Wade, who continued to grow physically throughout his high school career, is now listed at 6 feet 10. He was widely considered to be one of the top boys volleyball recruits in his national class.
“I’ve been sitting in those (Stan Sheriff Center) stands for about 15 years now,” Wade told KHON. “So to be able to be on the court or on the bench, just to support my team in any way possible, it’s going to be a surreal experience for me.”
Wade and the Warriors from Kapalama broke through in May for a state championship, snapping Punahou’s streak of 10 in a row. Wade, who tallied 34 kills and 11 digs in his final high school game, announced in June 2023 that he was committed to UH.
He joins a stacked incoming signing class that now totals 10 players, including eight freshmen.
Roman Payne, a 7-foot middle blocker from Carlsbad (Calif.) High, also signed on Wednesday, but he is not graduating early and will join UH in 2026.
“We are very excited about our 2025 recruiting class,” Charlie Wade said in a UH release. “Roman and Kainoa are clearly two of the best players in the country and will both have great careers with us. Both are excellent students and outstanding young men of character.
“The 2025 class is made even more special because it includes my middle son Kainoa who I have coached for years. I have seen him become one of the best players in Hawaii high school history after a really special career culminating in last year’s state championship. I know both Roman and Kainoa are looking forward to representing Hawaii and we are looking forward to seeing them grow and develop throughout their careers.”
Kamehameha’s other prominent signees included baseball players Greyson Osbun (Nevada), Kainoa Kaneshiro (Nevada) and Elai Iwanaga (UCLA), and girls soccer players Madison Sharrer (Colorado), Shanti Ng (San Francisco) and Nalei Shannon (Air Force
