Shawna-Lei-150.jpg

Kuehu Goes Mainland

By Chris Hansen
National Director of Scouting
Posted Fri, 11/16/2007 - 12:29 Hawaii's best chooses the mainland for her college hoops and has a golden opportunity to be best ever from the islands.

Shawna Lei Kuehu, the Hawaiian sensation ranked No. 25 in the 2008 class signed a letter of intent today to play her collegiate basketball at California. Coach Joanne Boyle received the letter this morning which gives the Golden Bears two ranked players in this year’s class.

Kuehu chose Cal over Gonzaga, Hawaii, Oklahoma and USC. She will play her college ball with her club teammate, Casey Morris, who committed earlier this year to Bears program. Kuehu played for the Cal Storm and she was believed to be the first player from the Hawaiian Islands to play for a club team from the mainland.


Shawna-Lei Kuehu squares up

Kuehu spent most of the last year recovering from an ACL tear but in doing so committed to taking care of herself to stay in optimal basketball shape. She came back to the courts this summer in late July. She played in just one game, coming off the bench cold to knock down two technical foul free throws at Nike Nationals. While she was cleared to play she didn’t want to risk injury until her strength returned.

The strength Kuehu has on the court is one of her most impressive attributes. She has a silky smooth jumper but also has a physical style of play that led to her taking smaller defenders inside and scoring on them with regularity. She is a dynamic offensive player and along with the versatile Morris addresses a big need for Cal. The Bears have room to add another player in the 2008 class and it is likely they will go for a front court player in the late signing period. This commitment gives the Bears a strong case for a Top 20 ranked recruiting class.

Kuehu has an impressive list of awards and accolades which include the State Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006. She also holds the state record for scoring in a single game with 37 points. She did so in the 2006 state championship game on 70 percent shooting from the field. She is widely considered to be the best high school player to come from the islands and is a great headline for the Bears 2008 class.



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Chris Hansen

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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