'Aiea High School senior Natasha Helsham has made a verbal commitment to accept a full scholarship offer to play basketball at the University of Idaho.

Helsham, a 5-foot-8 guard, said she will leave for an official recruiting visit to the Moscow campus tomorrow, but added her verbal commitment is firm.

"It's the best offer I have," she said.

Helsham was an O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference Western Division All-Star first-team selection as a sophomore and junior, and was an OIA White Conference first-team all-star as a freshman. (This year's OIA Red West all-star page will be published Friday).

She will join 2008 Punahou graduate Shaena-Lyn Kuehu and Waiakea senior Kanisha Bello on the Vandals roster.

MINNS WINS GATORADE PLAYER OF YEAR AWARD

Pi'i Minns of state champion Kamehameha has been named the 2008-09 Gatorade Hawai'i Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

The award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court. Minns is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in late March.

The senior guard led the Warriors to a 22-3 overall record, averaging 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He shot 46 percent from the field, 70 percent from the free-throw line and 33 percent from 3-point range.

Minns has maintained a B average in the classroom and volunteered as an area youth basketball instructor.

EX-RAM BYRD ON CALIFORNIA TITLE TEAM

Former Radford player Ta Nitra Byrd won a state title Saturday.

Byrd had 12 points in Long Beach Poly's 57-33 win over Monte Vista for the California Interscholastic Federation Division I girls basketball championship in Sacramento. The Jackrabbits (32-3), ranked No. 25 in the nation by USA Today last week, became the first California team to win four straight Division I titles.

Byrd, a junior, was an Advertiser All-State second-team selection last year and was OIA Red West Player of the Year as a freshman.

CORRECTIONS

Mililani's Andi Felise batted 3 for 3 in Saturday's 3-2 OIA Red West softball win over Leilehua. Her statistics were omitted from Sunday's edition of The Advertiser. Also, Leilehua's Malia Nakai had her last name misspelled.

Damien's DJ Andrade hit an RBI double and scored two runs in Saturday's 10-9 ILH baseball win over Maryknoll. Incorrect statistics were reported in Sunday's Advertiser.