Top 50 Kamaka Hepa recaps Texas, preps for Gonzaga
One of the most skilled frontcourt players in the class of 2018, Kamaka Hepa is fresh off of a big summer and visited Texas last weekend. This weekend he heads to Gonzaga as he works his way towards making a decision.
Before going in depth about his Texas visit and what he'll be looking forward to at Gonzaga, Hepa spoke about bouncing back from a relatively quiet spring to have a huge summer with the Portland Basketball Club.
“I’m not going to say it was my health but in July I was being more aggressive and hunting down better shots," Hepa told Rivals.com. "What my game lacks sometimes is being aggressive on the offensive end and defensive end. I knew in my last July of AAU ball I had to show people what I was really all about.”
Last weekend, Shaka Smart and Texas wanted to show Hepa what they are all about as they hosted Hepa on a big visit weekend.
“I feel like going in on the first weekend of school that the interest is there and they showed me that I’m one of their priorities in the 2018 class," said Hepa. "They also brought in Keldon Johnson and it was good to bond with him and see what he has going on. I feel like with he and I and what they have going on already we could be a formidable class if we went there."
Smart and assistant Darrin Horn left a big impression on Hepa. Especially when it came to giving him a vision about how a stretch four like him would fit in.
“Just talking to coach Smart and coach Horn about basketball they really cleared up concerns for me and how I feel about if my game would fit there," said Hepa. "They have a style of play and he really cleared those up for me and my family. I really feel like they could help me get better.
“They showed me facts about how they’ve changed the way they play and some of their basketball concepts.”
Hepa also said that he bonded very well with the current team at Texas and had high remarks for the University in general.
This weekend, he'll make the trip to Gonzaga. He's already been to Spokane multiple times but this visit with Mark Few's bunch will be a little different.
“Basically I will get in Friday morning and they are gonna pick me up and we’ll eat and stuff," said Hepa. "We’ll play in an open gym and we are definitely gonna be touring the campus a bit even though I’ve been up there a lot. They aren’t going to stress too much about touring and it’s going to be more about meeting with academic advisors and different people on the staff that I would be dealing with on a daily basis if I went there.”
While Hepa had some questions about fit with Texas, it is Gonzaga's track record with players like him combined with a very competitive program that has caught his eye.
“For me it’s their track record of guys that they have had at my position," said Hepa. "I think that right there is something that really stands out to me because they can really develop that position. If you look back at them those skilled stretch four guys have been really important and they’ve been able to help them beyond college. They have a blueprint and it's been very successful for them."
Hepa hasn't yet set any other visits and mentioned Oklahoma, Oregon State and Washington as others in the mix. For now, his next step is a little unclear.
“(Texas and Gonzaga) are kind of like the two schools that I’m really looking at as well as the other schools I’ve mentioned," said Hepa. "I don’t know if I will be quite ready to have a decision after this weekend and I’ll have to talk to my parents. It may be a little while before I make a decision.”