AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Men’s Basketball Team will never forget the way the 2019-’20 season ended. Everything was shut down just as they were about to start play in the Big 12 Tournament. 

The Longhorns had a real chance of making the NCAA Tournament.

“It was a feeling of shock, it didn’t feel real at the time,” says Texas forward Kamaka Hepa. 

Hepa and his teammates were taken off the court and never got to return. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down all sports in a matter of hours and that meant no more basketball for the Longhorns.

After the team got back from its last game in Kansas City, most of the players returned to their hometowns for what has now been a very extended break from campus. 

“It didn’t really kick in until I was home and was told I was going to be home for a long time,” says Hepa. 

Being home for this extended period is something Hepa hasn’t been able to do in years.

That’s because he’s from Barrow, Alaska, one of the most remote locations in the United States, and it’s not easy to get there. He took a four-hour flight from Austin to Portland, then another four-hour flight to Anchorage.

He usually has to spend the night in Anchorage because it is so late in the evening when he arrives. From there it is another two-hour flight to his hometown. 

“I don’t get to come home often because of how far I am and what our schedule consists of,” says Hepa. “Just being in a small village, a small town it makes you appreciate certain things, and I’m grateful for that.” 

Barrow is a stark contrast to life in Austin. It is a town of less than 5,000 people and while Austin is dealing with scorching 90 degree weather right now, Barrow is lucky to touch 30 degrees and regularly sees snow on the ground. 

“I’ve been going snowmobiling, riding around on snow machines,” Hepa says. “I’ve been going snowboarding, just trying to do things I did as a child.” 

Outside of his recreational time in the snow, Hepa has been keeping up with his schoolwork and working. He recently started an internship program to become an EMT. He says he’s inspired by his grandfather who was the first fire chief in Barrow. 

“As college athletes we spend a lot of time focusing on our craft, but now in these tough times we’re in, it’s important to grow outside of basketball as well,” Hepa says. 

He hasn’t forgotten about basketball though. Hepa says the gyms there just opened back up in a limited capacity and it was the first time he’s been able to practice in a couple of months. 

“It’s definitely something I miss and something I’m not going to take for granted ever again because of the situation we’re in now,” Hepa says.​