33 of the top prospects the high school basketball landscape has to offer recently gathered in Colorado Springs, Colo., in hopes of being named to the 2018 Team USA U18 FIBA Americas roster. Just days ago, Texas Longhorns power forward signee Kamaka Hepa was named as a finalist to make the final cut, and on Tuesday, Hepa officially became one of 12 members selected to this year’s USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team.
Congratulations to my man @kamaka_hepa4 on making the @usabasketball U18 team. He will represent Barrow, Alaska @TexasMBB and USA well! pic.twitter.com/AfodV9Ze7d
— Darrin Horn (@Darrin_Horn) June 5, 2018
Hepa now becomes the latest Longhorn to don Team USA across the chest, as Mohamed Bamba, Matt Coleman, Jarrett Allen, and James Banks have each previously done so before suiting up for Shaka Smart.
A four-star prospect, Hepa is one of five members of Smart’s latest top 10 recruiting haul, and he’s set to arrive this summer as a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year honoree. Hepa won the award as a freshman and sophomore in Alaska, and most recently, as a senior standout at Portland (Ore.) Jefferson after averaging 16.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 6.2 blocks and 3.5 assists per game as the headliner of the Class 6A runner-up. Prior to that point, Hepa has hoisted three state championship trophies — again, twice in Alaska and once in Oregon.
With that portion of his career now in the rearview, Hepa and Team USA will compete in Group A against the Dominican Republic, Panama and Puerto Rico in preliminary round play. The team is set to depart for St. Catherines, Canada on June 7.
The FIBA Americas will get underway June 10 and complete on June 16.
Introducing the 2018 USA Men's U18 National Team #USABMU18 pic.twitter.com/hdwl9fgF5l
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) June 5, 2018