HOMEGROWN REPORT
Carvalho found a home for her game
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Five years ago, Cian Carvalho's family ganged up on her and made her move from her lifetime home on Kaua'i to Southern California.
Arizona State University photo
Her uncles, parents and grandparents decided it was the only way Cian could have a chance to realize her dream of playing big-time college basketball. "You don't have scouts coming to Kaua'i," said her mother, Ruth Carvalho.
Cian Carvalho went from Kapa'a High star to Arizona State standout, realizing her goal to play basketball "at the highest level."
She wasn't being seriously recruited, even after being chosen first-team all-state in her junior year at Kapa'a High, so when she made her annual summer visit to her grandparents in Oceanside, they didn't let her come home — not even to pack.
"I was miserable the first three months; leaving all my friends on Kaua'i was hard to deal with," Carvalho said. "But the decision was not mine to make. My parents told me, 'If you don't get off this Island, you're not going to play.' "
So she stayed, and the college scouts found her.
After an MVP senior season at El Camino High, she went to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and finished as the school's all-time leading scorer. With lots of offers to choose from, she picked Arizona State for her last two years and became a valued leader on one of the best teams in the Pac-10.
"She truly led this program to two of its best seasons in history," coach Charlie Thorne said. Arizona State was co-champion last season and enters this weekend's first Pac-10 women's tournament tied for second with a 21-8 record.
"There are lots of kids with talent, but not a lot with her focus and work ethic," Thorne said. "She taught our underclassmen how to work."
Carvalho, who plays power forward, is the Sun Devils' second-leading rebounder (5.7 per game) and scores 8.7 points per game (10.2 in conference). Her free-throw percentage of 74.4 is second on the team.
"At 5-10, going against 6-2s and up, she is a great one-on-one player in the block and on the weak-side boards," Thorne said. "She truly was born hungry, and has a lot of passion to be successful. And her defense (in the Pac-10's top-ranked defense) has improved 1,000-fold."
Carvalho, who has started 36 games since the middle of last season, acknowledges her passion. "I like to be in there doing the dirty work, diving on the floor," she said.
Her mother said sending Cian away for her senior year in high school was hard for the family, but "you need to do what you need to do. And sometimes you can't do it on Kaua'i."
Cian agrees.
"I knew basketball would be the only way I would get to college and I knew I had a passion to play. Since junior high school, I had aspirations to play Division I, at the highest level.
"My work ethic and my family's work ethic got me where I am today. I did what I said I wanted to do," she added. "Anything that comes after this is a bonus."
