Willoughby jumps over to Wahine basketball

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

There is no rest for the remarkable.

Kim Willoughby, the University of Hawai'i's national Player of the Year candidate in volleyball, said she is planning to start practicing with the Wahine basketball team Monday. Her volleyball coach, Dave Shoji, is intrigued enough that he plans to watch.

Wahine basketball coach Vince Goo is anxious to see what he's got. He and Willoughby spoke again before the volleyball team left for the NCAA Tournament. Goo said Willoughby wanted to know where she stood and he assured her an opportunity was there for the taking.

"I told her there were only a few reasons she would not make the team," Goo said. "Other than that, she should consider herself on the team. She needs to do what we ask, which is work hard, practice hard — which I'm pretty sure she'll do — and uphold our other standards as far as academics and in the community. And she needs to fit in with the players we have now. She thinks she can get it done."

According to Goo, his veteran players support Willoughby's addition enthusiastically.

"It's going to take a while for her to learn our systems and until she has the majority of that down and we all feel comfortable, she'll have to grind it," Goo said. "She agreed that whenever she decides she wants to play basketball, it's going to be a semester with a lot of intense learning for her. What she goes through from now to the end of our season is going to help her for next year. That's the timetable we're looking at. If it falls into place sooner, fine."

Willoughby was Louisiana's high school Player of the Year in basketball and volleyball, and scored more than 1,000 points in her career.