Sensley signs with UH

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Julian Sensley averaged 13.4 points at L.A. City College last season. Advertiser library photo

In his reflection, he could see the tattoo of the Hawaiian Islands across his neck, accompanied by the inscription "Homegrown."

"Hawai'i is my home; always will be," he said. "I guess it just took me some time to realize that's where I needed to be."

After a four-year basketball journey that included stops on both the East and West coasts, Sensley decided to return home yesterday. The former Kalaheo High standout signed a scholarship agreement to play for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team.

"I think everybody here knows how good Julian is," UH associate coach Jackson Wheeler said. "We're happy — more than happy — that he wanted to come back home and play for us."

Sensley is 6 feet 9 and 240 pounds and can play both forward positions. Last season, he averaged 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds as a freshman at Los Angeles City College.

He must still pass summer classes at L.A. City to attain an associate's degree. Once he does that, he can enroll at UH in the fall and become eligible immediately.

He would be considered a sophomore in the fall and is expected to make an immediate impact.

"Of all the (junior college) players in the country at any position, I would rank Sensley among the top five," said Mike Mitchell, who scouts players across the nation for Midwest Scouting Service. "He's got NBA talent."

Sensley signed a letter of intent last November to play for San Francisco, but requested a release a few months later. USF finally granted it to him on Monday.

"I was rushed into signing and made a bad decision," Sensley said. "Even if they didn't release me, I wasn't planning on going there."

Reports that Sensley was released by USF because he was not qualified academically were not true, he said.

"I'm graduating this summer," he said. "Everything's good (academically)."

It was the latest chapter in an enigmatic career that he says will finally reach "a comfort level" in Hawai'i.

"I felt like I got taken advantage of when I was younger," Sensley said. "That's one of the reasons why I'm coming home. My friends and my family are all there to help me out."

Sensley was a first-team All-State selection at Kalaheo as a sophomore and junior. He then attended St. Thomas More — a prep school in Connecticut — for the next two years.

During his final season at St. Thomas More, Sensley was ranked as one of the 10 best high school forwards in the country by several recruiting publications.

He signed his first letter of intent with California, but never qualified academically. Over the next year, he was linked with Diablo Valley College (Calif.), Fresno State, Iona and Southern Nevada, although he never played basketball at any of those schools.

Sensley also applied for early entry into the NBA Draft last summer, but eventually withdrew and then enrolled at L.A. City.

"I realized that I wasn't ready for the NBA," he said. "But it's still in my future plans. Hopefully Hawai'i will help me get to that level."

Sensley was a first-team All-California Community College selection last season. Mitchell described Sensley as "the most talented player on the most talented team in junior college."

The Cubs finished 36-2 and won the state championship (California schools do not participate in the junior college national tournament).

"It was a good experience," he said. "But I needed to get back to Hawai'i. I finally feel like it's the best move for me."

Sensley's signing completes the UH recruiting class for this year. Four other players previously signed: Jeff Blackett (6-8 forward), Logan Lee (6-2 point guard), Bobby Nash (6-6 wing) and Jake Sottos (6-4 shooting guard).

"That's really a good group, with Sensley being the best of the group," Mitchell said.