No Limits

Gabriel Vega knows resilience.

Even at 6 feet 7 inches, there’s no guarantee that a youngster will be an all-state Fab 15 volleyball player as Vega was last year as a junior — especially when he is a child of divorce.

But Vega’s gone beyond the norm and is still hungry, still adding achievements. After adding a strong senior season in basketball, he is on track to finish high school with a 4-plus grade-point average.

In the brutally efficient ecosystem known as the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, very good teams often fail to meet their goals. ‘Iolani started basketball season with a lineup of mostly inexperienced players, but peaked toward the finish and came within one win of reaching the state tournament. They had defending state champion Kamehameha backed into a corner in a deciding playoff game, but went cold down the stretch.

But Vega moves on. Now it’s volleyball season, and his 38-inch vertical leap becomes even more pronounced as a weapon. ‘Iolani has holes to fill following the graduation of three Fab 15 players in the past two seasons. They’re depending in part on Vega, who took up the game just two years ago.

"I couldn’t put 2 and 2 together to jump and hit at the same time," he recalled.

‘Iolani coach and English teacher Mike Among remembers well. Vega was playing basketball late into the season and the volleyball team was in the midst of tryouts.

"I gave him a lunch-time tryout," said Among, who saw a gem in the rough.

By junior year, Vega had progressed quickly. Teammate Travis Cundiff spliced together a highlight video that Vega sent out, and the word spread about this long, springy kid from Hawaii. After the Junior Olympic tryouts, Hawaii, Harvard, Princeton, UC San Diego, UCLA and USC asked him to make official visits. It didn’t matter that he didn’t make the final JO cut.

"He’s not as polished as some other players, but his upside is unbelievable. When he gets the timing right, he’s like Josh Taylor," Among said, referring to Punahou’s Star-Advertiser All-State player of the year in 2010. "But when it’s off, he can hit it into the block of a 5-7 guy."

Among played at UH and never imagined going away to play the sport. But under his watch, ‘Iolani has churned out some of the nation’s top players.

"He narrowed it down to Stanford, Princeton and Harvard," Among recollected. "He asked for my advice, and I said there’s no wrong answer."

Vega chose to follow cornerstone players — former Raiders Kawika Shoji, Brad Lawson and Scott Sakaida — to Palo Alto.

"It’s a humbling experience to realize how lucky I am," Vega said.

But Vega is already looking beyond his horizons. Visionary thoughts aren’t out of place in the family conversation. His bloodline, from Peru to Kailua and Palolo, guaranteed that.

Luis Vega came to Hawaii from South America as an engineer with a keen interest in renewable energy. One day, swimming at Manoa Valley Recreation Center’s pool, he met Teena Michael, a natural sciences professor from California. Luis, at 6-3, and Teena, at 5-7, passed on good genes; mom has an uncle who was 6-5.

But "Gabo," as his family and friends know him, was just 7 when the couple split up. Now, he stays with mom for two weeks in Palolo, then with dad for two weeks in Kailua. Gabo adapted.

Gabo first tried Little League baseball. Then he came to love soccer. But a growth spurt in seventh grade got him interested in basketball.

Along the way, he was superb in the classroom. A former volleyball coach, Peter Greenwell, noted that some of the finest academic institutions on the continent also happen to have good volleyball programs. He already had remarkable achievement academically, but the drive to get to Stanford increased. Last year, he took AP history. This year, it’s AP courses in physics, English and economics. His cumulative GPA bumped up to 4.17.

"I work hard in school. It’s tough to balance 3 hours of practice and homework," he said.

Tanner Nishioka, also a two-sport standout, is a physics classmate.

"The class is pretty brutal. Gabo picks things up very quickly. He’s good at problem solving," said Nishioka, a junior. "He offers good ideas in class."

Vega’s love for basketball won’t end. He was a runner-up in the ‘Iolani Classic slam dunk contest.

"Of course, I fantasize about playing college basketball, but in college, the seasons overlap. My scholarship is in volleyball," he said.

Lawson, a former all-state player of the year, is a senior outside hitter for the Cardinal. Next season, Vega could be in the lineup, though he’s still learning the game.

"I have a lot of work to put in. A lot of guys have played seven or eight years already," he said.

ONE DAY, an older Gabo Vega may follow in his dad’s footsteps and work in renewable energy. Or venture into medicine. But he envisions life near and far. Maybe there will be pro volleyball in Spain one day, where he could put his Spanish-speaking skills to use. Or he could work with Engineers Without Borders. Perhaps he’ll do both.

"There are a lot of nations where they still don’t have infrastructure for renewable energy," he said, noting that his father has been part of an EWB Fiji project. "It’s tough to change society."

For now, the ILH season is in swing.

"Our team is really, really young, but the attitude and energy is good," he said. "We have some really good components."