The University of Hawaii basketball team went a great distance to secure a commitment from a long-distance shooter.
Jacopo Van der Knaap, a 6-foot-5, 198-pound guard from the Netherlands, has accepted a scholarship offer from the Rainbow Warriors and gained admission into UH.
Van der Knapp is currently playing for his country’s 3-on-3 national team in the U-21 international tournament. If the Netherlands reaches the World Cup, Van der Knaap will join the ’Bows in August. He said he will have four seasons of UH eligibility.
“I think it will be a great experience,” Van der Knaap said of UH, where he plans to major in computer science or business. “I believe (UH) is the best option for me to study and play basketball at the same time. … I had a talk with Coach (Eran Ganot). Beautiful place, as well. I feel it’s a great opportunity for me in many aspects.”
Van der Knaap is Italian and Dutch. He grew up in Italy, then moved to Amsterdam when he was 16 to pursue basketball opportunities. Two years later, he began playing as an amateur for club teams in Italy and Spain. Last summer, Van der Knaap joined his brother’s club team for a series of exhibition games in Italy. Against the University of San Diego, Van der Knaap scored 26 points. That performance caught the attention of the UH coaches.
Van der Knaap is an accurate deep shooter. “That’s one of my strengths,” he said.
But he also is skilled on drives, particularly in navigating screens. While he has honed his ball-handling since picking up the sport at age 6, an injury actually expanded his repertoire. Van der Knaap, who is right-handed, broke his right thumb while training a few years ago. While recovering, he developed ambidextrous ball-handling. He also perfected a left-handed shot. He credited a former coach who helped him work on his shooting form. “A lot of reps in the gym,” he said.
Van der Knapp is the fifth scholarship player in the ’Bows’ 2024-25 class. Last November, the ’Bows signed guards Aaron Hunkin-Claytor and AJ Economou. Economou enrolled at UH in January, and redshirted during the 2024 spring semester.
This past spring, the ’Bows signed Tanner Christensen, a 6-10, 275-pound transfer from Utah Tech, and point guard Marcus “MarMar” Greene of Houston Christian. Last week, the ’Bows received a signed commitment from Gytis “Nemo” Nemeiksa, a 6-8, 225-pound forward from Lithuania. This past season, Nemeiksa started 20 games for Xavier.