Before the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine basketball team played its first game with its new coach, it received a letter of intent for next year.

Sydney Haydel (High-del), a senior at Harvard-Westlake in North Hollywood, Calif., officially signed to play for the Rainbow Wahine next season. She is 5 feet 8 and plays post in high school and point guard for her California Storm Team Taurasi summer team.

Shawna Kuehu, a UH freshman out of Punahou, was a teammate on the Storm and helped recruit Haydel. The Storm was ranked fourth in the country by http://www.espn.com last summer after winning the Nike Summer Showcase.

"Sydney is very raw but plays on a very good club team," UH coach Dana Takahara-Dias said. "She is a true athlete, very exciting. She can play some basketball obviously, but she's also a track star, a hurdler and shot putter. She's 5-8 but she's all muscle, very, very athletic. She has a lot of athleticism and we liked her ability to play many positions."

Haydel's athleticism is part of a recruiting pattern, according to Takahara, who says her staff is intent on recruiting "big, strong, fast athletes who can help us in our fullcourt zone."

The Rainbow Wahine received a verbal commitment from Moloka'i junior Kalei Adolpho earlier this semester. Adolpho, who is 6-1, plans to play basketball and volleyball.