Vulcan women’s hoops brings in four
The UH-Hilo Women’s Basketball team has added four new hoopers for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
Fourteenth-year Vulcans head coach David Kaneshiro brings in three junior transfers and a freshman as part of the incoming recruiting class.
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“We are very excited to welcome Jeniece, Jazmine, Tovale and Kendall to our basketball ‘ohana,” Kaneshiro said. “They are hard-working, tough, competitive and unselfish teammates. They will fit in well with our returnees, on our campus and in the Hilo community. We can’t wait to start working with them.”
UH-Hilo replaces five departures — four to graduation — from a season ago and will have seven returnees.
Team workouts will begin late August with first official practices set for the opening week of October.
The Vulcans’ 2023-24 schedule will be announced shortly.
Jeniece Harmon
Harmon is a junior transfer and guard, originally from from Fresno, Calif.
She spent her first two years playing at Laney College in Oakland — where she started in all 52 games over two seasons for the Eagles, totaling 639 points (12.3 pts/g) on .436 shooting (.310 from three-point range) with 183 rebounds, 193 assists and 141 steals.
Her efforts helped lead Laney to back-to-back Bay Valley Conference Championships.
“Jeniece is a quick guard who plays with a high motor and has a nice all-around game,” Kaneshiro said in a UH-Hilo press release. “Offensively, she can score or create opportunities for her teammates. She is also a tenacious defender and unselfish teammate with strong leadership qualities.”
Jazmine Soto
Like Harmon, Soto is a junior transfer and went to high school in California’s San Joaquin Valley and started her college career playing in the Bay Area.
She spent the last two years playing guard for former Pacific West Conference competitor Holy Names University.
Soto played in 51 games with 37 starts for the Hawks, totaling 509 points (9.9 pts/g) and 107 steals — recording a career high 25 points two times, against CUI and against Dominican.
She also put up big numbers against the Vulcans last season — scoring 19 points on Feb. 8, 2023 and 22 points the following week.
“While competing against Jaz, we learned how hard-working and competitive she is,” Kaneshiro said. “She’s proven that she can be effective against the guards in the PacWest Conference and we are excited to have her on our team. We look forward to the experience, toughness and versatility she’ll add to our backcourt.”
Tovale Tupouata
Tupouata was Harmon’s teammate and classmate at Laney College.
The 6’2 center played in 25 games with 18 starts for the Eagles, totaling 200 points on .448 shooting with 160 rebounds, 27 blocks and 17 steals.
Her career high double-double was 18 points and 12 rebounds against Fresno CC in 2022.
“Tovale is a strong post player with good skills,” Kaneshiro said. “She can play in the low post and also shoot and pass from the perimeter. She is also an enthusiastic teammate that will bring energy to our team.”
Kendall Oda
A true freshman, Oda is a 2023 graduate of Torrance HS (California).
She played four seasons of varsity, helped lead her team to a 2022-23 Pioneer League Championship and was an All-Pioneer League First Team selection.
“Kendall is a quick guard with a nice feel for the game, Kaneshiro said. “She is a good shooter and ball-handler who plays with good pace and poise. We are looking forward to working with her.”
