HONOLULU - The Hawaii Pacific Men's Basketball team has signed their next recruit; an NCAA Division I transfer from Saint Mary's College of California. Matt Van Komen, a 7'4 center originally from Pleasant Grove, Utah will be joining the squad. Van Komen spent the previous 3 years at St Mary's after 1 year at the University of Utah. He will still have 3 years of eligibility remaining for HPU.Â
Coming out of high school, Van Komen was ranked as a 4-star recruit by ESPN and the Number 2 player out of the state of Utah. He chose to attend the University of Utah over other offers from Gonzaga, Baylor, and Utah State. In his collegiate debut, Van Komen scored 12 points and collected 6 rebounds. After transferring to St Mary's, Van Komen saw limited playing time due to injury but was still able to put together some solid appearances. In 9 minutes played vs San Jose State, he scored 6 points, collected 4 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. After taking the 2022-23 season to recover, Van Komen is ready to make an immediate impact for the Sharks.Â
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"Hawaii Pacific seemed like a great fit for me! Their basketball style of play is very similar to what I am used to playing in.," said Matt Van Komen. "I have developed great relationships with their staff and cannot wait to get started on the island!"
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Interim Head Coach Nakanishi added, "Matt is as unique and dominant of an enforcer inside that HPU has ever brought on. We're so fortunate to have him choose our program to reboot his career. We couldn't be more excited!"
#GoSharks
