PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Pilots Women's Basketball announced their fourth signing for the class of 2026 on Wednesday, with point guard Pahlyss Hokianga joining the Pilots.
"Pahlyss is an elite playmaker and the type of athlete and player that will make an instant impact," Portland head coach Michael Meek said. "She's an elite on-ball defender that can shoot it and get to the basket, along with a crafty mid-range game. Pahlyss has elite international experience being the youngest player to compete in the most recent Asia Cup. We have had tremendous success with players from New Zealand and we are really excited to be adding Pahlyss to our program."
Hokianga adds to long tradition of Oceania players coming to The Bluff, joining Portland from New Zealand. Coming from Tauranga Girls College, she's led her team to nationals three times and was also named to the All-Star 5 Team. She was the leading scoring in the nation in 2025, averaging an incredible 33.5 points per game.
Hokianga has experience with her home country of New Zealand's national teams as well. She was a part of the U-17 New Zealand squad that played in the Oceania Cup in 2022 and Asian Championship in 2023. She played with the team at the FIBA U-17 Women's Basketball World Cup as well. She was one of the youngest players with the senior team at the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup in China this summer, where she played alongside former Pilot Emme Shearer, a two-time All-WCC First Team selection and three-time WCC Champion with Portland.
The Portland Pilots are coming off a historic season that saw them finish with a 31-5 record overall and a 17-3 record in WCC play, setting program records for wins both overall and in WCC play. They won a share of the WCC regular season title, their first since 1996-97, and their fourth title in the last six seasons. They qualified for the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) for the first time as a program, advancing to the quarterfinals with their first ever road wins in the postseason.
Portland takes on the BYU Cougars in their next matchup on Saturday, Dec. 6 here at the Chiles Center. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on KUNP as well as ESPN+. Check PortlandPilots.com for tickets, live stats and video options.
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