This was prophesied by his older brother, Evan.
When Cameron Porter sat patiently on the bench as a freshman on Punahou’s state-championship team of 2023, it was Evan who predicted greatness and goodness for his younger brother.
“Watch out for this guy. This is my brother. He’s going to do great things,” Evan said after Punahou won the ILH title in ’23 in Hemmeter Fieldhouse.
He was right. Cameron Porter, now a 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter, was voted Honolulu Star-Advertiser Boys Volleyball All-State Player of the Year by a panel of coaches and media. The balloting wasn’t a landslide, but a clear and decisive margin for Porter over elite players Malu Wilcox of Moanalua, Punahou teammate Tanoa Scanlan, Conor Williams of Kamehameha and Koa Laboy of University.
“Growing up with Evan, playing a lot with him, he knew how good I was. Even though we had a lot of good players on the (2023) team and I wasn’t playing a lot, he knew when they left I was going to step into the role, do my best, work hard in the offseason and play my role this year,” Porter said.
He had 11 kills, two aces and a block in Punahou’s state quarterfinal sweep of Konawaena. In a semifinal sweep of OIA champion Moanalua, Porter had 12 kills, two assists, one ace and eight digs. In a four-set win over Kamehameha for the state title, Porter had 17 kills, two aces, nine digs and one block.
“He’s just a humble kid who is very confident. He knows he’s a highly skilled player. He’s been raised the right way by two very good parents, just like Evan before him,” Punahou coach Rick Tune said. “He and Tanoa are special in different ways, and impact the game differently. Cameron has back-row defense, hits the big, pass nails, be a steady side-out option with the serve to really impact the game. He’s a classic P-2 (pin two) outside hitter, the glue guy who does everything steady.”
“I feel great. I feel honored to receive this award,” Cameron Porter said. “There’s a lot of really good players this year. I’m happy to be one of them. I did the best I could and I’m happy to receive some recognition for it as well.”
The final voting of players in the Fab 15 had a wider spectrum than usual. It included two BIIF players without a selection from Kamehameha-Hawaii. It also included Division II standouts from OIA West programs.
Porter is a quintessential, classic island volleyball player, practically positionless and fluid, masterful at any position.
“One of the things I appreciate about Cameron is his passion for learning. He’s always a student of the game,” Tune said. “He made the biggest strides in the area of leadership. He’s learning what it takes not only to be a leader in on-court action, but how to steer the ship. Lead by example.”
Tune was voted Coach of the Year. Kenny Houpo of Maui, Melanie Toloumu of Radford, Sava Agpoon of Kamehameha and Adam Tuifagu of Hilo also received votes. Tune guided a young team to Punahou’s 40th state crown — 13 under his watch as head coach.
“What I love about the coaching is every year is a Rubik’s Cube that you have to solve. Each team has different strengths and weaknesses. Every opponent we play, there’s a tweaking of the system. The process is where the fun is, getting in the gym every day,” Tune said. “It’s really cool to see them learn what all in is, and what the best level of what you can be is.”
Punahou will return most of its roster next season. Porter plays for Outrigger Canoe Club 17s, which recently returned from a mainland tournament.
Porter’s dream is to play at the next level.
“It’s different for everyone. For me, being an undersized outside (hitter) going to college, it’s going to be an increased physicality,” he said. “I do plyometrics all the time. A combination of playing volleyball a lot, jumping a lot definitely helps you, but what’s really, really good is if you start building yourself a base for your posterior chain. Get some lifting going.”
