HONOLULU – Kelsie Imai had a long wait, but the highly anticipated return to the Big Island was even more emotional than she expected. 

A spark plug guard that has played a variety of roles in her 107 games with the Rainbow Wahine, Imai is a part of a special group of eight total UH seniors. A 2020 graduate of Waiakea High School, she is one of the three fifth-year seniors that have been with the program for their entire career that will say “aloha” to the University of Hawai’i at the end of the 2024-25 season as her eligibility expires along with recruiting class members MeiLani McBee and Daejah Phillips. 

Imai joined the program during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, coming over to O’ahu and starting 16 of the 17 games in her first season in UH attire. She quickly showed the grit she was bringing over from the Big Island as the 5-foot-7 guard’s first career double-double was a 10-point, 12-rebound performance against UC Davis. 

The next two seasons came without matchups against Hawai’i-Hilo for UH-Mānoa, but Imai continued in a key role as a connector on the floor for Laura Beeman. In her second season with the program, she finished with the 2nd-most assists on the team while playing the 4th-most minutes and started 28 of 32 games at point guard in her third year with UH. 

The Vulcans returned to the 2023-24 Rainbow Wahine schedule for a matchup before the regular season began, this time with Imai preparing to thrive in a different role off the bench for UHM. The tough, spunky guard showed fans that they could count on her to fill the box sheet still despite the role switch, scoring five points while collecting three rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes in the 2023 scrimmage versus Hawai’i-Hilo. 

The switch proved to be so good that Imai earned the honor of being named the team’s most improved player at the end of the year. The Pahoa-native led the Rainbow Wahine team in assists despite coming off the bench in 30 of 31 games for Beeman and improved defensively, posting her lowest rate of fouls committed per game of her career. 

After four years with the program, Imai had checked off nearly every desire for a college career: win multiple regular season Big West Conference titles, multiple Big West Conference tournament titles, make the postseason every year with the team and more. With one final year left to play, Imai still had an important trip on her mind left to take. 

After the Rainbow Wahine’s trip to the Big Island was officially announced on September 23, Imai partially joked that her pestering the coaching staff about a trip to the Big Island for years had paid off. 

“We talked about this for a couple of years now and I would always bug [associate head coach Alex Delanian] like when are you going to take me home? I want to play against Hilo in Hilo,” Imai chuckled telling the media on September 26. “I’m super excited to play in front of my family, especially my grandparents – they haven’t seen me play since high school in person.” 

In a weekend touted as the Big Island Basketball Event, the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the University of Hawai’i-Hilo would partake in exhibitions against each other on Friday, October 25 and Sunday, October 27 with the men’s and women’s teams both putting on keiki clinics on the Saturday in between at the Pana’ewa Park Gym. 

The weekend and three events were organized by Kawazoe Sports and Entertainment, who sent portions of the proceeds towards both Motiv8 and Hilo Charities. After seeing issues with humidity and slipping on the floor at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium on Friday night in the men’s exhibition, multiple people (including the Imai family) joined together on Saturday in an effort to find four floor fans to help keep the floor dry and avoid the safety concerns for the women’s matchup on Sunday. 

The keiki clinics brought smiles on smiles for more than 100 young hoopers on Saturday, seeing multiple shirts of Imai in anticipation of Sunday’s scrimmage.  

“I’m just so blessed and so thankful that I am able to come from such a loving community,” Imai said following the final keiki clinic. “They always welcome me home with open arms and I’m just so excited that I was able to help out in a little way and give back to the keiki.” 

Those keiki and their families gave back by showing out in full force for the 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon tip-off between the Rainbow Wahine and Vulcans. Even with the “Imai Family and Friends” group of more than 30 people not being counted, more than 1,000 fans piled into the Civic to watch UH-Mānoa beat Hawai’i-Hilo, 69-50. 

Imai struggled to find her offensive groove early, not getting into the score book until she knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:23 left in the first half, but still found ways to impact the game with a pair of rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot in the opening 20 minutes. 

The second half saw a more in-character Imai as she settled in, scoring six points while adding another steal and three assists to finish the day with all five major statistical categories filled up.  

 “Kelsie definitely was pressing a little bit today – we anticipated that – but I think it was so meaningful for her and her family to see so many people show up for her,” said head coach Laura Beeman. 

Imai admitted as much after the game, discussing the emotional weekend from bringing her team to her family’s home when they arrived on Big Island to the keiki clinics to playing in front of family with her Rainbow Wahine teammates in the gym she saw games in growing up. 

“Super emotional for me,” the senior guard said on Sunday. “Like yesterday, I think I cried a little bit just thinking like wow, I’m really getting to end where I started.” 

Following the exhibition, both teams stayed to sign autographs for fans in attendance as a thank you for the support of both programs. Of course, Imai was a popular ask for autographs and photos as the local girl came back to Hilo. 

Imai poses for a photo with a group of friends and family after the Rainbow Wahine’s win. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

For the 5th-year senior, the weekend served as an excellent reminder. 

“Being able to play in front of my family who hasn’t seen me play in a while in person just means the most,” Imai said. “Coming home and bringing my team made me realize there really is not place like home and the aloha here on the Big Island, it’s everywhere.” 

The Rainbow Wahine will head to Maui this weekend for the second neighbor island trip in eight days, taking on Chaminade in another exhibition. The matchup will tip-off on Saturday, November 2 at 2:00 p.m. at Kamehameha Schools Maui with the men’s UH and Chaminade teams facing off after the women’s game concludes. 

Admission for the exhibitions is free and Maui-based musicians and entertainers will be in attendance to perform throughout the games. Food trucks and concession stands will be open with food and drinks for purchase for those in attendance. 

The weekend was put together with a collaborative effort between the Hawai’i Tourism Authority (HTA), the University of Hawai’i and the County of Maui’s Office of Economic Development and will include a free keiki clinic for players in grades 4-6 at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 1 at Lahainaluna High School to kick off the weekend. 

Register for the clinic HERE