When University of Hawai‘i men's volleyball standout libero ‘Eleu Choy was a youth, he had bounced from school to school. His parents, Barney and Terri-Ann, vowed from the very beginning to support him and place him in an optimal environment.
A young ‘Eleu Choy proved to be aptly named from an early age. ‘Eleu, which means energetic and active in Hawaiian, was a name brainstormed by Terri-Ann. The name stuck, and it continues to be an accurate description for ‘Eleu Choy, who has amassed 191 digs for the Rainbow Warriors thus far in 2025.
"It's funny how it turned out to fit the person," Barney Choy told Aloha State Daily. "It doesn't happen very often, but it fits him to a T."
As a preschooler at Seagull Schools, ‘Eleu Choy was the only student in his class that wouldn't fall asleep during nap time. While the rest of his classmates were sleeping, he would be found roaming around by himself.
Though ‘Eleu was never one to make trouble, his teachers eventually met with his parents and encouraged him to undergo testing.
"He's not doing anything naughty or anything bad," Barney Choy recalled. "He just gets up and he doesn't bother anybody and just kind of does his thing."
The next step in ‘Eleu Choy's educational journey took him to Wilson Elementary near his Wai‘alae home. After some time in the special education program, he rejoined the general education students in the third grade.
"When he was young, he had some challenges, some little nuances. We used to take him to UH for therapies and that kind of stuff," Barney Choy said.
Although his parents appreciated Wilson's support system, they sought a more structured academic regimen for ‘Eleu, enrolling him at Mary, Star of the Sea.
In middle school, Choy was wait-listed at ‘Iolani, the same school where his sister, Bailey, was a rising volleyball star. ‘Eleu Choy eventually enrolled at University Lab School. His parents thought he had finally found his niche at University Lab, a K-12 school in Mānoa with a student enrollment of about 450, lending itself to more focused learning environments than that of a public school.
Then one day, ‘Eleu Choy told his father he wanted to enroll at Farrington High School, citing its engineering program.
"Everyone always asked me, like, 'Why? Why'd you go to Farrington?' I heard about the opportunities I could get there at Farrington," ‘Eleu Choy recalled.
Barney Choy wasn't so sure at first, but he also wanted to hear his son out. ‘Eleu shadowed Farrington principal Al Carganilla for one school day, and continued to ask his daughter, Kylie, how things were at the school.
Barney and Terri-Ann Choy eventually decided to let ‘Eleu enroll at Farrington prior to his freshman year of high school, citing his pure eagerness to do so and how thorough he was in explaining why.
Life at Farrington can be rugged at times, and Choy was certainly not an exception. He was bullied and called a nerd for answering too many questions in class. One student taunted him and struck him in the face, and both of their families were called in to the main office. After a forced apology, Choy responded by telling the student he forgave him and told him he still sees the good in him.
"It was kind of rough because I was trying to adapt to the environment," ‘Eleu Choy recalled. "I was more used to sheltered, more controlled environments. Everyone at that school, we're just trying to get our degrees and try to figure out where our future is going to be. Granted, that might be different paths, but we all have that common goal that we were trying to get somewhere where we want to be.
"I think that's what Farrington taught me, is to not be so close minded. Don't be strict on one path, but be open to everything, because you never know what really is going to happen."
While ‘Eleu Choy was being proactive academically, he also dabbled in a variety of sports. His first love was baseball. As a youth, he even gave karate a try. Farrington's new turf field at Skippa Diaz Stadium was the talk of the school in 2017, so Choy joined the soccer team as a goalkeeper.
Growing up, ‘Eleu Choy says he idolized his sister, who had all the accolades he didn't have as a youth volleyball player. Bailey Choy (now De Vos) was the Hawai‘i consensus Player of the Year in 2015, then chose to play volleyball at the University of Utah over a bevy of other scholarship offers.
‘Eleu Choy was surrounded by volleyball, following his father to Na Keiki Mauloa practices, a prominent girls club volleyball team based on O‘ahu. Barney Choy, who is the president of Na Keiki Mauloa and is the head coach of three of its teams, says he prefers coaching girls and their attention to detail and discipline compared to the boys. That meant when ‘Eleu played club volleyball, Barney was mostly an observer.
‘Eleu played club volleyball for Ku‘ikahi for five years. Practices would end with scrimmages in which players were picked to each team.
"I am not exaggerating when I say he was the last guy chosen every single night," Barney Choy said. "Every time comes in the car I go, 'Hey, how was it?' He would say, 'Oh, dad, that was so much fun.' He's the last guy chosen. He's the only guy standing there. He runs to the team (enthusiastically). And this went on for about three years."
‘Eleu Choy didn't play volleyball for Farrington until his junior year. In a win against Kalani, he had seven kills, five assists and four digs, outdueling future teammate Keoni Thiim.
In the club circuit, Choy caught the eye of UH coaches Joshua Walker and Charlie Wade, who continued to keep tabs on him.
Choy's senior year at Farrington came and went with all his future goals intact. He was set to graduate with 21 transferrable credits to UH-Mānoa and get a head start on his engineering degree. A scholarship to assist UH women's coach Robyn Ah Mow as a student manager was on the table, but playing was not in the cards. Then a few days before he was set to graduate from Farrington, Walker offered him a spot on the men's team as a walk-on.
‘Eleu Choy committed on the spot, but Walker told him to talk it through with his family first. As with his initial desire to attend Farrington, ‘Eleu Choy's parents wanted to make sure it was something his heart truly desired. At the time, the Rainbow Warriors were coming off a 28-3 season in 2019, boasting a team that some believe is the best in school history, despite the fact that they lost in the national championship match to Long Beach State. The only condition Barney gave ‘Eleu was that if he committed, he couldn't quit.
As a 17-year-old stepping into the UH practice gym for the first time, Choy was a 5-foot-7 true freshman walk-on competing against names such as Rado Parapunov, Patrick Gasman, Colton Cowell and Jakob Thelle, some of the giants in the sport at the time.
"It was definitely daunting. I remember my first day like it was yesterday. I was so nervous," Choy recalled. "You see all these juggernauts, like here are these guys, senior veterans, played the game at a high level for a long time. ... I'm like, God, I feel so misplaced, like a black sheep.
"It was just an absolutely huge honor to see people like that committed to their craft and spent their whole lives playing volleyball. I was like, wow, this is an amazing opportunity."
Although Choy was a freshman, he already knew some of the players on the team, including James Anastassiades, who helped coach Na Keiki Mauloa.
"I knew ‘Eleu prior, and he was always this sweet, bubbly kid," Anastassiades said. "He always made an effort to be social, and just this adorable kid, like, he's just awesome. The first open gym we had he's like, 'I rode my bike six miles to get here.' I was like, what? That's crazy, but I respect that commitment."
Choy continued to be dedicated to becoming the best libero he could be. Whether it was by himself, teammates and coaches, or even members of the UH women's team, Choy craved the extra work, digging thousands of balls in the gym.
Freshman are expected to set up the practice gym at UH as an initiation tactic, but from year one to six, Choy never relinquished those duties in order to maximize his time on the court.
After appearing in five matches in 2020 and redshirting in 2021, Choy still had four years of eligibility entering the 2022. He contemplated leaving multiple years of eligibility on the table and accepting a job offer after getting his bachelor's degree, but he eventually decided to stay and get his master's degree. Choy won the starting job as a redshirt junior in 2024, starting all 30 matches. In 2025, he's been the only player on the roster to play in all 31 matches for the 26-5 Rainbow Warriors.
"If he's not the best libero in the country, he's damn close," Wade said of Choy following the team's win over No. 1 Long Beach State on April 12. The 'Bows defeated The Beach again two weeks later. In UH's starting lineup, Choy was the only player under 6-foot-5.
The demands of being the team's full-time libero for two straight years has surely taken a toll on Choy's body.
"A lot of fatigue," Choy said. "My body would just be naturally tired, and a lot of pain in my knees, because we have to stay low for long period of time. But other than that, I always tell myself, 'Hey, you're not getting it as bad as the hitters.' Those guys jump all the time."
That type of humility has endeared Choy to teammates, coaches and followers alike over the years.
"When I think of people who have sacrificed for this program, I can't think of anyone who's sacrificed more than ‘Eleu Choy," middle blocker Kurt Nusterer said earlier in the season. "He's the heart and soul of this team, and you've never seen anybody sacrifice and work as hard and have as much integrity as person like that."
"He is a real, genuine human and you're not going to find much better than ‘Eleu Choy," Wade added.
Choy earned Honorable Mention when the AVCA announced its All-America team, as well as when the Big West announced its All-Conference team. Not bad for a walk-on from Farrington, but many thought he was worthy of more.
"I think this year, I easily argue he's become the best libero in the NCAA," said Anastassiades, an analyst for Spectrum Sports and founder of Volley Method, a local volleyball training organization. "His journey was nothing but hard. But he's the epitome of what it takes. From the day he walked in to the day he walked out, he was always the first one in and last one out."
The days and weeks ahead will be a whirlwind for Choy. On Thursday, the Rainbow Warriors will face Penn State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, with first serve set for 7:30 a.m. HST. The Rainbow Warriors missed the NCAA Tournament in 2024, but made four straight title games from 2019 to 2023.
He'll also graduate with his master's degree and start his engineering career at Fukunaga & Associates, the same company that oversees athletic venues across the Islands, from baseball fields in Maui to Kahuku High School's turf football field.
"I always want to give back to the community, because I know that the community always gave me so much, too," Choy said. "I was so blessed. My family, friends, uncles, aunties, they sacrificed so much for me. And I always wanted to give back."
Taking an engineering job out of school means Choy is not pursuing a professional volleyball career, something he is fully at peace with. Generations of Farrington alums have approached him over the years, expressing their gratitude in him representing the Governors in the way that he has.
With his volleyball career set to come to an end, Choy says he has no regrets because he knows where he started from.
"He's probably changed the lives of so many local kids with the dream to go play in college," Anastassiades said. "And I don't think there's a more special kid out here that could do something like that, just because of his personal background and his struggles, which is, again, what blows my mind. I get emotional talking about it and thinking about it."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
