Pac-10 Cats on the Move

By Chris Hansen
National Director of Scouting
Posted Tue, 10/02/2007 - 09:08 Arizona and Washington State, a couple Pac-10 schools with feline nicknames, are picking up key commitments.

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PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

Malia Nahinu, the 6-foot-5 center from Moreau Catholic has decided to become an Arizona Wildcat. Nahinu made her verbal commitment to Head Coach Joan Bonvincini Monday after playing in the Northern California Elite Showcase this weekend. She chose Arizona over her other finalist San Diego State.

The San Francisco Chronicle named her All-Metro Honorable Mention as a junior, when she averaged more than 20 points, most in the Hayward Area Athletic League, and led her team in rebounding and blocked shots.

Ranked 89th in the HoopGurlz Hundred for the 2008 class, Nahinu is very long. She will be able to alter shots in the paint and, with added strength, give the Wildcats a presence in the paint after Beatrice and Suzy Bofia have graduated next year. Arizona is not incredibly tall after the Bofia sisters so this gives them a much needed center for the future in a conference that continues to get taller.

Arizona has five scholarships available for the 2008 class and hopes to make a big splash by winning the Jasmine Dixon sweepstakes. They have already received a verbal commitment from three-star prospect, Amani Butler, who was the Div III CIF Co-MVP last season at Colony High School.

"Malia has a big upside as well a big frame. She is more of a finesse player as opposed to physical," said Mark Anger, the director of the East Bay Xplosion Club Program. "Her long arms can create havoc on the defensive end. She needs to work on staying low and being able to score consistently with her back to the basket but she is a hard worker and has made great strides in the past year. With her wingspan and touch I can see her being a factor Pac-10."

Nahinu was widely recruited up and down the West Coast and reportedly was sought by eight Pac-10 schools. Last year she was widely considered a Washington lean until the coaching change that led the former Husky coaches to Pullman and Washington State University.

Meanwhile, the Washington State Cougars are loading up. New head coach June Daugherty has secured four verbal commitments. Her first was April Cook, No. 84 in the HoopGurlz Hundred for 2008, is from the top high school program in the country this year, Long Beach Poly. Cook also was courted by Fresno State, Long Beach State and San Diego State, among others.

"April is most comfortable in the two-guard slot, but can also play the point position," said her club coach, Elbert Kinnebrew, of the Cal Sparks. "April is sprinter for the Long Beach Poly track team and has the highest vertical jump amongst a large group of athletic guards to come from Long Beach, California. She also is an outstanding defender who is often called upon to guard the opponent's top scorer, outside of the post."



Washington State recently received another verbal from Southern California in Narbonne guard Danielle Lenoir. Lenoir is the younger sister of USC point guard Camille Lenior, who missed last season with a hip injury. The Cougs have two 2008 verbal commitments for their front court as well withJessica Oestricher, 6-7, and Rosie Tarnowski, a 6-1 forward from Philadelphia.

Tarnowski is now fully recovered from a torn ACL that cost her her junior high school season. She tore her ACL almost one year ago this week at a 2006 fall viewing event.

This is a great start for the new coaches taking over a team that finished last in the Pac-10 last season.

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Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women’s Basketball at HoopGurlz.com. He leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz. Chris has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at chris@hoopgurlz.com.

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