(HONOLULU, O'AHU) - The Hawai'i Pacific University Men's Basketball team is excited to announce the recent signing of 5'11 guard, Avi Halpert. Halpert comes to HPU after one year at the junior college level in California. He helped lead the Moorpark College Raiders to a 22-7 overall record, a WSC North Conference Championship, and a CCCAA SoCal Regional Tournament appearance. Halpert was named to the All-WSC North First Team for his efforts.

Known for his scoring ability, efficiency, and playmaking, Halpert put up big numbers on the stat sheet in his lone year at the junior college level. He finished his freshman season averaging 18.3 points per game, 5.1 assists per game, and 3.5 rebounds per game. He shot the ball 47% from the field, 41% from three-point range, and 90% from the free throw line. During his 11 conference games, he averaged 20.1 points while shooting 49% from the three-point line. He also finished the year with a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio. He had a few huge games including a 42-point outing vs Santa Ana and a 35-point game vs Fullerton. 

When asked about choosing to join the Sharks 'Ohana, Halpert had this to say, "The reason I chose HPU was because of the commitment that Coach Nak and Coach Cam showed to me in the recruitment process. I was only recruited for about 3 weeks and in that time they won me over. The most important thing to me was finding somewhere that I would fit. Finding that along with the academics of HPU was a no brainer for me. Forever grateful to be a Shark."

Head Coach Jesse Nakanishi added, "We're ecstatic to have Avi join our family in the nick of time! Avi is a winner on and off the court, he'll fit and grow our culture exceptionally."

The Sharks kick off the 2024-25 Season on Friday, November 8 when they take on Alaska Fairbanks at the Shark Tank.