When Brooklyn Rewers decided to enter the transfer portal, she spent the first couple of hours praying in her head.
“Pllleeeaasseee,” Rewers said she recalled thinking as she hoped to hear from one school in particular.
Hawaii women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman remembers exactly where she was when she got the news that Rewers had decided to move on from Michigan State.
She was in Bakersfield walking across a street when she realized a formidable post option might be on the way.
“We were talking and I was like, ‘This is the one right here,’” Beeman said. “I was super excited about that and we’re excited about what she can bring to the table. Obviously I know the family well.”
Lauren Rewers, Brooklyn’s older sister, played for Beeman from 2017 to 2020. Brooklyn was a junior in high school in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
She was being recruited by Beeman at the time but ended up at Michigan State, where she spent two seasons.
She played in 30 games and averaged less than five minutes a contest when she decided it was time to find something new.
She felt confident UH would still be interested in her, but never knew for sure until she had that conversation with Beeman.
“I decided that just wasn’t the place for me and I wasn’t getting developed the way I wanted,” Rewers said about transferring. “I was in the portal for about five hours and I was praying. I had a good feeling and I knew (UH) was not a school to hold grudges or anything like that, so I figured if I go back into the portal they would reach out to me, but you just never know.”
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Rewers said as soon as she heard from the school, she knew this was the place for her.
“Even in high school I really always knew this was the place I needed to end up at at some point,” Rewers said. “Hearing all of the good things from my sister and I knew the coaches and it’s such a beautiful place, it was an easy decision.”
That decision is validated with every trip she takes to the beach with her roommate, freshman guard Jade Peacock, who is from Australia.
“Jade is amazing, and we just enjoy the island together,” Rewers said. “The other girls on the team take us to the local spots. We go to the North Shore, eat good food. We go for acai bowls, but nothing crazy.”
At 6 feet 4, Rewers is tied with freshman Vivienne Berrett and sophomore Imani Perez as the tallest players on the team. They give Beeman a real post presence that can be on the floor at all times.
Rewers hasn’t played a ton of basketball since high school, but once she knocks off some of the rust, Beeman says anything is possible.
“Look at her. She looks like a basketball player,” Beeman said. “She’s a great kid. She’s kind of in the same role as Imani. When Brooklyn wants to dominate, she can dominate. We’re just kind of working with her pushing her gently into that direction.”
Rewers admitted the same, saying she’s still getting used to a new team and a new system.
One of her main goals is to develop as a player. Rewers admitted following Hawaii’s teams the last couple of seasons that reached the NCAA Tournament. She’d watch games on television and see the way Beeman coached and wanted to have that be a part of her basketball career.
The wait to play meaningful minutes in meaningful games has seemed long.
“I’m very excited because this is something I’ve been waiting on for a while,” she said. “I’m still getting used to how this system works, but there’s a lot of leadership. Everyone has a role on the team, and it’s not like we’re all competing for that role. We all know what we each individually need to do.”
