Punahou’s Fey to play for UH men’s volleyball

One of the top players on the state’s top high school volleyball team has decided to attend the University of Hawaii next year.

Outside hitter Kupono Fey of 2012 state champion Punahou School made an oral commitment to the Warriors. He will sign a scholarship agreement in April, the next signing period for high school seniors.

Fey, who is 6 feet 5 and 185 pounds, was named to the 2012 HHSAA All-Tournament team this past spring.

He competed for the USA Boys Youth National team this past summer.

"Kupono has a world of potential that he is still working on tapping," Punahou coach Rick Tune said. "He’s big. He’s physical. He’s a great coachable kid. I think that’s his strongest point."

Fey’s late grandfather, Harry "Clown" Kahuanui, was the first UH football player to participate in an all-star college football game. Kahuanui is a member of UH’s Circle of Honor.

Fey’s mother, Shelley Fey, is a former head coach of Punahou’s girls basketball team. She now is chairman of Punahou’s physical education department.

"Kupono has great bloodline," Tune said, "and he has really good skills. He needs to polish it up a little bit, but I think he got better playing with Team USA last summer. He got a lot of experience there at a real high level."

Fey received offers from Pepperdine, UC Santa Barbara and Lewis.

"Hawaii is the best place for me," Fey said. "I like the (UH) coaches. I think I fit in well with the program. The school seems to fit me as well. This is where I want to go to college. Hawaii is a great place to live and play."

Tune said Fey has worked extensively on improving his passing.

"Some guys get into a rut because they don’t want to try something new because they might take a step backward initially," Tune said. "That’s not Kupono. Kupono will try it even if it means taking a step backward if it will help him. He’ll keep working on it. That’s what you want to see."

Tune said there are parts of Fey’s game comparable to Spencer McLachlin’s skills. McLachlin is a former Punahou player who went on to a successful career at Stanford.

"Kupono is smooth like Spencer," Tune said. "He’s not ultra dynamic. He’s not going to jump 40 inches or crush the ball straight down. But he’s smooth and he’s steady. In that way, he reminds me of Spencer. It looks kind of effortless when he does things."