Many high school athletes may dream of continuing their sport into their college years. Some, even aiming to become professionals afterward . But for most, neither comes to fruition. However, 2015 Kalāheo alumnus Kupaʻa Harrison achieved feats in basketball most only dream of. Now a former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Kalāheo Boysʻ Varsity Basketball Team, Harrison weighed in on his professional career as well as the 2023-24 high school season.  “I grew up as the youngest of seven kids. When I watched them [siblings] play basketball, I knew I always wanted to follow in their footsteps. To top it off, my dad, Tim Harrison, was a basketball coach who started out coaching basketball for Alika Smithʻs dad, Pete Smith, at Kalāheo back in the 80s,” says Harrison. 

While attending high school he played for Coach Alika Smith. The former pro acknowledged the significance of family, basketball and Kalāheo coming full circle as his dad [Tim Harrison] served as assistant coach to Alika Smith’s dad. 

As 2015 Gatorade Player of the year and two-time Star-Advertiser All-State selection, Harrison helped lead the Mustangs to two consecutive state championship wins in the 2014-2015

season.  Despite his high performance, a lack of recruitment in Hawai‘i caused the top basketball player  to play for multiple colleges on the mainland, beginning with Division 3 Lewis and Clark College. “The funny thing was, even though I had a lot of success in Hawaii, it can be really hard for us to get recruited and seen by college coaches because weʻre so far away,” he explained. 

 Later attending Orange Coast College in California, Harrison finished off his college basketball years with a scholarship at the University of Hawaii at Hilo as a senior captain. In 2020, later chosen to play professionally overseas for Liga EBA, the fourth-tier team in the league of Spanish Basketball. Under the club CB Tormes, Harrison played in the starting lineup for the team Usual La Antigua. 

While sacrifice is a no-brainer to making it to the professional level in any sport, Harrison explained the reality of hard work and self-discipline, “If you really want to make it to the next level, you have to really be honest and ask yourself what youʻre willing to give up in order to get there. A lot of people are obviously going to say, ‘Oh, I want to go to this level’ and ‘I want to do this, I want to become a pro and I want to play in college.’ But the reality is you have to sacrifice a lot in order to get there. And a lot of times it comes down to time.”

Harrison also shed light on the importance of networking and creating connections because, “A lot of it is about the people that you meet along the way in your journey- especially if it's basketball. As much as going professional has to do with your skill and ability, a lot of it also has to do with things like the people you meet and the relationships you build.”

 Harrison credits the friendships he cultivated as something that he continues to hold on to today. “I think the best part about playing across the world is also getting to meet new people and build

relationships with people that Iʻm still really close with today”. 

Harrison stressed that there are other things at stake besides winning the game. “Players become their own biggest investment and are now making money for people. The game becomes a business, and a crucial part is for players to take care of themselves. This means

getting enough sleep, eating well, and otherwise taking care of their health.”

To achieve his goal, he says, “At the end of the day it always comes down to sacrifice. I had to move all the way across the world and be away from my family and my friends and everything in

in order to pursue that goal. The sacrifice is a lot of it, but also the payoff in the end is like, itʻs totally worth it.” 

Harrison fell to a major injury in his last year as a basketball pro. Tearing his ACL and meniscus, he made it clear that everything continued to work in his favor. 

Using his knowledge, skill and experience, it was perfect timing for him to play a role in bringing back the Kalāheo Mustangs  to a high standard of play. “You can always look at everything as a blessing or a curse. I looked at it as as one part of my life that was now going to be over, but I gained so much.” Reflecting on his professional career, Harrison noted that if he had not been injured, he would not have moved back to Hawai‘i which led him to coach at Kalāheo where he could help kids who were in the same position he was once in--a mentoring role he enjoys. 

Throughout the 2023--2024 Kalāheo Basketball Season, Harrison was Kalāheo’s assistant basketball coach. For the first time since 2015, the Mustangs made it to states, placing fourth in the HHSAA and  sixth in the OIA Championship. Taking first in OIAs in 2018. Harrison credits the kids who worked really hard, including  new players, transfers, and those who had been on the team the previous year. He recalls moments when the kids  could have given up along with those that did quit. For those who stayed, they grew so much throughout the season.

Harrison looks forward to the future of basketball at Kalāheo. Happy to be living on Oʻahu and with a lot of talent coming back, he says, “Whenever I am able to live on ‘Oahu, I’m always going to help out Kalāheo and especially

our kids.”