trust early and their consistency, persistence and how genuine they were through the whole process meant a lot.”

A competitive, energetic and versatile guard, Trujillo considered programs in the Big West and Pac-12 along with the Mountain West but ultimately felt that taking his shooting stroke and hard-nosed mentality to the islands was the best fit.

“I’m just excited to get to work,” said Trujillo. “Being part of something bigger, especially with Hawai’i heading to the Mountain West and competing at a high level, is huge. Playing in front of the Hawai’i fans and embracing that whole experience is going to be unreal … Building something special with the team is what I’m looking forward to the most.”

He joins Arizona State forward Marcus Adams Jr., Point Loma guard Jaden Matingou, Northern Arizona forward Zack Davidson and Seattle University center Houran Dan as additions to the Rainbow Warrior roster out of the portal. Hawai’i returns Tanner Cuff and Isaiah Kerr after last season’s Big West championship and will see prep standouts Tiger Cuff and Scotty Belnap join the program as freshmen in the summer.