Thoughts turning toward home
Hawaiian players get support from team after deadly wildfire roars through Maui
The ties between Las Vegas and Hawaii are strong, and that is evident in the UNLV football program. Players of Hawaiian descent dot the UNLV roster every season, and the annual matchup between UNLV and the Rainbow Warriors has been dubbed the Ninth Island Showdown. It’s a rivalry built on familiarity, frequent showstopping finishes, and respect.
So when wildfires broke out last week on the island of Maui, eventually consuming nearly 3,000 acres of land and resulting in a death toll that has so far topped 100, the news hit the team hard.
While Hawaii mourns amid the deadliest natural disaster in state history, the ripple effects are also being felt 2,700 miles away Southern Nevada. Four players on this year’s UNLV roster are natives of Hawaii, and several others have roots on the islands, whether it’s family, friends or former teammates.
Linebacker Blesyng Alualu-tuiolemotu has been away from home for a short while — a true freshman, he arrived on the UNLV campus in January — but he said a quick bond formed between the team’s Hawaiian contingent.
“We’re all close, all the Polys,” Alualu-tuiolemotu said. “We get together, we do stuff together. In high school, two of my coaches went to UNLV. My little brother,
Kela Moore, committed here. The Hawaii-vegas connection is real.”
Alualu-tuiolemotu said UNLV’S coaching staff has been in communication with the team’s Hawaiian players throughout the ordeal, checking in on their mental well-being and asking after their families.
UNLV first-year coach Barry Odom also reached out to the Hawaii program to offer support.
“Because of the connection between Vegas and Hawaii, we have a number of folks that either have family or friends that are dealing with that situation,” Odom said. “I texted with coach Timmy Chang at Hawaii. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
“Obviously, they’re going to be affected in a great deal with their roster. Awful tragedy. My thoughts and our prayers as a team and a program and an athletic department are with Hawaii.”
Alualu-tuiolemotu was born and raised on the island of Oahu and played at James Campbell High School in Ewa Beach. Most of his family is in Oahu as well, but his father has a cousin who makes his home in Maui. Fortunately, the family received word that he was able to escape the fires and is safe.
Alualu-tuiolemotu last visited Hawaii a month ago, before UNLV opened camp. Now, with practices nearly every day and the 2023 season fast approaching, he and his Hawaiian teammates are faced with the difficult task of compartmentalizing what’s going on in their home state and focusing on football.
“After what happened in Maui, you just want to see your family and make sure everybody is OK,” Alualu-tuiolemotu said. “But I know my family would want me to stay and continue to work hard, so that’s what I’m going to do. And then definitely right after the season I’m going to go home and check on everybody.”
Alualu-tuiolemotu said his family has encouraged him to keep playing.
“We’re taking it one day at a time,” Alualu-tuiolemotu said. “I can’t pretend it’s not going on, but I’m handling it OK. They wouldn’t want me to stop.”
The other UNLV players of Hawaiian descent are junior quarterback Cameron Friel, who hails from Kahalu’u on Oahu, and sophomore defensive back Rashod Tanner, who is from Waipahu, also on Oahu. Freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava played for Liberty High School in Las Vegas but was born and raised in Honolulu.
UNLV is scheduled to host Hawaii on Sept. 30 at Allegiant Stadium.
Though the tragedy in Hawaii is still unfolding, Alualu-tuiolemotu is hopeful that the islands will pull together and recover, even stronger than before.
“One thing about Hawaii, if something happens, everybody comes together and shows their love and support,” he said. “Everybody is working together; we’ve just got to build it back. We’ll build back our island.”
“One thing about Hawaii, if something happens, everybody comes together and shows their love and support . ... We’ll build back our island.”
Blesyng Alualu-tuiolemotu, UNLV freshman linebacker and native of Hawaii speaking about the deadly wildfire that killed more than 100 people on Maui