6-foot-8 athlete Tread Rosenthal makes a bold decision to leave high school early and join Hawaii’s volleyball team, paying off with Big West Freshman of the Year award.

Tread Rosenthal, a 6-foot-8 athlete from Manhattan Beach, California, made a bold decision to leave high school early and join the Hawaii men’s volleyball team at the age of 17. This risk paid off when he was named Big West Freshman of the Year, becoming the first player in the program’s history to receive this award.

Throughout the season, Rosenthal demonstrated his skills by earning All-Big West first-team honors and receiving a record six Big West Freshman of the Week awards. Despite some rookie mistakes, Rosenthal excelled in various aspects of the game, leading the team in service aces and assists per set.

The end of UH’s streak for Big West player of the year awards came as UC Irvine’s Hilir Henno received the honor, breaking a four-year streak for the Hawaii program. Unfortunately, UH’s season came to an end in the Big West semifinals at the hands of UC Irvine. The NCAA Tournament is set to begin on April 30 at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid where teams will compete for the national title. Brian McInnis covers Hawaii’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii and can be contacted at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.