Galen Tolu Smith III, who is from Mississippi and transferred to Kahuku this year to play basketball, signed a letter of intent last week to play for Western Kentucky, according to the school’s website.
According to sources who live on the North Shore, Smith moved to Hawaii from Mississippi in the fall and is living with David Te’o, who has been an assistant football coach at the school.
Kahuku coach Brandyn Akana did not immediately return a call for comment.
According to two new sources, Smith has family ties to the area. His great grandfather and the grandfather of the North Shore’s Johnny Tapusoa are brothers.
Lots of players from around the world are coming to Kahuku to play.
A year ago, Daniel Fotu attended Kahuku as a student and a basketball player for approximately three months of the hoops season before moving back to his native New Zealand. Several years ago, there were other New Zealanders playing for Kahuku who had transferred from Maryknoll. Also last year, Honolulu Star-Advertiser player of the year Jessiya Villa, who lived in Hawaii as a youngster and has relatives here, moved to Kahuku from West Virginia for his senior year. In addition last year, Samuta Avea returned to Kahuku, where he had played as an underclassman, from Utah for his senior year.
Fotu, Villa and Avea helped the Red Raiders to the Division I state championship last winter.
Fotu previously signed a letter of intent to play for Saint Mary’s. Villa and Avea have signed to play for the University of Hawaii.
Smith is a 6-10 forward who played at Bay High in Bay St. Louis, Miss., last season. He was named the Sun Herald’s All-South Mississippi Player of the Year last season.
According to an April article in the Biloxi, Miss., based SunHerald.com, Smith was planning to transfer to Meridian High in Mississippi, which in March captured the state’s 6A championship.
It was reported in that article that Smith’s transfer was due to his parents receiving “better job opportunities” in Meridian.
Smith did not end up making the transfer to Meridian.
Smith’s brother, Galen Smith Jr., plays college basketball for Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and his mother played collegiately at South Alabama.
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CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, it was incorrectly reported that Smith did not have family ties to Hawaii.
He commited a while ago. WKU was one among a long line of schools offering Tolu. Kahuku in the making to becoming a basketball powerhouse as long as Akana is there. Only thing is Smith isnt surrounded by the talent that last year’s Kahuku team had.
That’s what I’m talking about, recruit or die! All these mofo’s that talk this ish about Miano don’t know how to recruit and don’t know how to build a championship team period! Your best players might be in your local neighborhood but then the best supporting role players can be recruited! Don’t talk bad about it because you need it, and WE all know who is the best recruiter now is Cal Lee, sorry Kahuku you don’t have enough fire power to get this 2017 Open DI Championship!
Sources so’o. The kid is Samoan and part of the Tapusoa family of Laie. How about instead of reporting on Kahuku’s transfers, you do an article about how Tolu is a strait A student, taking AP classes. He is very humble and respectful and a fine young man. He has a bright future. Western Kentucky is getting a great player.
UH should be sniffing out polynesian D1 recruits from a mile away before any other school. All hawaiian, samoan, tongan, maori, etc. prospects have to be on UH’s radar. Oh well, good luck to these polys going to the next level. Correction: Villa transferred from West Virginia not Virginia.
The kids mom is a Tapusoa from Laie, she always wanted her son to experience where she grew up…. how did the sources not know that….
Recruited or transferred ??????
“Sources said Smith’s family did not move here from Mississippi and that he does not have other family ties to the area.”
—————————-
This one sentence sounds like an attempt to smear Kahukus sports program. Heads up RRNation, the next time these star-advertiser reporters and photographers come around snooping for information maybe you should turn the other way.
Nah, he didn’t got transfer, they recruit him. but tbh he really good, and smart person
Yes, he came here because Hawaii is a hot bed for HS Basketball players. Oops, my bad. He came because he wants a D1 scholarship,. My bad again, he already signed. Oh yeah, he came to Kahuku for academics. That’s it! Lol.
And the article, … classy, in-depth, and accurate. Oops, my bad again. It’s like the writer talked to one disgruntled North Shore parent, ER, I mean resident and got the rest from a google search. Too much! LMBO
Here we go again. Before this crap gets out of hand. If you are going to write an article in this day and age, with the assistance of google and previous articles, which were actually written by staff at your own agency, please be accurate….This family is a very good family, so before you drag this boys name into this, let’s be accurate please.
Jessiya Villa lived in West Virginia (NOT VIRGINIA as you have stated and yes it is a big difference). Do you like it when people say that Samoa and Hawaii is the same thing?
Anyway ignoramus, his Whole family, including his mother, siblings, and father (who commuted to DC back and forth to work) moved BACK to Hawaii. Don’t try and make it seem like he was part of a recruiting scheme. He even had a brother on the JV team. The boy tried going to Kamehameha first (where his father, uncles, grandfather, grand uncles all went). They wouldn’t allow him in as a senior, so he went to the school in the district that his family lived in. Hau’ula to be exact. Not his fault, Akana, his uncle was the coach. (his mother is an Akana and is the sister of coach Akana)
You talk about all these kids transferring from the mainland…..you can leave this one out…..he’s the only one of these guys that actually has Hawaiian blood….
This kid Smith is totally different…he ain’t living with his parents. He’s living with an assistant coach…..how can this be legal?
The article comes off as a hit piece against Kahuku and casts shadows upon outstanding young men, which are called out by name. HPW, you are better then this. Inaccurate sources and falsehoods. Get better sources and write positive articles. And just to let you know, the boys father moved with him and they are living with family, an uncle, who happens to be a coach. Best of luck Tolu, excited to watch you play!
You guys all hypocrites. Anytime Kahuku loses to the ILH they cry because of “ILH recruiting”. When Kahuku is exposed to doing the same thing they have every excuse in the world.
Recruiting is recruiting. Lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.
I, for one, have NEVER bashed ILH for recruiting…and have ALWAYS said that all parties involved (student, family, school, team) should do what is best for THEM.
What cracks me up is how vehemently ILH alumni in here attempt to deny the FACT that ILH schools recruit. I literally have both nieces and nephews who have been recruited by multiple ILH schools for their athletic abilities. So I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that ILH recruits.
And good for them, good for the student, good for the families, good for their teams, etc, etc, etc. I will never naysay any involved parties of ILH’s recruiting efforts. (If I still lived in Hawaii, my kids would most likely be in an ILH school – but not for athletics, cuz they’re not so inclined). Just…ADMIT it. LOL!
But…now that OIA teams have started using the same recruiting tactics – and yes…that’s what it is – all of a sudden ILH crybabies increase the volume and veracity of their crying… “Not fair!!! WWaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!”
What’s good for the goose…
LMFAO!!! Great job Brandyn!! Keep up the great work!! Maximize your extended network! We going back to states in bball again!
CHEEEEEEEHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
RRFL!
Just have the same rules across the board.Plain and simple .So,we don’t continue having these conversations about recruiting and transferring….Right across the State,same rules. It’s not only Kahuku that argues about these rules, it’s the rest of the state…
The Kahuku Red Raiders The Pride Of The North Shore !
The island is so small. This is recruiting at its finest and I have no problem with it.
We can say anything about how someone is related to someone in that community. That doesn’t mean it’s not recruiting.
Lil Pump, just man up and call it what it is. It’s recruiting. Don’t try to water it down by saying he is part of a certain family. We can also do that for practically every school in Hawaii.
Like I said I have no issue with recruiting. I have an issue with Kahuku fans always trying to disguise their recruiting saying the kid is related to the mailman, or someone working the shrimp truck.
Just call it recruiting which it is and leave it at that.
Let’s be honest. The powerhouse teams in the ILH and OIA RECRUIT. Plain and simple. There is a reason why the SAME schools do well in the major sports. THEY RECRUIT. Don’t pretend that this 6’10” stud just so happened wanted to play in Kahuku his senior. Coincidence? NO WAYS. No knock on this kid. I’m sure EVERY SINGLE school in the state would LOVE to have him play for them. So good for Kahuku. They scored. Wish him all the best this season and in his future career playing college ball. Schools either gotta play this recruiting game or be left watching states from the sidelines (for the most part, not always). Good luck to all the OIA and ILH teams this season (let’s see who else found a loophole and is recruiting kids from the mainland or internationally … garans got other schools who did!). Anyone want to bet that the SAME schools are going to be playing in states?! You know why? CUS THEY KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE RECRUITING GAME.
Brandyn Akana was a key figure in the NCAA coming after UH Hoops … Daniel Fotu here for only 3 months then moves back to NZ … gimmee a break … the OIA should conduct an investigation into the Kahuku Varsity Hoops Program …
Let’s be real. Both the OIA and ILH powerhouse schools RECRUIT. Plain and simple. For both sides to be pointing fingers is comical. Now, some schools take it WAY farther than other schools. And we don’t need to name names, ‘cus everyone knows which schools that is and for what sports. To say this 6’10” stud just so happened wanted to play his senior year at Kahuku and wasn’t recruited is ridiculous. No knock on this kid. Wish him only the best. Kahuku scored. EVERY school in this state would pounce at the opportunity to have him play for them. You watch pretty much the same schools end up in the state tournament and pretty much the same schools end up watching them on TV or in the stands. The difference between these schools? The schools playing are WAY better at the recruiting game. The schools who play by the rules are normally the schools who lose out. Is it fair? Nope. Is it reality? Yup. Let’s see how many other schools found that recruiting loophole and all of a sudden has kids playing for them from the mainland or another country. GARANS Kahuku is not the only ones.
Kahuku Red Raiders, Pride of Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand, Utah, and now Mississippi.
@Are you serious and HPW
Tolu lives here with his father.
He was recruited? You guys are joking right? So he turned down Hawaii basketball factory Iolani. Said NO to National Sports Power House Punahou all so he could attend Kahuku. It must have been the superior level of play the OIA has to offer. Everyone knows that the highest level of basketball in the country is played in Hawaii and this level of competition can only be found in the OIA East. Better yet, it was Giovani’s shrimp truck. He turned down better coaching and facilities for Giovani shrimp. C’mon man.
Too Meke, I couldn’t care less about recruiting. What I’m doing is refuting the erroneous statements in article and comments about his family. It was stated that he is not living with his parents -FALSE. It was stated that he does not have family here -FALSE.
@Lil Pump – don’t get them bunched up… I wasn’t addressing your comments. Just commenting in general.
AINOKEA what people say up in HPW comments section. Pure definition of I.R.R.E.L.E.V.A.N.T.
I’m just having fun while plenny guys all serious… lmao. crack me up how guys get all irriz at me – IDGAR.
Just happy for all da RRFL kids coming up… the RRFL adults?? meh… just go cheer for da kids…and that includes all Hawaii kids…cuz guess what? dey just kids…trying to do their thing.
Keep doing what you doing Brandyn… people getting salty… and who gives a rats?
RRFL.
AGAIN you can’t write any credible news Nick! You continue to compose untrustworthy articles that contain 99.9% rumors and .01% on information that borderlines actual truth…bottom line you promote and sanction FAKE NEWS and of course again from the one and only infamous NICK ABRAMO of the Honolulu Advertiser.
Explain how your “SOURCES” who live on the NShore regarding any confirmation of the Smith’s having no family ties to the area?
As you have done your research into Tolu’s background you obviously came upon his moms information that can be pulled up by a click of a button via the internet (CAUSE I DID you provided all the information in the article and searched it) so my question to you is knowing that you have the factual information of his biological mom and your audience (Hawaii residents) understands and value the importance of family and genealogy why not print out Tolu’s moms name in the article?
Is it because this article would have been nipped of controversy the moment it went public yet you published without crediting his moms rich polynesian samoan ethnicity. Allow me to share with you his mom’s maiden name: Shannel Tapusoa…did I read that correctly on the internet??? T-A-P-U-S-O-A Is that not prominent family name on the N. Shore specifically Laie and if you ACTUALLY live on the NShore you would have known if not heard about a good family that carries the name Tapusoa and the many families related to them.
Shame on you and shame on the StarAdvertiser for inciting and publishing false information.
St Louis football, Iolani basketball (both genders), Maryknoll Softball and basketball teams, Punahou all sports, as well as OIA powers Kahuku, Mililani, Kapolei, etc. They all deny recruiting yet everyone knows they do it. Pretty soon Hawaii high school sports going come like the NCAA. A bunch of competitive teams and all the others looking up at them. You’ll be hard pressed to see a non-BCS/Power 5 Conference school win an NCAA title. That’s how it’s going to be in Hawaii. Real soon!! So sad.
1. The young man this article is referring to is here with his father and living with relatives and going to the school in his district period. He’s a great young man and a very well rounded STUDENT athlete!!!
2. ILH’s are private schools and can “recruit” students all they want and there is nothing illegal about that so you can come from Kahuku or Hawaii Kai and its legal for you to go there and not have to change your address.
Nick Abramo get your facts Straight before you open your big Mouth. tolu’s Mom is a Tapusoa amd she’s related to David Teo’s Wife.!! Also Tolu’s Dad is living here with him. Friicckkkeenn Unreal you rookie Sports Writer.!!
I never hear anyone from the ILH schools complaining about Kahuku recruiting. The complaints come from the OIA schools that are not recruiting or are not able to recruit, and from the OIA schools that barely have enough to form a team now.
So what who his mom is. We all can find relatives in different districts. Using that family excuse is old. Just call it recruiting. Dummies. Same ole Kahuku, so and so is his uncles, aunties, cousin. What happened to raised not recruited? Fuams
Whenever there’s a transfer to kahuku it’s recruiting. If they from laie, hauula or Utah returning home it’s recruiting. Lol…Just saying
Who is a basketball recruit at Iolani?
Nobody heard anything about the kids from Kauai, Maui and Big Island that transfered to St. Louis to play football their Jr and Sr years, they do so to take advantage of the Football factory that is St. Louis.
Kahuku is all about community and culture, Football and other sports is just a by product. Does anybody every wonder that maybe these kids from the mainland want to reconnect with their polynesian heritage and what better place to do it then the land of their parents and grandparents. Kahuku represents all 5 of the polynesian cultures (Samoa, Tonga, Maori, Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti) and receives further penetration into these countries through the missionary efforts of the Mormon church.
Did you know that Laie was a swamp land back in the 1800’s and nobody wanted to settle it. Hell, I remember in 1984 the entire town flooded and we were floating around on our couches down the streets. Even as recently as 2008 we had the same flooding of the town, Kahuku football field still floods every year. The Mormon leaders in the early 1900s were inspired to settle and build the temple and BYU in Laie and called it the taj mahal of the pacific for the polynesian people.
Yeah thats why NBA star Jabari Parkers brother married a Laie Girl
and PGA tour professional Tony Finau married a Laie Girl
Kahuku represents a lifestyle.
@Telling It Like It Is
Oh yeah ‘Iolani doesn’t recruit at all. All the talent on Doc Mugiishi’s 2002-2006 championship teams just coincidentally showed up on ‘Iolani’s doorstep.
@Tempmanoa
Really? You never hear ILH coaches complain about OIA schools? That’s odd because the Kamehameha and Punahou coaches were the most boisterous about Kahuku’s team last year – to the point that this website and the Star Advertiser wrote an article based on the Kamehameha coach’s remarks on social media towards Kahuku. I genuinely feel the reason Akana gets so much flack from some coaches is because Akana can do what they already try to do but he does it 10 times better.
@JetWavy, other than DLow and BNash Jr, who both was there from the 7th grade, please name someone who was recruited for basketball. The majority was there from kindergarten.
It’s not a secret that a student also has to pass a rigorous academic and personal screening process just to get in, potential athlete or not.
I think the concern here is that everyone is following the same rules. If Kahuku can bring in players from all over the country and world to play for one year, then the other OIA teams should be able to as well. I don’t know if that is allowed by OIA or HHSAA rules. If so, I would expect that we’ll begin to see more and more coaches trying to do it. If it’s not within the rules, then let’s figure out where the rules are being violated so that everyone is playing by the same rules.
We just like them (RR) admit that they recruiting. That’s all.
Just like how they want the ILH to admit they recruit, which they do.
The people defending that this isn’t recruiting sound just like those people’s defending that the ILH don’t recruit, “in-denial”. It happens so what, go win the championship you don’t have to justify it. Let everyone else deal with it while your team takes home the gold. If it was against the rules then it would be investigated and stopped.
Look at last year, recruited and brought in an international player right before season, won the championship, and left, I think, 2 days later back to his country. No sanctions, no nothing. It’s all good!! Keep on doing what you doing.
Keep on R..E.C.R.U.I.T.I.N.G.
#itsnotrecruitingitsaboutdacommunity
#penpalsunclessistersbrothersnephewsson
Maybe this would make a great shirt
#RuckFecruiting
@Telling – “other than DLow and BNash Jr, who both was there from the 7th grade, please name someone who was recruited for basketball. The majority was there from kindergarten.”
So you basically mean that all the players weren’t recruited to Iolani exception their two D1 talents? Um, ok. I also don’t buy that Iolani’s coaches at the time had no clue about Low and Nash prior to coming in 7th grade.
JetWavy. Don’t deflect the question. Also your response is vague. The question is name the recruited basketball players at Iolani. It doesn’t matter if the coaches knew about DL and BN prior to 7th grade. BN didn’t get a scholarship. His dad paid full price. This is fact. DL got some help but not the full amount. His dad is a single parent.
Please answer the question. What Iolani student was a basketball recruit? Recruit is a player that receives favorable conditions.
ILH rules state that a rep of the school cannot contact a player/parent in regards to attending that school. If a parent or player contacts the school/coach then talks may begin. Even if a player doesn’t receive financial help, if a school/coach contacted the player/parent first, then that violates the recruiting rule.
“Recruit is a player that receives favorable conditions”. Please enlighten us as to what favorable condition Kahuku has to offer this kid? Is it our state of the art weight room? Is it our top of the line training facilities? It must be our award winning school lunch….. You guys are too funny.
what??? 88’s comments shut you all up??? silence is deafening.
hhahahaaaaaa!!! favorable conditions… lol… laughable…
how about a free ride at a private school with normally astronomical tuition? would you consider that favorable?
duh.
Maybe offers an iPad?……..lol
I think this article should be in the RECRUITING section.
Also, “Please enlighten us as to what favorable condition Kahuku has to offer this kid?”
I think that question can be best answered by the Coach that recruited him.
Shirt Worthy:
Pride of the North and South Hemishpere
The Coach, thats your answer? He is one hell of a Coach then. I mean if you could convince a kid of that caliber to bypass Iolani and Punahou and instead come to Kahuku for Basketball, shiiiiieeettttt you’ve gone above and waaaaayyy beyond expectations. The Coach, phaka dats a good one…..
@Tell
You seriously mean to tell me that Nash and Low just so conveniently happened to fall into Mugiishi’s hands? The fact that they went there from 7th grade means squat to me. Low was a known commodity well before his hs years. I’m around those guys ages and I came up with them. We all went to a well-renowned bball clinic and by and large the majority of the talent that came out of that clinic ended up going to Iolani years after they began going to the clinic. You can turn a blind eye to it in your head but every powerhouse ILH school – that includes Iolani- is guilty of recruiting from both OIA and other ILH schools.
Let me get this straight. Are you saying that he wasnt recruited? Cause thats what Im saying.
Put into a sentence saying, “I, 88, in good conscience and sound mind, based off of what the history is, can honestly say that there is no recruiting occuring in the RR basketball program”.
And I agree with you, he must be one heck of a Coach to have been able to RECRUIT this kid to come to Kahuku. I guess whatever he told those kids last year when he RECRUITED them must have worked again this year.
He trying to build a BB program where FB is king. I get it, understand it and applaud him for it. But, lets be real and call it for what it is. I just wonder how long will it last?? It is plain to see that this Coach belongs on the next level or higher. Lets just enjoy the teams that he has put together because they are enjoyable to watch until he moves on to big and better avenues.
Runner up:
Re-Rooted NOT Recruited
@ILH “I guess whatever he told THOSE KIDS last year when he RECRUITED them must have worked again this year.”
Two out of those kids you’re referring to were born in Hawaii to begin with. One of those kids lived in Hauula and went to school in the Kahuku district his entire life except for one year – his junior year and all of a sudden he’s considered an out-of-state recruit when he comes back to finish his senior year at Kahuku. The other kid was born in Hawaii, moved with family to the east coast, and moved back with his family his senior year to attend school in the district he was living in and plus his mother’s brother was the coach. The majority of teams that were any good last year had some level of manufacturing going on.
This message goes out to anyone that has an off brand comment or concern as it relates to my son Galen Smith III aka Tolu. Let’s be perfectly clear about our transition to Hawaii and my son attending Kahuku High School. I’m posting this because of an article written by Mr. Abramo that places a very derogatory view of our intentions to move to Hawaii. I have also informed Mr. Paul Arenas and Mr. Abramo that I can be reached at anytime if they are interested in a real story. Good, bad or indifferent to justify the fabricated nonsense they chose to print as well as a picture of students they had no permission to post.
Since moving to Hawaii we have been welcomed with open arms from family members and friends. We knew we would be living in Lair and Kahuku was the local school attended by students in the area. To be recruited would mean that you have knowledge of the Coaching staff of a particular sport of interest. In our particular case we had no idea of who the basketball Coach for Kahuku was until we registered our son at the school and we asked during registration what were the requirements to play sports for the school and who was the Coach.
Our original location and rental agreement was extremely expensive literally in the thousands. We were afforded a better living arrangement with a reasonable rental rate by the Te’o family and we appreciate all they have done for us. Yes my wife is a Tapusoa and or objective was to find permanent residence in the area.
I’m not trying to dispell any myths about what anyone is doing here, but let’s be clear we moved here in good faith to make a home. If we aren’t welcome that’s tough, this is still America and we can live were ever we choose. For a rag paper to print slanderous material about my son now that’s personal when in fact we are able to speak on or own behalf about the decision we made to move to an Island Paradise.
If you are truly interested in finding out the truth. Stop hiding behind screen names and be forth coming about who you are as individuals. Real men don’t hide behind electronic screens.
If you want an interview don’t research rumor and speculation go straight to the source. I’m available you can reach me at 8082259063 feel free to call and get the facts at any time.
Once again. 8082259063 you can email me at d3baaubasketball@yahoo.com
I don’t play games with my family. I’m beyond over protective and for anyone to try and defame the Smith, Tapusoa, or Te’o family name I’m right here. We don’t hide. Red Radier Soul true and through.