By: Kennedy Choo
JJ Mandaquit
6’1” PG
University of Washington
Hilo, Hawai‘i
After touching down at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, four-star point guard JJ Mandaquit was met by a familiar face: first-year University of Washington Head Coach Danny Sprinkle. Mandaquit had known Sprinkle since he was 15 years old.
Just a month earlier, Mandaquit had visited the Louisville Cardinals, and he was set to travel to Los Angeles to visit the University of Southern California and to Provo, Utah, to visit Brigham Young University in the following weeks.
“Relationships are a huge thing for me,” said Mandaquit, who would verbally commit to Sprinkle and the Huskies a month later. “When someone believes in you, it makes a world of difference.”
“Recruiting him was easy,” said Coach Danny Sprinkle. “I had watched every AAU game he played and all his high school games. I wanted him to know that as a head coach, I see him as a cornerstone of this program for years to come. You need a good point guard to win—especially in the Big Ten.”
But before he could become a cornerstone for Washington, JJ wasn’t the only Mandaquit committing to a new journey. The family had already been through quite a ride to get to this point.
Born in Hilo, Hawai‘i, JJ is the son of former 2000 Hawai‘i Player of the Year and state champion Jason Mandaquit Sr., who starred at Hilo High School.
JJ grew up in the gym, where his father was coaching at his alma mater.
“He’s always had a love for it,” said Mandaquit Sr.
But Mandaquit Sr. knew the Big Island stage wasn’t big enough and wanted his kids to set their sights higher.
“That was something we talked about when they were in elementary school,” said Jason Sr. “For me and my wife, our biggest thing was wanting our kids to go to college and earn a degree.”
The original plan was to move to O‘ahu for high school, but the move came earlier—during middle school—thanks to JJ’s sister, Jaety.
Jaety, who now plays soccer and basketball at Sacramento State, had been competing for a soccer club on O‘ahu, with the family constantly traveling back and forth from Hilo to watch her play. When she was about to enter high school, the family decided to move to O‘ahu earlier than planned to stay together.
JJ applied to ‘Iolani School, a perennial Hawai‘i basketball powerhouse, where both siblings were accepted. After enrolling in the sixth grade, JJ quickly made his mark in the program. By his freshman year in 2021, he was the starting point guard—turning heads when he went toe-to-toe with current Los Angeles Laker Bronny James in a preseason tournament. Later, Mandaquit earned First Team All-State honors after averaging 15.2 points per game.
Following his standout freshman season, Mandaquit began drawing interest from several prep schools on the mainland, with academies across the country offering him a spot.
In the summer of 2022, the Mandaquits packed their bags once again—this time for Salt Lake City—where JJ would attend Real Salt Lake Academy, later renamed Utah Prep.
“It checked the most boxes for us,” said Mandaquit Sr. “They had a national basketball program, and their coach played and coached at BYU–Hawai‘i.” With that experience, then–head coach Justin Yamzon understood the culture and family values they came from.
“That was a hard decision,” said JJ. “But we felt it was necessary as a family. My parents and I knew from a young age what my dreams and aspirations were—to play Division I basketball and eventually reach the NBA. Unfortunately, there’s not enough opportunity in Hawai‘i.”
For many rising island basketball talents, getting to the next level often means leaving the islands. Former Maryknoll School star forward Justice Sueing left Hawai‘i after his sophomore year to play at Mater Dei High School in California, later competing at Cal Berkeley and Ohio State. Former Maryknoll guard Marcus Shaver moved to Arizona to finish his prep career at Shadow Mountain High School before continuing on to the University of Portland and Boise State.
“There’s not enough exposure back in Hawai‘i—there’s not enough competition or resources to push you to this level,” JJ said.
At Utah Prep, Mandaquit quickly established himself as one of the top point guards in the country, rising to a four-star prospect: the 60th-best player in the class of 2025 and the sixth-best point guard, according to recruiting site On3. He led Utah Prep to a 19–7 record on the national circuit while averaging 8.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game, finishing as the 23rd-ranked team in the country.
Mandaquit enrolled early at UW, jumping headfirst into spring workouts and solidifying his role as the team’s primary point guard under Sprinkle.
“He’s been tremendous—especially with so many older guys,” said Sprinkle.
For the upcoming season, Sprinkle brought in seven new transfers, each with two or more years of college experience. The Huskies’ transfer class was ranked third in the nation, according to On3.
Mandaquit takes it all in stride and is grateful for the opportunity to represent Hawai‘i at the next level.
“It’s the biggest blessing,” said JJ. “This is what I’ve worked so hard for and sacrificed my whole life. This is just the first step—it feels like home.”
And it appears Mandaquit is settling in just fine. In two regular-season games in Seattle, he’s averaging 7.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game, helping Washington start 2–0 with wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Denver.
In his first nationally televised game against Baylor, Mandaquit finished with 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in the Huskies’ 78–69 loss.
With JJ’s collegiate journey just beginning, the Mandaquits hope to see more Hawai‘i hoopers reach the next level—perhaps without having to relocate as much as they did.
“When we moved from Hilo, I told my kids that hopefully we can pave a path for kids from Hilo and the Big Island to come to O‘ahu to play,” said Mandaquit Sr. “That’s always been our mindset.”
“Hawai‘i has had success in sports—we’ve produced pros in football and baseball,” continued Mandaquit Sr. “But we haven’t yet had someone in basketball break through to the NBA. That’s JJ’s ultimate goal. We’ve always preached to him that it’s bigger than himself.”
With that responsibility, JJ has stepped up. As a member of the Junior NBA’s Court of Leaders, he hosted a basketball camp in his hometown of Hilo in 2024 and is working to launch a Junior NBA youth basketball league on the Big Island to give local players more exposure.
“Find your reason, dream big,” JJ said when asked for advice for young Hawai‘i hoopers. “You just gotta keep going. If you treat the game the right way, it’ll treat you the right way back.”