First, she was a master creator of what might be the finest dessert on campus.

It’s in demand enough that Kaya Gabriel-Medeiros makes a big batch of banana pudding the night before each of Kapolei’s water polo matches.

“She makes banana pudding for the whole team and we eat it after every match,” coach Dexter Lee said.

As one of many schools that does not have a pool on campus, that means pudding time has been a road show. Most games are at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Waipio, with a few at Kaimuki High School.

“What’s special about this team, we’re playing against teams whose players have been playing for years, and some have their own pools,” Lee said.

Kapolei practices at the nearby Kroc Center. For Gabriel-Medeiros, the OIA’s leading scorer, life is good. Kapolei (9-2) heads into the playoffs with one of its best regular-season runs ever. It has been a unique rise to prominence for Gabriel-Medeiros. Back when the restrictions of the pandemic were lifted and students returned to school, Gabriel-Medeiros became a competitive swimmer for the first time.

“The thing that I hate most is swimming,” she said.

Then a sophomore, she had no other sport to pursue. She had left gymnastics and soccer behind long before high school. After swim season, she followed some teammates to water polo in the spring of 2022. Lee is a longtime coach for both sports.

“She needed a lot of work. These kids didn’t have a freshman year (in 2020-21) because of COVID. The pools were all closed, so she started from scratch,” he recalled. “She came on late in the year. She started to get her groove. I think it was the Mililani (playoff game), we were down by four and she scored four (goals) in a row.”

Mililani regained the lead.

“We had the ball in the last 30 seconds and could’ve tied the game. That loss lit a fire over the summer. My core group trained in the summer, and swam again,” Lee said.

“After that game, I really wanted to get better at it. I did camp at Pepperdine for a week. I joined Oahu Water Polo Club. I tried out for Junior Olympics and I made (the Hawaii team). I also did Honolulu Water Polo Club. I was doing swimming over the summer,” Gabriel-Medeiros said.

Since scoring 10 points as a first-time water polo player last year, Gabriel-Medeiros has rocketed into view. With three goals in a loss to powerhouse Kahuku on Saturday, the junior completed the OIA regular season with a league-leading 41 goals.

“I’ve had some really good kids. I’ve been lucky,” said Lee, who has been coach since the school began its water polo program in 2004. “(Current assistant coach) Nicole Hagi was one of them. Alexandra Jamora. Summer Reyes. Tiala Wentz, Ashlie Salas-Salem. Kaya ranks up there. She’s the only player I’ve had who won a scoring title.”

As an in-house rule, Lee won’t waste valuable time for his players.

“Kaya’s scores are against Kaiser, Roosevelt, Mililani. The winning teams. Any good player on the strong teams can get 10 goals or more on the (weaker) teams.,” Lee said. “We don’t run it up against teams. We try not to. We don’t want to stop the game and make it go long. We had a bunch of beginners who play in those situations.”

At 5 feet, 3 inches, Gabriel-Medeiros is living proof that size does not directly correlate into success in water polo. She has time to continue developing.

“A big part of Division I college water polo is you’ve got to swim fast. She’s almost there. Hopefully, she has a good swim season (during the offseason). She does all the things she needs to, taking AP classes. She’s been to a couple of the mainland water polo tournaments where they recruit,” Lee added.

“I’m interested in animals, so I thought I wanted to become a veterinarian, but I’m thinking about physical therapy. I do know I want to play water polo in college,” said Gabriel-Medeiros, who has a 3.4 grade-point average.

Gabriel-Medeiros’ transformation from absolute scratch swimmer to prolific goal scorer in 18 months has plenty to do with a rigorous offseason preparation.

“My father (MMA fighter Yancy Medeiros) has been really pushing me to get in the weight room more. Last year, he was getting me training with him at Tactical Strength,” Gabriel-Medeiros said.

Even now, swimming is still one of her least-favorite activities. She did not qualify for the state championships, but it didn’t matter.

“Competitive swimming is really boring for me, but I do it for water polo,” she said.

The shot clock. The physical confrontations on every possession. The grit. She thrives on all of it. At every game, her grandparents are usually there; her mom, Jozelle Gabriel; and her dad, too.

Medeiros would not miss a moment for the world.

“I’m proud that she can make her own commitments, and can stay disciplined and passionate with the responsibilities she has,” he said. “Kaya has two report cards: her grades and her health. It is her responsibility to keep those up, and our job as her parents to keep her accountable.”

Being the daughter of a pro athlete has been a big plus.

“My dad tells me that over the summer I learned so many attributes. My speed. My endurance. Cardio,” she said. “He is really sweet. He lets me do what I want to do. He’s willing to help me achieve that goal.”

That dream includes playing water polo in college. Yancy Medeiros, a professional mixed martial arts fighter, never tried to sway his daughter into any specific sport.

“It’s really funny because my dad would be, ‘She’s tough, but she won’t do the thing that might get her nose broken.’ I’m not a big fan of watching his fights. I don’t want to see him get punched in the face,” she said.

What always happens is devotion.

“My family is so supportive at my games. I love them so much. My dad’s there. He is busy, but he finds time for me,” she said.

They are the foundation that keeps Gabriel-Medeiros centered. When she’s not with her mom or dad, she’s with grandparents of either side. It was an auntie who opened a world of wonder to young Kaya.

“When I was growing up, my auntie Jasmine (Gabriel) was really into baking. I would go into the kitchen and start helping. It was kind of cool. My family was always in the kitchen,” she said. “The banana pudding came from a really good recipe.”

The key, she says, is the type of banana.

“I use apple bananas right when they’re a little overripe. I added some vanilla extract. Sometimes I add salt, but only if it’s too sweet,” Gabriel-Medeiros said. “I usually make it the night before. It needs to stay overnight in the fridge.”

Win or lose, it is banana pudding for all teammates. Kapolei is on track to reach the state tourney, but the route become more difficult when Tatum Pascua suffered a season-ending injury during a mishap at Makapuu.

“We’re thankful it wasn’t worse than it was,” Gabriel-Medeiros said.

Pascua’s savvy and skill in the 2-meter area — akin to a low-post playmaker in basketball — are impossible to replace entirely.

Tatum was having a really good year,” Lee said. “She was just coming on, too. The Kaya-Tatum combination was pretty good.”

Gabriel-Medeiros agreed.

“It was very comfortable playing with her. Tatum was really quick with passing and shooting the ball. She’s a strong player, so I was comfortable knowing she could hold her own. She was a set player and a really good team player,” Gabriel-Medeiros said. “Losing her is kind of hard on the team and the way we played. It was a little off with her gone, but it’s getting better.”

The league’s top teams don’t hold back, swarming Kapolei’s best scorer.

“It was tight up until halftime (against Kahuku),” Lee said. “They brought everyone on Kaya. They dropped on her.”

Kapolei’s success in the postseason will depend on some younger, less experienced players.

“I remember during the game I was getting frustrated, not doing as good as I could be doing. We weren’t communicating too good,” Gabriel-Medeiros said. “I have a lot of confidence in my team that we can make states this year. We’ve been working so hard in the offseason, so much effort, getting so much better. We know that we’re ready.”

Success hasn’t changed Gabriel-Medeiros, at least since Holly LeDoux has known her.

“It’s funny because I met Kaya in elementary school and thought we would never be friends because of how outgoing she was. Fast-forward to sophomore year after not seeing her for years and I end up doing swim team with her. She just made me feel like we had been friends for years and her bubbly personality grew on me a lot. Ever since, we’ve had a really tight friendship,” LeDoux said.

“Kaya always makes people know how much she loves and cares for them. I think a lot of people naturally gravitate to her because of how caring she is with everyone. She always remembers the small things with people. She helps me to be a more positive person and player. I’m really grateful for her.”

KAYA GABRIEL-MEDEIROS

Kapolei water polo • Junior

>> Top 3 movies/shows: 1. “John Wick” movie series; 2. “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie series; 3. “A Walk to Remember.” “ ‘A Walk to Remember’ is my grandma (Michelle Gabriel)’s favorite movie. I’m not a big fan of romance, but l like this one.”

>> Top 3 food/snacks/drinks: 1. Pad Thai noodles (Thai Lao, Kapolei); 2. Vegetarian pho (Pho One or Pho & Co., Kapolei); 3. Sushi

>> Top 3 homemade foods: 1. Sinigang by grandma (Michelle Gabriel); 2. Banana pudding; 3. Kim chi fried rice

>> Top 3 music artists (and your favorite song by each): 1. Queen; 2. Bruno Mars (“Young Girls”); 3. Elton John (“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”).

>> Favorite class: Creative writing, freshman year “It was online and I could write anything I wanted to write for it.”

>> Favorite teacher: Mrs. (Nicole) Hagi “She’s my health teacher. She’s also our assistant coach.”

>> Favorite athlete/team: Neymar / US water polo Olympic team.

>> Funniest teammate: Venezuela Lino “She always does the most random things at the most random times. … We’ll be in the pool, and she’ll dive in from the other side when we’re not looking, and she’ll swim underwater and grab our feet. That takes dedication.”

>> Smartest teammate: Maya Engel

>> GPA: 3.4

>> Time machine: “I would go back in time to watch a Queen concert.”

>> Hidden talent: “I can do a water drop sound. You just tap your cheek. My dad (Yancy Medeiros) taught me. I only learned it a year ago. He can do it without even touching his face.”

>> New life skill: “I recently learned how to do CPR. I can go get certified. One of our seniors taught everyone in our health class.”

>> Bucket list: “I would want to go watch the World Cup in person. And see the Olympics, preferably water polo. Watching Neymar play soccer.”

>> Shoutouts: “My mom (Jozelle Gabriel), my teammates for sure. I’m OIA’s top scorer, but I definitely would not be there without them. All of my coaches that I’ve had over the summer, my current coaches right now. My family. They’re almost always there. I’ve never had a game and nobody was there for me. If I had games on the mainland, my mom would come and support me.”