HONOLULU – You can never have enough shooting. Former Utah guard Hunter Erickson announced his commitment to the University of Hawai’i on Tuesday, becoming the third transfer member in the Rainbow Warriors’ 2025 recruiting class. The 6-foot-3 shooter averaged 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 70 appearances (2 starts) in two seasons with the Utes, knocking down 55 3-pointers on 34.4% shooting from beyond the arc.
“I think Hawai’i presents a unique opportunity to make an impact somewhere that will matter to an entire state,” Erickson said in an interview with HSRN. “One thing that stuck out was the fact that they’re the only D1 basketball team for the entire state and [with only one year of eligibility left], I feel like I could come in and have an impact that would matter not only to the team but to the entire state.”
The Rainbow Warriors were one of the first programs to reach out to the 6-foot-3 guard after he hit the transfer portal, quickly making Erickson feel wanted with visions of what his impact could be in the islands. Previous connections with assistant coach Gibson Johnson and other transfer commits Tanner Cuff and Isaac Johnson also helped make the decision easier for Erickson as to where he would call home for his final year of college hoops.
The guard spent his final season of 17U AAU as teammates with Isaac Johnson and crossed over with Cuff for one year at the JUCO level.
“I think both are fantastic players, and both are guys that I have some experience with already,” Erickson said of the other two UH commits from the portal. “I think [that familiarity] will be great for getting some early chemistry on the team.”
Erickson was a prolific high school scorer at Timpview, accumulating more than 1,100 career points and averaging over 22 points per game before graduating in 2018 and embarking on a two-year church mission. Afterwards, the guard followed through on his commitment to play basketball for BYU.
After two seasons with the Cougars resulted in a lackluster number of minutes, the Provo native bounced to the junior college level and spent one season with Salt Lake City Community College (SLCC) to re-find the magic. In his lone year with Bruins, Erickson averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists and shot 42.1% from 3-point range across 30 starts, helping lead SLCC to the NJCAA Division I Tournament as they went 29-5 and won the Region 18 and Western District championships.
Erickson provided plenty of memorable moments during his time with Utah, knocking down multiple clutch shots and to go along with some high-flying theatrics. Other highlights from his time with the Utes included a 15-point outing against Hawai’i during the 2023-24 season and a 13-point burst against UC Irvine during the opening round of the NIT later that same year.
“I want to bring a conference championship and NCAA tournament berth back to Hawai’i,” Erickson said of his goals for his lone season with the Rainbow Warriors. “I want to leave a mark that will matter and last a lifetime. I look forward to getting out there!”
The extra eligibility for the Class of 2018 guard comes after the NCAA announced at the end of December that athletes who competed at JUCO, NAIA and other non-NCAA schools and would have exhausted college eligibility after the 2024-25 season have another year to compete.
Erickson is rated as a three-star transfer by EvanMiya.com and joins fellow guards Hunter Carter and Tanner Cuff as additions to the Hawai’i backcourt. Former Utah State center Isaac Johnson also has joined the Rainbow Warriors’ recruiting class after UH graduated five players and saw sophomore forward Akira Jacobs hit the transfer portal, leaving multiple spots to fill for Eran Ganot and staff during the offseason.