Jondi Das of Kapa‘a High School is headed to Portland, Ore. in the fall to play basketball for the Knights of Warner Pacific College. Jondi, 18, was a four-year basketball player at Kapa‘a, playing varsity the last three years. She
Jondi Das of Kapa‘a High School is headed to Portland, Ore. in the fall to play basketball for the Knights of Warner Pacific College.
Jondi, 18, was a four-year basketball player at Kapa‘a, playing varsity the last three years. She became aware of Warner Pacific at a college fair and felt that the school and location both seemed like good fits for her personality.
“It’s also a Christian college, so that should keep me out of trouble,” she said.
Warner Pacific is an NAIA Division II school and competes in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The basketball team is on the rise and improved from a 6-win season two years ago to a 15-15 record last season and a fifth place conference finish.
The Das family made a visit to her new school and Jondi got to practice with the team. Her father, John, was not too optimistic after watching her get off to a tough start.
“She could barely breathe after five minutes out there,” he said.
However, she impressed the coaching staff enough that they offered her a partial scholarship and a chance to become a key component of their future plans.
Standing 5’9” tall, Jondi has always played in the frontcourt but will likely have to improve her versatility to perform at the next level.
“(Jondi) rebounds well for her height and scores real well around the basket,” said Knights head coach Matt Gregg. “We welcome Jondi to our basketball family with open arms.”
“I was stoked,” she said after finding out Coach Gregg made the offer. “Definitely better something than nothing.”
The scholarship, combined with the campus attitude and the way she felt the coaching staff treated her made Jondi’s decision seem obvious.
She also considered Umpqua Junior College in Rosewood, Ore., but even for a small-town girl from Wailua who attended small Kapa‘a High School, Rosewood was too small-town for her.
“No shopping mall. I would lose my mind.”
Jondi will be the first Kaua‘i student to ever enroll at Warner Pacific. Additionally, she is the first generation from either side of her family to attend college.
Jondi’s father and mother, Kerri, have both impressed upon her that her title is student-athlete and that “student” certainly comes first. She has done well with academics to this point, earning a 3.5 GPA at Kapa‘a.
“Right now I want to study business or something in the medical field,” she said.
In addition to her basketball abilities, Jondi played four years of volleyball and hopes to play next season at Warner Pacific if she is redshirted in basketball.
Jondi has also discovered that her love of food won’t have to suffer by heading to the mainland. She has already located a spot near campus called the Kaua‘i Inn where she can get all her favorite flavors.
The family believes
that the success Jondi
has achieved must be
shared by many others
who have guided her along her path.
“It really takes the community to raise our children,” said Kerri.
That ‘ohana spirit should head to Portland with Jondi, as her mother stated that she has always been the “mother hen” and motivator among her teammates.
“I just want to thank God for everything and for putting me on this planet,” she said.
