Mana Wahine: Hawaii Softball Utility Player Rhea Furtado

Mana Wahine: Hawaii Softball Utility Player Rhea Furtado

Feb 22, 2026

Mana Wahine: Hawaii Softball Utility Player Rhea Furtado

Hawai’i utility player Rhea Furtado gets ready to run from 2nd base. | Photo Credit: HSRN

HONOLULU – Away from the islands for the first time, Rhea Furtado couldn’t help but have wandering eyes back home towards Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in 2025.

The former Kapa’a standout started her college career at Big West rival Cal State Northridge, appearing in 40 games while getting a total of 21 at-bats in her single season with the Matadors. She knew she wanted to spread her wings and experience life away from the islands, but she had taken notice of a pair of local girls back at UH who had started their careers on the continent as well.

Milan Ah Yat and Carys Murakami went from underappreciated role players at LMU and CSUN to full-time starters when returning to the islands. Murakami and Ah Yat started every game next to each other in the middle infield in 2025, even seeing Ah Yat earn All-Big West honorable mention recognition.

 “I feel like being at home wasn’t an option for me at first because my first year, I really wanted to experience out-of-home and I’ve been here,” Furtado said of her commitment to CSUN out of high school. “I was like home is going to be home forever, so I’d like to experience [something new].”

Furtado is thankful for her year in Northridge despite the softball fit not working out. The experience brought hundreds of memories along with new friends and connections, but she found herself looking to the portal in the end.

After the successes of Ah Yat and Murakami in 2025, Furtado was inspired to come back home and put on the green. She couldn’t resist the calls of the islands and the chance to play for the fans in Hawai’i as soon as her sophomore season could begin.

“I really missed the home environment,” Furtado said of UH’s draw to her. “I feel like there’s no place like home. There’s no place like the people here and like the crowd and support you’re going to get.”

There was also the added benefit of having family and friends at more of her games. While at CSUN, she was aware of the challenges of travel between time and expenses. Now playing more than half her games in the islands, her mom and dad can make it out to watch much more often.

In a way, it was going to feel like she was back to playing in the state championship.

The pride of Kauai, Furtado and company won two HHSAA Division II softball titles in three years at Kapa’a. The year sandwiched between the championships was a 2023 run that was stopped by Furtado’s new teammate.

“We actually lost to Milan, guys,” Furtado said chuckling.

It was especially meaningful to Furtado to win the 2024 championship, completing her senior season with a title alongside many of the same girls that she had played with since the age of six.

Kapa’a rolled to a 13-1 victory over Pac-Five in the 2024 title game, avenging the 2023 state quarterfinal loss to Ah Yat’s Wolfpack squad. It was the second softball crown for the Warriors in program history, who won Division II again in 2025 after Furtado graduated.

Rhea Furtado rounds the bases during Kapa’a’s 2024 HHSAA Division II state championship victory over Pac-5. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

There was an immense amount of pride for Furtado in representing one of Hawai’i’s smaller islands and in showing that despite having three total high schools on Kauai, they could compete against the historically stronger O’ahu schools for championships.

Now, she gets a chance to represent the entire state of Hawai’i and play her home games inside Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. She clearly enjoyed her time there in the 2024 state title game, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, a home run, three runs scored and five runs batted in for Kapa’a.

She’s gotten off to a nice start in her new digs, already tallying more hits (6), at-bats (29), walks (3) and stolen bases (8) in the first two weeks of her Rainbow Wahine career than she did in her full season with the Matadors.

After a challenging week on the continent between the CBU Classic and Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic that saw the Rainbow Wahine scratch out one win in eight tries against some of the best competition in the country, Hawai’i will return home this week for the OUTRIGGER Classic and host Mercyhurst and Portland State for a pair of games over the weekend.

UH will take on Mercyhurst at 3:30 p.m. HT on Friday, February 27 and follow it up by facing Portland State right after at 6 p.m. HT at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The teams will reconvene again on Saturday to wrap up the three-day round robin tournament with three final games with first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m. HT.

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Hawaii caps AC Carter Night with dramatic overtime win over UC Santa Barbara

Hawaii caps AC Carter Night with dramatic overtime win over UC Santa Barbara

Feb 21, 2026

Hawaii caps AC Carter Night with dramatic overtime win over UC Santa Barbara

Hawai’i guard Hunter Erickson (0) raises his fist in celebration after the Rainbow Warriors outlasted UC Santa Barbara in overtime. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

HONOLULU – A night to remember.

Playing for a season-high audience of more than 8,000 fans and some of the greatest names in program history, the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team outlasted UC Santa Barbara inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday evening in overtime, 78-75.

“This one is one that I’ll never forget,” said head coach Eran Ganot after the win. “I cannot thank the power of the Hawai’i fanbase for their love and passion and emotion that they showed in there.”

Celebrating program legend Anthony ‘AC’ Carter’s jersey retirement, Hawai’i icons spanning from the 1970s through the 1990s and into the 21st century returned to the islands for a weekend celebration fit for a superstar.

University of Hawai’i legend Anthony Carter poses with a framed version of his retired jersey alongside UH athletics director Matt Elliott. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

It sparked an overwhelming sense of pride in the program as members from the over 100-plus year history of the program gathered in the same place to celebrate Rainbow Warrior royalty together. That program-wide togetherness became a rallying cry for the UH coaching staff to the team entering the weekend after suffering the first two-game losing streak of the season.

After beautiful renditions of the national anthem and Hawai’i Pono’i from Henry Kapono and the City of Refuge Christian Church sparked up the noise inside the Stan Sheriff Center, the teams got right to business trading stops and a few early buckets as the Gauchos took an early 7-5 lead through five minutes.

Ike Finlinson started to wake up the Rainbow Warriors on offense, scoring all nine of his points in the first 12 minutes of action to push the hosts ahead by the under-eight-minute media timeout, 22-15.

After being held to a 2-for-13 stretch through the middle of the opening stanza, UC Santa Barbara found the offensive fuel over the final seven minutes as they made six of their final 10 shots from the floor, including back-to-back threes with under a minute remaining to take a 32-30 lead at the break.

“Lapses are killers,” said junior guard Isaiah Kerr when asked about the end of the opening frame for Hawai’i. “It’s simple stuff where we’re kind of beating ourselves, and so that was the conversation at halftime. We’re playing good defense, sometimes we beat ourselves and we had to make that change.”

The Gauchos continued to gain separation when play resumed, scoring the first six points out of the locker rooms to extend out to a 38-30 lead over the Rainbow Warriors. Seniors Dre Bullock and Harry Rouhliadeff took turns getting the offense restarted for UH, scoring the next seven points to pull the hosts back within one, but back-to-back buckets by Aidan Mahaney put the visitors back up by a handful.

Kerr made the change he spoke about wanting to see, sparking Hawai’i on both ends after re-entering the game by helping cool off the increasingly warm Mahaney with his defense and knocking down a triple and a couple of free throws as the Rainbow Warriors rallied ahead of the Gauchos with under nine minutes left to play, 52-51.

Hawaii G Isaiah Kerr closely guards UCSB’s Aidan Mahaney. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

“I said to [Isaiah Kerr] after the game, I have never seen a player play as hard as I did see him tonight,” Ganot shared. “What happened is a rising tide lifts all ships, and Dre then took it to another level.”

After UC Santa Barbara shoved back ahead by a handful with 5:03 remaining in regulation, Kerr and Bullock willed the Warriors back before Harry Rouhliadeff tied it twice in the final minute to send the game to overtime.

Kerr began the extra period with a 3-pointer from the right wing to ease the nerves of the 8,103 fans standing anxiously waiting and wanting to celebrate the memorable evening. The junior guard elicited the loudest pop from the crowd all night two minutes later as he forced UCSB forward Hosana Kitenge to foul out as Kerr finished a layup through contact to put the Rainbow Warriors ahead for good with 1:59 remaining.

“[The 3-pointer to begin overtime] wasn’t even the play that was set up originally,” Kerr said chuckling about his hot finish. “I was just wide open when I caught the ball, so I was like alright it’s going up, and it went in. I felt really good to get that start and then that kind of had me in a little bit of a more aggressive mindset.”

Hunter Erickson and Isaac Johnson each split trips to the free throw line to help keep UH up over the final minute and Kerr made the on-the-fly decision to not foul while up three as UCSB’s CJ Shaw forced up a contested 3-pointer from the right wing that clanked off the side iron and into Bullock’s hands to clinch the 78-75 win.

The victory snapped UH’s eight-game losing streak against UC Santa Barbara and returned the Rainbow Warriors into a tie atop the Big West standings with UC Irvine and Cal State Northridge with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Anteaters fell at home against UC San Diego on Saturday night while CSUN clipped Long Beach State by two in Long Beach.

Dre Bullock paced Hawai’i in the win with 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals, going 7-for-16 from the field while knocking down 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. Isaiah Kerr added a season-high 17 points off of the bench for the Rainbow Warriors, scoring 15 points after halftime while drawing the defensive assignment of Aidan Mahaney for a majority of his 32 minutes of work.

Harry Rouhliadeff was the final player to finish in double figures for UH, scoring 10 points and recording two of the biggest baskets of the game for the hosts before fouling out in overtime.

Hawaii F Harry Rouhliadeff tosses up a putback with under a minute remaining to tie the game. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

“Harry’s battling foul trouble and he makes two of the biggest emotional plays,” Ganot quickly pointed out postgame. “That’s our captain, make no mistake.”

Colin Smith led the Gauchos with 19 points and eight rebounds in the loss while Marvin McGhee IV recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Aidan Mahaney scored 16 points before fouling out in overtime but was held to 7-of-20 shooting from the floor and didn’t get to the free throw line in a game for the first time in the entire month of February.

Hawai’i (19-7, 11-5 Big West) will head to the continent next week for the final road trip of the regular season, visiting UC Davis on Thursday, February 26 before hopping over to face Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, February 28.

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Hawai’i shuts down Wichita State bats on Les Murakami Hall of Fame Night

Hawai’i shuts down Wichita State bats on Les Murakami Hall of Fame Night

Feb 21, 2026

Hawai’i shuts down Wichita State bats on Les Murakami Hall of Fame Night

Tsubasa Tomii pitched one scoreless inning with one strikeout as the first arm out of the bullpen. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

HONOLULU – You’ve got to put on a show with Les and the legends in the house.

Behind an electrifying performance from the pitching staff and a jolt of offense from the jump, the University of Hawai’i baseball team held up its end of the bargain on Les Murakami Hall of Fame Night with a 4-2 win over storied rival Wichita State (4-2) on Friday evening.

Junior right-hander Hekili Robello (2-0) picked up his second win in as many starts this season, spinning 6.0 innings of two-run ball (1 ER) while allowing four hits, walking one and striking out nine.

“He was, again, lights out,” head coach Rich Hill said of Robello’s second straight sweet six-inning showing. “You notice he’s in an 0-2 count almost all the time. So you talk about first pitch strikes, mixing the slider and then he’s also got a changeup … he just fills up the zone. It’s a unique [arm slot], guys have a hard time with it.”

The Big Island fireballer turned it over to the bullpen for the final three frames, watching as Tsubasa Tomii, Saul Soto and John Alkire II combined for 3.0 innings of scoreless work to lock down the win. The trio of relievers allowed two total baserunners and only one hit in their action on Friday, combining for 42 pitches total to record the final nine outs.

Hawai’i (5-1) did all of its scoring in the opening inning, posting a four-spot in their first chance of the night again Shockers RHP Brady Hamilton. The first four batters reached base for the Rainbow Warriors before Evan Rolbiecki’s RBI groundout mercifully gave the first out of the bottom of the 1st for Wichita State.

Kamana Nahaku helped the Rainbow Warriors tack on two more runs before the end of the first inning, roping a single between the shortstop and third baseman to score Kody Watanabe and Jake Redding. Tate Shimao tried to advance from first to third on the single but was gunned down for the final out of the frame.

Kamana Nahaku’s 2 RBI single in the bottom of the first inning brought home the final runs of the night for Hawai’i. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Wichita State responded in the top of the 2nd with the help of a couple Hawai’i miscues, loading the bases with a leadoff single, a walk and an E4 before Kaleb Duncan tapped an RBI single into right to get the Shockers on the board and keep the bases juiced with nobody out.

An RBI groundout by Zeb Henry plated the second run for Wichita State, but more importantly helped Hekili Robello settle back in for the Rainbow Warriors. The junior right-hander bounced back to get Jaden Gustafson to pop out to the infield and struck out Jayson Jones to end the threat from the Shockers with UH still leading, 4-2.

“He’s just got ice in his veins, you know, the guts of a burglar,” Hill said of his starter’s resolve to get out of the 2nd-inning jam. “This environment can overwhelm some people … I mean, that’s [Rainbow Baseball] legends, that’s Coach Murakami, Coach Gene Stevenson. They’ve got the Hall of Fame blue jackets out here, a packed house screaming and he just went out there like it was another day at the park in Hilo. It was really fun to see. He’s got a great future.”

Robello would retire 11 Wichita batters in a row after allowing the two runs, finally seeing another Shocker reach base with two down in the bottom of the 5th when Jayson Jones smacked a single into right, but the UH starter got MJ Sweeney to ground out to second base the very next at-bat to end the frame.

The Hilo High product struck out the side in the top of the sixth, working around Owen Washburn’s one-out double to hand over a multi-run cushion to the ‘Bows bullpen.

Tomii twirled a scoreless 7th frame in his fourth outing of the young season, striking out one while showing off his funky spinning offspeed stuff for the fans in attendance. New Mexico State transfer Saul Soto spun a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th, delighting the crowd with a backwards K in his lone stanza of work.

Tsubasa Tomii pitched one scoreless inning with one strikeout as the first arm out of the bullpen. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

RHP John Alkire II locked down the 9th for the Rainbow Warriors again, earning his second save of the season and sending fans home happy on Les Murakami Hall of Fame Night with a 4-2 win over the Shockers.

Brady Hamilton (1-1) took the loss despite going 7.0 innings, allowing the four 1st-inning runs and nothing more as he gave up seven hits, walked two batters, hit three more and struck out six.

Hawai’i and Wichita State return to action on Saturday for the third game of the four-game series with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m. HT.

UPDATE: Please note, Saturday’s game has postponed due to rain and will be made up on Sunday as the Rainbow Warriors and Shockers play a doubleheader. The first game will be 7 innings with first pitch set for 11 a.m. HT with a 9-inning game to follow afterwards.

The dugout greets the defense after getting out of the seventh inning unscathed. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Ben Zeigler-Namoa was steady at first base and at the plate for Hawai’i, scoring the game’s first run while garnering two hits. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Draven Nushida makes contact with a pitch against Wichita State. He was one of two players with multiple hits Friday night. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

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Les Murakami Honored with Hall of Fame Ceremony at Home Stadium

Les Murakami Honored with Hall of Fame Ceremony at Home Stadium

Feb 20, 2026

Les Murakami Honored with Hall of Fame Ceremony at Home Stadium

Legendary Hawai’i coach Les Murakami waves to the fans during a pregame honoring his induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

HONOLULU – The University of Hawaiʻi paid tribute to legendary former head coach Les Murakami on Friday night, honoring his induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.

The pregame ceremony took place prior to Game 2 of the Rainbow Warriors’ series against Wichita State Shockers baseball, drawing a large crowd that included more than 50 of Murakami’s former players and assistant coaches.

“Fantastic,” Murakami said of the moment. “Like I tell everybody, there’s only so many words.”

Building a Program from the Ground Up

Murakami, who served as Hawaiʻi’s first head baseball coach, built the program from scratch and guided it for 30 seasons from 1971 to 2000. During that span, he compiled an impressive 1,079-570-4 record and led the Rainbow Warriors to their only appearance in the College World Series in 1980.

The program’s home field, Les Murakami Stadium, bears his name — a lasting tribute to the foundation he laid for Hawaiʻi baseball.

Seeing so many former players and colleagues return for the ceremony made the evening even more meaningful.

“Terrific,” Murakami said. “Every time I see them it makes me feel good.”

Blue Blazer Moment

In a special highlight of the ceremony, Murakami was formally welcomed into the Hall of Fame with the traditional blue blazer presentation. He was joined by fellow Hall of Famer and former Wichita State head coach Gene Stephenson, as well as former Hawaiʻi left-handed pitcher Derek Tatsuno.

Murakami had high praise for Stephenson.

“Terrific,” he said. “Let me tell you something. That guy has to be a miracle worker, because have you ever seen Wichita. There’s nothing. I don’t know how he did it and he recruited so well.”

Former Wichita State head coach Gene Stephenson (left) and Hawai’i left-handed pitcher Derek Tatsuno (right) presented coach Les Murakami with his blue blazer. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

The Rainbow Warriors wore special No. 11 Hall of Fame hats in Murakami’s honor, and his grandchildren delivered the ceremonial first pitch, adding a family touch to the celebration.

After the ceremony concluded and the festivities settled, Murakami reflected with a bit of relief and humor.

“I’m just glad that it’s over,” he said. “And then the weather held up, surprised me.”

Senator Troy Hashimoto (left) and Representative Andrew Takuya Garrett (right) present coach Les Murakami with a proclamation. | Photo: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

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Anthony ‘AC’ Carter returns to Hawai’i for ‘Legends Weekend’ jersey retirement

Anthony ‘AC’ Carter returns to Hawai’i for ‘Legends Weekend’ jersey retirement

Feb 20, 2026

Anthony ‘AC’ Carter returns to Hawai’i for ‘Legends Weekend’ jersey retirement

Anthony ‘AC’ Carter poses after speaking with the local media ahead of his Hawai’i jersey retirement on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Paul Brecht, HSRN

HONOLULU – Saturday night in the Stan Sheriff Center will be a reminder of what’s great about college basketball.

A part of “Legends Weekend” on the campus of the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, former hoops star Anthony “AC” Carter (’98) will watch along with fans at halftime of UH’s game against UC Santa Barbara as his No. 23 jersey joins Bob Nash (’72) in the rafters as the second Rainbow Warrior to ever have his number retired.

It’s a well-deserved honor for the Rainbow icon, who electrified the islands during his two seasons at UH. Carter is one of 18 players to ever eclipse 1,000 points while in a Rainbow Warrior uniform and remains the second-highest point-per-game scorer in program history after averaging 18.4 points per night.

Much like Nash, he also made his impact felt in ways other than scoring the ball. Similar to Nash holding the program’s single-season record for rebounds, Carter sits atop the leaderboard for single-season assist totals with 212 dimes dished out in the 1997-98 campaign.

It remains the only season of 200-or-more assists by a single player in program history.

Carter went on to enjoy a 13-year career as a player in the NBA, then made the switch to the bench to hold a variety of coaching roles between the G-League and NBA. He’s arguably the most accomplished alum of the program and continues to get his name brought up as a fan favorite despite his Rainbow Warrior on-court career wrapping up more than a quarter of a century ago.

But by his own admission, he never thought he would be here.

“Being able to be back for this special moment is awesome and something that I never expected,” Carter told local Hawai’i media on Wednesday morning. “Shoutout to the coaching staff over [at UH] and some of the people that thought I was a good enough guy to get this jersey retired.”

Carter dropped out of high school in Atlanta as a 15-year-old freshman. A talented basketball prospect without much support at home, Carter took his skills to work in the neighborhood, playing 5-on-5 games for money to survive.

People in his community took notice of his electrifying talents. Eventually, with the help of a few others, Carter went back to take the General Educational Development (GED) test and enrolled at Saddleback Community College in California at the age of 19.

After earning a second chance at his basketball dream and starring for Saddleback, Carter picked up offers from Division I programs across the country. Thanks to a bond formed by the consistent recruitment of former UH assistant coach Jackson Wheeler, the Rainbow Warriors won the sweepstakes for Carter’s services.

The former guard did not forget how he got his second chance.

The help from the outside remained at the forefront of Carter’s mind as he progressed through his life. In 2004, just six years after graduating from UH, the Rainbow Warrior alum made a six-figure donation back to the University of Hawai’i to establish the A.C. Carter Scholarship Fund to try and help provide opportunities to those who needed some outside assistance like he did.

Carter never played or paid with future recognition in mind, though.

“I’m not a guy that dwells on the accolades and things like that,” Carter said when asked about becoming the second Rainbow Warrior hooper to have his jersey retired. “When I played, I just played for the love of the game and to put smiles on people’s faces.”

The 1998 WAC Player of the Year said that he has never been a big memorabilia guy, opting against collecting most of the material objects like jerseys from his career in favor of pristine memories of the actual moments.

He provided plenty during his two seasons in the islands for the fans. An opening night stunner against Bobby Knight’s Indiana squad, the upset over No. 2 Kansas in the 1997 Rainbow Classic and many other moments still live in the minds of many Hawai’i faithful.

Saturday will provide the fans and school a chance to return the favor back to Carter.

“It’s always been about the fans with me,” he admitted. “I know everybody over here spent their hard-earned money to come to those games and support us and I felt like it was my duty and all of my teammates’ duty to put on a show for them and bring smiles and enthusiasm to the games every time we played.”

Fans are encouraged to wear white for Saturday’s men’s basketball game against the Gauchos. Courtesy of Coca-Cola, 2,300 shirts will be given out to fans throughout the night to help celebrate Carter’s jersey retirement.

Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. HT and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

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HB 2384 Advances Through CPC/JHA After Tough Questions on Direct NIL Payments

HB 2384 Advances Through CPC/JHA After Tough Questions on Direct NIL Payments

Feb 19, 2026

HB 2384 Advances Through CPC/JHA After Tough Questions on Direct NIL Payments

BY HSRN STAFF | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

HONOLULU — One week after an emotional on-campus hearing at UH Mānoa, HB 2384 returned to the Capitol — and this time, the tone shifted.

The House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce (CPC) and Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs (JHA) held a joint hearing Thursday on HB 2384 HD1, the bill establishing a framework for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa.

Unlike last week’s testimony-heavy session filled with student-athletes and coaches, this hearing centered on structure, funding mechanics and whether public dollars should be used for direct NIL payments.

By the end of the afternoon, the bill passed out of committee as an HD2 with amendments, moving it forward to Finance.

The Core Question: Public Dollars for Direct NIL?

UH Athletics Director Matt Elliott reiterated that NIL is now part of modern college athletics and that as of July 1, institutions are permitted to engage in direct NIL relationships with student-athletes.

But lawmakers pressed on how Hawai‘i plans to fund it.

Rep. Kim Coco Iwamoto raised one of the sharpest questions of the afternoon, asking:

“What makes the actors of the performing arts students at UH different than the athletic students at UH in terms of helping them, giving them resources, such as direct payment?”

Her concern centered on equity — whether allocating taxpayer dollars directly to athletes separates them from other UH students whose names, images or intellectual property may also benefit the university.

Later, during decision-making, she made her position clear:

“I will be voting no based on what we heard here today that other states are not directly funding NIL.”

She added that she was not comfortable prioritizing direct NIL payments “when there are so many other needs right now in our state”.

Iwamoto cast the lone “No” vote in CPC.

Chair Matayoshi: Supportive of Guardrails, Cautious on Structure

CPC Chair Scot Z. Matayoshi did not oppose the bill outright, but repeatedly questioned the funding model.

He emphasized that he supports the regulatory and educational aspects of the bill — including stronger financial literacy and agent oversight.

“I do really appreciate that part… requiring the University of Hawaii to set forth policies to give more financial literacy, tax information, financial management, agent representation. I think that’s all great.”

However, he expressed discomfort with the state directly appropriating $5 million for NIL payments.

“I am uncomfortable spending public taxpayer dollars to go directly to student athletes in that sense.”

He also questioned why Hawai‘i was structuring payments differently than other states, asking:

“Why are we doing $5 million to be directly given to student athletes?”

In response, Elliott explained that while some states are supplementing athletic department budgets broadly, Hawai‘i’s proposal makes the NIL allocation explicit to provide transparency.

Ultimately, Matayoshi recommended passing the bill with amendments to clarify in the language that the allocated funds would be used for direct NIL payments — ensuring that the Finance Committee reviews that structure carefully.

Judiciary Focus: Athlete Protections

On the JHA side, members focused less on the funding structure and more on policy safeguards.

Questions centered on whether the bill strengthens institutional policies, protects student-athlete rights and ensures transparency without invading privacy.

Elliott confirmed that while UH is already engaging in NIL relationships, the bill would require more comprehensive and formalized policies than currently exist.

JHA ultimately passed the measure with amendments.

 

Vote Breakdown – Feb. 19

Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs (JHA)

✔️ Passed with amendments

  • 9 Ayes: Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama, Shimizu

  • Ayes with Reservations: Cochran, Garcia

  • Noes: None

  • Excused: Hashem

Consumer Protection & Commerce (CPC)

✔️ Passed with amendments

  • 5 Ayes: Matayoshi, Grandinetti, Chun, Ilagan, Kong

  • Noes: Iwamoto

  • Excused: Ichiyama, Lowen, Marten, Tam, Pierick

 

What This Means Going Forward

As HB 2384 advances to the House Finance Committee, the regulatory NIL framework appears to have gained traction, while the proposed $5 million direct public funding model remains under closer scrutiny. Finance will now evaluate the fiscal structure and determine how — and whether — the appropriation should move forward.

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Defense, Barfield’s big half helps Hawai’i down Portland State

Sep 13, 2025

Defense, Barfield’s big half helps Hawai’i down Portland State BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULUPUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 13, 2025HONOLULU – Home, sweet homecoming. Playing the earliest Homecoming Game in program history, a shorthanded University of Hawai’i...

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