Haliburton-Goeas Will Play For Sea Warriors Come Fall
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usSometimes where you are is where you belong.
Kapolei resident Tre Haliburton-Goeas was sold long ago on attending college and playing baseball on the Mainland, but the senior at Saint Louis found that the urge to stay close to home was stronger than he expected,and he has committed to attend Hawaii Pacific University on a baseball scholarship during the NCAA’s early-signing period.
“It’s going to be a good experience for me,” said Haliburton-Goeas, a short-stop/pitcher.“God has a plan for me - he has a plan for everybody - and mine is to go to HPU.”
Haliburton-Goeas’s commitment to HPU ended a whirlwind recruitment,which picked up momentum after he had an impressive showing with Team Hawaii at the Arizona Fall Classic. Team Hawaii is an all-star baseball team coached by Ewa resident Duane Eldredge, which travels to the Mainland every fall. The exposure players receive from playing for the team is unmatched and helps Hawaii kids receive scholarships. That was true for HaliburtonGoeas, who had “about three schools talking to me"before
his showing in Arizona.
As his recruitment picked up, his list soon included Willamette University, UC-Davis, Oregon, Occidental College, Menlo College and Graceland University in addition to HPU. His grades - he’s in National Honor Society - also gave him more options.
He hopes to be a physical therapist someday but admits the baseball program figured big in his decision.
“Tre’s baby is baseball,” said his mother, Lori. “My baby was him going to a college that had his (physical therapy) program.Baseball is a fun sport, but even pro players don’t play baseball forever.You have to be able to fall back on something.”
Added Tre: “I had really wanted to go away - some of my friends were going away - but I finally realized going to HPU was the right thing to do.”
Haliburton-Goeas’s decision was a relief to all involved. Indeed, he can now concentrate on his senior season at Saint Louis having signed early, effectively eliminating distractions that go with being recruited.
“It definitely took a lot of stress off of my shoulders,“he admitted. “Now I’m set for after high school.”
Tre’s mom, who is a teacher at Kapolei Elementary,also felt a sense of relief when his decision was made.
“It was incredibly stressful,” she said. “My husband and I had no doubt he would go away for college, and we were preparing for that.”
Another issue factored in. Both of his grandparents were recently diagnosed with stage-four cancer, and their treatment is ongoing.
“That was big,” he said. Haliburton-Goeas’s decision to pursue physical therapy studies came about in part because of a broken collar bone he suffered while playing for the Saint Louis football team in 2009. In coming back from his own injury, he made repeated visits to Mililani-based physical therapist Mimi Carvalho, in whom he found a mentor.
“It caught my interest,” he explained.
Haliburton-Goeas elected to skip football this fall to maximize his baseball potential.
“I’ve been working out every day preparing for next season (at Saint Louis),” he said.
It isn’t uncommon for freshmen to red-shirt for a year when they get to college so they can get acclimated, while still preserving four years of athletic eligibility and getting a jump on their academics. In Haliburton-Goeas’s case, he expects he will be in uniform as a freshman,foregoing a red-shirt year.
“Coach Yukumoto has told me I will be playing as a freshman,” he said.
Not to mention pursuing a physical therapy degree.
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