Kamehameha-Hawaii outside hitter Evan Enriques isn’t afraid to dream big, even if it means shedding a few tears.

“When he was little, if he didn’t succeed he’d cry,” said father and high school volleyball coach Guy Enriques. “You know, if he missed a serve he’d cry. Once he got over the crying thing it was OK, but that’s how bad he wanted things. He wanted to do well. As long as I can remember, he was just a perfectionist.”

It’s that type of mentality that propelled a Punaluu prodigy into one of the top-12 high school volleyball players in the nation.

Last summer, the 6-foot-2 Enriques made the roster for the U.S. Boys Youth National Team that competed in the FIVB U19 World Championships. Enriques flew to Oahu for a tryout and earned a spot as an outside hitter/libero, along with Ka Ulukoa teammate Larry Tuileta, who is headed to Southern Cal this year.

Enriques flew to Colorado Springs, Colo., to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for two weeks, before heading to Tijuana and Mexicali for the international tournament. Although the U.S. finished 16th out of 20 teams, Enriques has no regrets with his decision.

“It was unreal. You would never see that level of play over here, maybe anywhere in the U.S.,” he said. “All the other teams — China, Belgium, Russia — they’re year-round. I think if you want to take your game to the next level after high school and after college, that’s the kind of level you need to be at.”

His parents know a thing or two about playing at the next level.

Enriques’ mother was a standout volleyball player at Oregon State and his father played basketball at Hawaii Hilo. The Enriques clan was practically born and raised in the gym, whether it was at their father’s annual summer volleyball camps in California or the Konawaena High School gym, where Guy Enriques previously coached.

“It’s kind of been instilled in me from a young age that you gotta be successful academically and athletically to have the life that you want,” Evan Enriques said. “So in order to live the life that I want, have the career that I want, to have the house and family that I want, I’ve kind of taken it into perspective that you have to work hard in order to set yourself up for opportunities.”

One of those opportunities arose when Ka Ulukoa faced South Side in the 12-and-under Haili Tournament championship six years ago. That’s when Enriques left his father’s South Side team to play with the elite Oahu club.  

“It was the best thing for him ’cause I can’t help him go to the next level and try to take care of my other kids at the same time,” Enriques’ father said. “He needed to be surrounded by better players. So we’re very fortunate that Ka Ulukoa opened the doors to him. That’s his second family.”

When Enriques travels to Oahu to practice with the team, he stays with club coach Pono Ma‘a, who has coached the team to six national championships.

“I think the best thing that (Ma‘a) does is focus on every aspect of the game,” Enriques said. “When you think logically and focus one step at a time, you find some pretty good success.”

Enriques manages to balance his focus on school, carrying a 4.04 GPA, and also finding the time to coordinate his senior legacy project. The 18-year-old is organizing a four-man grass volleyball tournament in mid-April to raise funds for Shriners Hospital.

“(Shriners) helped my younger twin brothers who had genu varum,” Enriques explained. “It’s bow-leggedness, so they helped them when they were really small and it took two years, but they straightened out their legs pretty good.”

Those twins, Avery and Addie, are now freshman setters for Kamehameha-Hawaii, along with brother Emmett, who is Evan’s opposite outside hitter.

If his 2012 stats are any indicator, Enriques is the engine, oil and wheels of this Warriors team.

As a sophomore, he was fearless against ILH powerhouse Punahou in the Division I state championship. The outside hitter finished with a mind-boggling 42 kills and 12 digs in the five-set thriller. Even though Kamehameha-Hawaii ended up losing that match, Enriques earned most outstanding player honors for his performance.

Kamehameha-Hawaii placed fifth in last year’s state tournament, and the team is eager to hang the school’s first Division I state championship banner inside its gym.

“I think this is one of the first seasons we play more games off island than we are on island,” Enriques said at the Hawaii Boys Volleyball Invitational at ‘Iolani on Friday.

The Warriors placed third in that tourney, coming off a huge win at the La Jolla BCI Tournament a few weeks ago in California. The road trip was a welcome break from seeing the same teams over and over in the BIIF.

“I don’t want to say it’s a disadvantage, but it doesn’t really help us a lot,” Enriques said. “You can’t really get a good game, day in and day out, so that’s one of the other reasons why we come up to these tournaments. I think the more opportunities we get to play is better for the team in general.”

Enriques will continue his volleyball career at Stanford, competing for the libero spot. UCLA, USC and Hawaii recruited him as an outside hitter, his ideal position, but the Cardinal offered the ­most financial aid.

“USC, UCLA and UH have really good volleyball programs and (are) really good schools overall, but I think the best thing for me and my family, especially with the three brothers coming up, would be trying to get as much money as I can. It’s definitely not a bad choice, so I’m pretty stoked on it.”

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CORRECTION: The headline on his story should read "The Punaluu prodigy." The headline on an earlier version of this story said, "The Punahou prodigy"