Former Husson star Eric Ahlers II pledges commitment to Hawaii Pacific

HONOLULU – From coast to coast, Jesse Nakanishi’s staff refuses to leave any stone unturned.

Hawaii Pacific looked to the east coast and dipped back into the Division III pool of talent in the transfer portal on Sunday, gaining the commitment of former Husson forward Eric Ahlers II for his final season of eligibility.

The 6-foot-5 wing was on the shortlist of standouts in contention for the North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year award, earning 1st-team All-NAC honors after averaging 20.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as a senior for the Eagles.

Husson finished in second place in the regular season conference standings in 2025-26, going 15-3 against league opponents while pacing the North Atlantic Conference in points per game (88.4 PPG).

Ahlers finished as the conference’s fourth-highest scorer as a senior and was the second-leading rebounder in the NAC, tallying 14 double-doubles for the Eagles. He also shot 46% overall from the field and drilled 37% of his 3-point attempts, connecting 66 times from beyond the arc in his final year at Husson.

The third addition in the portal for the Sharks, Ahlers provides an elite scoring option for Nakanishi’s squad after the graduation of all-PacWest 1st-team wing Joshua West – who also made the leap from Division III star to Division II impact player in the islands.

Ahlers scored in double figures in all 26 games (23 starts) last season at Husson, posting a high of 35 points (13-for-18 FG, 6-for-10 3PT) to go along with 14 rebounds against Maine Maritime in a late January victory for the Eagles. He scored 20 or more points in 14 games, including five of the final six contests of the campaign for Husson.

Hawaii Pacific also picked up former USCB guard Evan Kilminster and Northern Iowa forward Marino Dubravčić out of the portal, two players who are also expected to make their marks on the Sharks’ rotation next winter.

Along with the three transfers, HPU returns captain Avi Halpert along with Nemanja Sarenac, Zane Gaul, Ike Sutton and Shawn Villanea. The Sharks also received a commitment from Walnut Grove (TX) standout Chase Brooks, a 6-foot-1 guard who averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while knocking down 40% of his 3-point attempts as a high school senior.