Hawaii men’s basketball team secures commitment from 3-point shooter

The University of Hawaii men’s basketball team today secured a written commitment from a long-distnce scorer.

Chance Trujillo, who played the past season at Utah Tech, confirmed he signed a contract with UH and will join the Rainbow Warriors in June. Trujillo will have two seasons of UH eligibility.

“I’m excited to get to work with them,” Trujillo told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “I think we can form some chemistry and have a lot of synergy throughout the season.”

Trujillo, who is 6 feet 4 and 210 pounds, played point guard, off guard and wing for Utah Tech. At any position, he is expected to be 3-point-shooting threat. This past season, Trujillo averaged 12.3 points. He tied a UVU record with 73 made 3-point shots, connecting on 35.3% from behind the arc. In the last six games, he averaged 18 points.

“I attribute (deep shooting) to my high school coach,” said Trujillo, who grew up in Kaysville, Utah. “He always said shooting is mainly confidence. You have to put the time in the gym, step up, shoot it with confidence and watch it go through. Don’t overthink it. I believe shooting is a lot more confidence than mechanics. You’ve seen some pretty ugly jump shots. But they go in if you’ve got confidence.”

Trujillo said Isaac Finlinson, who played for the ’Bows this past season, strongly endorsed the UH basketball program. Finlinson, who entered the portal last month, and Trujillo were teammates at Snow College two years ago. Utah Tech also played in the 2025 Rainbow Classic the past November.

“I loved the environment,” Trujillo said of playing three games in Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. “I definitely could feel the community’s love and support there. It was cool to be in the arena.”

He also praised UH’s coaching staff.

“I feel the coaching staff knows how to run a program,” Trujillo said. “They just won the Big West, and made it to March Madness. That alone speaks to their credibility. I was really attracted to the way they recruited me. The second the transfer portal opened, I got a text from (assistant) Coach (Gibson) Johnson: ‘We’re interested in recruiting you.’ It was midnight. I’m in bed. I wake up to that text. I was like, ‘shoot.’”

Trujillo plays the piano and enjoys wake-boarding. He tried surfing during the Rainbow Classic trip.

“Water sports intrigues me,” he said. “Living in Hawaii, you’ve got to surf, right?”

Trujillo also is a diehard fan of the New York Yankees. At Utah Tech, he wore No. 2, Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter’s number.

“Derek Jeter’s my captain, that’s my idol,” Trujillo said. “My dad’s a big Yankees fan. I grew up watching the game. I remember watching (Jeter). I liked his leadership and the way he carried himself. I want to be that guy someday. … I grew up playing baseball, basketball and football. I always wore No. 2 if it was available.”

Hunter Carter, who wore UH’s No. 2 the past season, entered the transfer portal earlier this month.