Umeda going to Princeton

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

A third starter on Punahou School's girls basketball team has signed to play for a Division I college team.

Point guard Elyse Umeda of St. Louis Heights said Monday that she had accepted early admittance to Princeton (N.J.) after taking recruiting visits to Princeton and Yale.

Earlier, post player Becky Hogue signed with Loyola Marymount and guard Rachel Kane signed with Gonzaga (Wash.).

At 5 feet 3, Umeda will be the shortest player on the Tiger team by 3 to 4 inches, but coach Richard Barron was impressed by her intensity and speed.

As a member of the Ivy League, Princeton does not give athletic scholarships but Umeda said she will receive an academic scholarship.

Umeda said she also was recruited by William & Mary, Gonzaga and Whitman (Wash.).

"I'm appreciative to all those people who have helped me — coach Mike (Punahou's Mike Taylor), coach Agena (Dennis Agena of the Kalakaua Basketball Clinic), and my parents, especially."

OTHER COMMITMENTS

Punahou water polo coach Ken Smith announced commitments by two all-league players on his boys' Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship team. Smith said that Kyle Morgan would attend Princeton and Forrest Schwartz would enroll at Stanford.

Punahou's C.J. Smith, the league's Player of the Year, previously committed to UCLA.

Waiakea High golfer Kellie Kawahara has signed with Jackson State (Miss.), where the coach is Eddie Payton, brother of the late football great. Kawahara was 12th in last spring's state championship tournament.