Wave Ryder

Front runner for “name of the year” honors goes to Wave Ryder, who actually was named after a popular song.

“My mom’s favorite song was Wave Rider by Butch Helemano. She thought it was cool,” says Wave.

(Yes, he says, his whole family loves surfing. Wave is into body boarding.)

Currently, the Kamehameha defensive back is getting recruited by Hawaii, Utah, Utah State and Colorado, and was recently written up on SI.com, the Sports Illustrated Web site.

Fetters says he’s not sure whether having a unique name makes a difference in recruiting circles: “Attention, yes, but not necessarily a big effect on the recruiting process,” he says.

But Wave disagrees. “Everybody remembers the name,” he says. “I wouldn’t change my name for anything.”