Kahuku's Peters bound for Fresno
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Some of Hawai'i's best high school athletes will have pen in hand at 7 a.m. today when the late signing period begins for National Letters of Intent.
The letters are scholarship agreements that bind athletes to specific colleges in return for financial grants. The period that begins today and ends Aug. 1 covers most sports except football, which ended April 1, and basketball, which ends May 15.
Soccer and men's water polo started Feb. 5 and run through Aug. 1.
NCAA Division III colleges and California junior colleges, which do not give athletic scholarships, do not belong to the National Letter of Intent program.
VOLLEYBALL
All-State girls volleyball player Tuli Peters of Kahuku confirmed that she will sign with Fresno State, as the Advertiser reported last month.
Mililani High's Amber Wiedemann, a 6-foot-1 All-O'ahu Interscholastic Association West middle blocker, signed earlier with Rice. Besides her volleyball skills, Wiedemann is a straight-A student, according to Rice.
"Amber is a fast, mobile middle blocker," noted former coach Julio Morales, who recruited her before he resigned. "She can attack from different areas, and will give us more versatility than in the past. She is a highly regarded athlete coming out of high school, and was also recruited by Hawai'i, so we are excited that she's coming to Rice."
SOCCER
Waiakea High's JoBette Nabarro, who scored 31 goals — a hat trick or better in nearly every game — in winning the Big Island's Southern Division Player of the Year award, signed April 3 with San Diego State.
The Aztecs decided they wanted Nabarro after watching her play for the Honolulu Bulls in the San Diego Surf Cup tournament last Thanksgiving. "We played the best teams in the nation. It was really killer," Nabarro said.
"She has proven that she can score goals and she is very good at winning the aerial battles," assistant coach Angela Morrison said.
Nabarro passed on offers from Bethel of Indiana, Eastern Washington, Notre Dame de Namur and Holy Names of California. "It felt comfortable on my visit," to San Diego State, she said.
Kamehameha's Liz Kalama is going to Pt. Loma Nazarene, according to Warrior coach Michele Nagamine.
BASKETBALL
Diane Okubo, University High's high-scoring 5-foot-5 guard, will sign with NCAA Division II Nova Southeastern in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., for "an offer that Diane could not refuse," said her mother, Mabel.
Okubo was first-team All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu last season, averaging 13.8 points per game and was second in the league in 3-point goals.
Her combination of athletic and academic grants (her grade point average is 3.8) was engineered by Doris Sullivan of Hawai'i Athletic Preparatory Academy.
FOOTBALL
Lineman Brandon Mitchell (Pac-5/Academy of the Pacific) signed with Glenville State (Division II) in West Virginia. Mitchell played mainly offense for Pac-5, but Glenville will try him on defense first.
Glenville recruiting coordinator Jim Catanzaro was introduced to the quality of Hawai'i high school football by Doris Sullivan, director of student services for Hawai'i Athletic Preparatory Academy, and is pursuing three more Hawai'i seniors.
"When you've got linemen like you grow in Hawai'i, you can just sit back and watch the pile move," Catanzaro said.
DUAL SPORT
Hilo High's Erica Chong signed yesterday with Long Island University, getting a package arranged by Hawai'i Athletic Prep Academy of 50 percent of tuition, room and board for soccer, 25 percent for golf, and the remainder for academics.
Chong was a first-team All-Big Island South forward in soccer and helped Hilo finish second in the state high school golf tournament.
