More than six months after tearing their anterior cruciate ligaments, followed by months of rehab, twin sisters Shawna-Lei and Shaena-Lyn Kuehu are gradually finding their back onto the basketball court.

The Punahou seniors-to-be sat out this past basketball season, watching their Buffanblu team finish second in the state tournament while recovering from ACL injuries suffered a month apart late last year. A busy summer schedule of games against top teams on the Mainland awaits them while they gradually return to form.

Shaena-Lyn, an Advertiser All-State second team pick last year, began practicing in early June and is playing for Punahou in its summer league, even seeing time as a starter. Shawna-Lei, the Advertiser's Player of the Year last year, isn't allowed to have any contact during play. Both helped lead the Buffanblu to state titles in 2005 and 2006.

"Rehab is going well, finally getting (back) some of the muscle," Shawna-Lei said. "It's pretty much a slow process."

Punahou coach Mike Taylor likes how the sisters have progressed since their injuries. He has gradually increased Shaena-Lyn's playing time since she started practicing on June 4.

"She (Shaena-Lyn) is out there playing like how she normally plays," Taylor said. "She's smart about it. She knows she's limited so she's not going to cut into the zone or rebound hard like she used to."

Shawna-Lei, who holds the state tournament record with 37 points in a game as a sophomore, said she can run in a straight line with some cutting, "but not that much." Despite her injury, NCAA Division I programs remained interested in her. She was invited to a Nike Elite Camp in Oregon this weekend — a camp for the top 20 players in the nation — but turned it down since she can't play. She hopes to play with the California Storm at the Nike Nationals in late July in Augusta, S.C.

Recruiting trips are in the fall. Interested schools include California, USC, Oregon State and Hawai'i.

"She earned it (Nike Elite Camp invite) a couple seasons ago going up with Kalakaua (club team), but she really got seen this past summer mainly in Augusta with the Storm," Taylor said. "She's competing against top clubs in the nation, top players that are the No. 1, 2, 3, 4 recruits in their class.

"She's competing at her highest level and she's very fortunate. She's got a lot of options in the future. That's how well she's playing."

Shaena-Lyn, who remains open about her college options, will be playing for Kalakaua at the End of the Oregon Trail Tournament that begins Friday, and in another tournament next week in Seattle. She'll later play for Punahou at a San Diego tournament at the end of July.

"It's a good experience going up there," Shaena-Lyn said. "It's kind of like a warmup. The college scouts are there and it gives me a opportunity to get looked at."

Aside from rehab, the sisters attended practices and games in the spring, supporting their teammates.

"Coach said it was an opportunity for me to see the perspective of a coach," Shawna-Lei said. "I've seen the game as a player and last season I saw it as a coach."

Former basketball teammate Chelsea Deptula, who will play soccer for the University of Hawai'i in the fall, offered her own advice on recovering from an ACL injury.

"She said when you get back, don't baby it," Shaena-Lyn said. "If not, you'll favor it and you'll end up hurting it.

"Sometimes it hurts, but I push through it."

Meanwhile, the Buffanblu didn't seem to miss a beat without the Kuehus. Punahou finished as the runner-up in the state Division I tournament, falling to Konawaena, 59-47, in the championship game in May.

"It showed they can step it up," Shaena-Lyn said. "They did well."

"It's a tribute to how hard they work," Taylor added. "We had an adversity, we lost both players, we worked hard and it paid off. They're playing against other team's best players and they're doing well. That says a lot."

Though the upcoming prep season will start one season earlier in the winter, expect the Kuehus to be ready.

"I'm going to have to practice harder and condition more," said Shaena-Lyn, who's aiming for another state title. "I don't have a longer break to get ready for it."

Added Shawna-Lei: "I want to play harder than I did my sophomore year because I didn't play last year. Every year, I push to be better than the last season that I played so I want to be a lot better than I was."