UH to get McKinley star

Advertiser Staff

Amber Lee, OIA East Player of the Year and an all-state basketball player for McKinley as a junior, said yesterday she has verbally committed to the University of Hawai'i for the 2003-'04 school year.

Student-athletes cannot sign letters of intent until Nov. 6.

Lee, 6 foot 1 "and still growing" according to Tiger coach Jesse Victorino, averaged an island-best 18 points, with nine rebounds and two steals, last season. She started playing basketball in eighth grade.

"She's just very coachable," Victorino said. "UH likes the way she responds to coaching and how much she's learned in such a short time. They see how much she's improved. Once she moves up to the next level, her game will grow in leaps and bounds."

Victorino recalls the day former Rainbow Wahine Nani Flores made a hook shot over Lee. The next day, Lee was trying her first hook shots. This season it was one of her offensive weapons.

Lee and Victorino plan to diversify her game during her senior year. She is projected to play power forward in college, but is working at the wing this summer and trying to extend her offense to the perimeter.

"I just have to work hard on basically everything," Lee said. "I think UH has a good program and that's where I want to pursue my career — at home with a good basketball team."