By KEVIN JAKAHI By KEVIN JAKAHI ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald sports writer It was a connect-the-dots type of deal that led recent Kohala graduates DJ Wong and Popo Roxburgh to each land a 75 percent volleyball scholarship package to Graceland University, an
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
It was a connect-the-dots type of deal that led recent Kohala graduates DJ Wong and Popo Roxburgh to each land a 75 percent volleyball scholarship package to Graceland University, an NAIA school in Iowa.
Wong’s Oahu club team is Kuikahi, which is run by Teoni Obrey, the Hawaii Baptist Academy coach. He got the recruiting ball rolling, pitching Wong to Graceland.
The Yellowjackets coach is Chad McDole, someone Kohala coach Chai Wilson knows. When McDole called Wilson to gather additional information on Wong, Roxburgh’s name was passed along.
“Chad saw video of DJ from Kuikahi, but he didn’t see any video of Popo,” Wilson said. “He’s trusting my judgment and both got 75 percent scholarships. Popo is a super athlete and he’s still raw as a volleyball player. He’s the most coachable kid. He’s one of those kids if you tell him something once, he’ll apply what you say.
“DJ is an all-around package. You put him anywhere on the court and he can play that position. Once he starts jumping instead of relying on his arm length that kid will be unstoppable. He’s all-around from his backrow play to setting, hitting and blocking. He’s the total package.”
Wong and Roxburgh are 6-feet-2 and both graduated with a 2.8 grade-point average. Wong plans to major in psychology and aspires to be a child psychologist. Roxburgh intends to major in accounting and wants to become an accountant.
As far as contrast, their volleyball backgrounds are quite different.
Wong started playing volleyball as an 11-year-old and focused on that as his primary sport. If not for Graceland, he would have walked on to Grand Canyon University.
Roxburgh comes from a basketball family. His dad Kihei, mom Joanne, brother Jacob and sister Janissa all played basketball and the youngest followed the family sport, picking up the nickname Popo when Janissa, as a toddler, had a tough time pronouncing Christopher.
He first played volleyball on the junior varsity as a freshman and sophomore, and missed a majority of his junior season with a hyperactive thyroid condition, which is now under control. As a senior, he landed on the All-Big Island Interscholastic Federation Blue Division second team at middle blocker.
“I started volleyball to help with my jumping for basketball and I just loved it, the excitement of the game,” Roxburgh said. “It’s great to get the scholarship. It feels great. I was going to Colorado Mesa University to study business.
“I try to bring positive thoughts on the volleyball floor and have everybody do their job. And I try to bring fire to the team. I don’t know what to expect at Graceland, but I think I’ll be all right and fit in. Going with DJ makes me feel more comfortable. We’ve known each other since we were 10 years old.”
Graceland finished 14-13, including 6-4 in the Mid-America Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference, the same league as Grand View, home to 2011 Waiakea graduate and setter Kyle Hanagami.
Wong earned All-BIIF first team honors at outside hitter, a position that stationed him right next to Roxburgh, who energizes his teammate on and off the court.
“As a friend, I talk to him a lot and he’s there for me all the time,” Wong said. “As a teammate and player on the court, he brings me up if I’m down. He’s a positive influence.
“It made it more exciting going all the way to Iowa with him coming along. Iowa is really far from home (3,850 miles) and it made me feel more comfortable with him going, too.”
It’s the first time in a long time, as far as recent memory, that three Kohala student-athletes signed scholarships. Chyler Imai, a setter for the Cowgirls, signed to play at Western New Mexico.
Also, Brandon Bautista, a 2010 Kohala graduate, is on scholarship and playing basketball at Oregon Tech, an NAIA school. He’s another homegrown product making his mark, and shining a good light on his community.
“It’s great that we’re all coming from a small town in Kohala, and getting noticed,” Wong said. “One of our girls, Chyler, got a scholarship, too. I thought it was really great. It’s a good feeling representing our town.”
