Hawaii’s Volleyball Prodigy on the Brink of Stardom: Kainoa Wade Chooses to Graduate Early and Join UH Men’s Team.

On Wednesday, Kainoa Wade, a standout player for Kamehameha High School, confirmed that he is considering reclassifying to graduate early in order to join the Hawaii men’s volleyball team a year ahead of schedule. Wade’s intention is to graduate from Kamehameha in December and enroll at UH Manoa in January to play for his father, Charlie Wade, starting in the 2025 season.

Wade’s performance against Punahou in their match on Wednesday night drew praise from Punahou coach Rick Tune who called him “Superman”. Wade has been in contact with UH freshman setter Tread Rosenthal who also graduated early to join the team at a young age. If everything goes as planned, the upcoming state tournament in May will be Wade’s last chance to try and secure a championship for Kamehameha, who last won the title in 2011.

Despite Kamehameha’s current standing in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, Wade remains confident that his team has what it takes to compete for the championship. He gave his verbal commitment to play for UH last June after a standout performance during the state championship match where he was named unanimously as state player of the year by Brian McInnis who covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii and can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.