KAWAIHAE, Hawai'i — Hawai'i Prep Academy senior Holden Ching, the top-ranked junior boy in the state, signed a letter of intent to attend Washington, which was No. 14 in May's final 2004-05 rankings.

Ching narrowed his choices to UW, Boise State and Montana State.

"I really liked the coaching staff and the area is really nice," said Ching, who trains at Mauna Kea Resort with director of tennis Craig Pautler.

He is ranked 82nd nationally. Ching took third in the state high school championship as a sophomore. He was one of two Hawai'i juniors — along with Kamehameha's Brooke Doane — to advance to the final 20 in singles at February's USTA 18 Nationals.

Ching didn't play high school tennis last season and might not again his final year because so many USTA events conflict.

His focus is to train and play in enough top-tier events that he can make an impact as a freshman.

"After seeing what those (UW) guys can do I know I can't take any time off," Ching said. "They are all consistently good players. There won't be any easy matches, no easy points."

Ching, who is 6 feet 2 and has size 14 feet, is in the midst of a growth spurt. Pautler, who has been working with Ching since his freshman year, expects a "tremendous growth period" in his game early in his college career as he plays elite competition daily. He says Ching's "weapons" start with his serve-and-volley game, but he can also succeed with patience from the baseline.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.