GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sophomore forward Jade Abele came to Hawaii from Australia.
Jade Abele was not quite sure what to think when Rainbow Wahine basketball coach Vince Goo watched her play in Australia a couple of winters (summer here) ago and left without saying a word to her. Abele has answered
Goo’s challenge
Gameday info
By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comGoo was in Australia to look at Abele's teammate Mel Croser.
"When Vince didn't say anything, I figured that was it. I was done playing basketball," said Abele, who began thinking about coming to the United States in the 11th grade when one of her teammate's sisters went to Montana.
"I really didn't have Hawaii in mind. I just wanted to go somewhere nice. Vince rang me from Hawaii later and explained he couldn't talk to me then because of NCAA rules."
Abele followed up by sending tapes of her club's games in the local A Grade Women's League to the UH coaches. They liked what they saw and offered her a scholarship.
"As soon as Hawaii became interested, I was pretty much sold. I remember coming here on a recruiting trip and everyone was hugging and kissing," Abele said.
She graduated from Marymount College in Gold Coast, Australia, in December 2000 and arrived on the UH campus Jan. 27, 2001. Abele would redshirt during the 2001 spring semester, but began learning the Wahine system in practice. She could have waited until that fall to enter UH, an option Goo offered, although he thought it would be more beneficial for Abele to start school right away.
"I really wanted to come in January, otherwise I would have been doing nothing for six months," said Abele, who moved into the starting lineup this year after a redshirt-freshman season (2001-02) marred by a stress fracture in her right foot.
"I hate to say it, but last year was a learning year. It should have been more than that because of the redshirt year. I lost a lot of fitness because of the injury and it's hard to catch up during the season."
At her player-evaluation meeting with the coaching staff last spring, Goo challenged Abele.
"I knew there would be a (wing or 3) spot open and Vince gave me an ultimatum. I had to come back in shape, improve my speed and improve my defense," Abele said. "He made sure there was no room for misinterpretation. So I busted my butt all summer (actually winter).
Abele ran to the gym three miles away three times a week. In the beginning, she would call her parents to get picked up after working out with her coach, Greg Fox. Eventually, she was able to run both ways even when there was a cold winter rain.
This fall, Abele made the switch from power forward to the wing, the position she played in Australia.
"Jade knows all the patterns the post players run because she was a 4 last year," said UH assistant coach Serenda Valdez. "The looks she gets now, the options she has now are all different. That is why she had a lot of turnovers early in fall practice. Now she makes much better decisions. She reads the post routes better. She anticipates the post patterns because she ran them last year.
"The No. 1 thing was to come back in shape and have endurance. She did that. She gets her minutes because she earned it by being prepared."
Abele averages 29 minutes a game this season, triple the time she spent on the court a year ago. With the exception of the UConn game, the 6-footer has scored consistently. She is tied with Natasja Allen for second on the team with an 11.8 points-per-game average.
"I like playing the 3. I definitely don't have as many bruises," said Abele, who admits to trying too hard and playing out of control at times a year ago. "I like shooting and I feel more comfortable facing the basket. I'm not into the whole back-to-the-basket thing. I like to face it and see where the defense is.
"Sometimes I get a little batty, run all over the place and make bad passes, but I always have Vince right there to tell me that's not an option," the physical-education major said.
Abele wants to teach and coach back home after graduation. She comes from a sports-oriented family. Her dad, Peter, was her mom's (Susan) basketball coach and her mother referees basketball games and serves as a scorekeeper for a women's professional league.
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Notes: The Wahine lost 66-57 the only time they played Kentucky, on Nov. 28, 1998. ... UH has never played Long Island U. and trails 30-13 in the series with UNLV. ... Vince Goo, in his 16th season at UH, has a career record of 313-134. ... Bernadette Mattox is 82-122 in her eighth season at Kentucky. ... LIU coach Stephanie Gaitley took over the Blackbirds on May 1 after compiling a 312-151 record in 10 years at St. Joseph's and six at Richmond. ... Coach Regina Miller is 80-42 in her fifth season at UNLV. GAMEDAY
When: Today, UNLV vs. Long Island U, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. Tomorrow, Kentucky vs. UNLV or LIU, 3 p.m.; Hawaii vs. UNLV or LIU, 5 p.m. Hawaii Invitational
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Hawaii games live, KFVE, Channel 5
Radio: Hawaii games live, KKEA, 1420-AM
Tickets: All seats general admission. $7 adults, $6 seniors, $4 for children (ages 4-17) and UH students.
Parking: $3
Probable starters
Hawaii (3-2)
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Michelle Gabriel (Sr.) 5-6 5.4 2.0 3.4 G April Atuaia (Soph.) 5-10 13.0 4.2 2.6 F Natasja Allen (Jr.) 6-2 11.8 6.0 1.0 F Jade Abele (Sr.) 6-0 11.8 3.6 3.2 C Christen Roper (Jr.) 6-5 10.6 10.2 0.9
KENTUCKY (2-3)
Ht. Pts. Reb. Ast. G Sara Potts (So.) 6-0 15.4 5.4 0.9 G Rita Adams (Sr.) 5-8 15.4 4.4 6.6 G Jenny Pfeiffer (Fr.) 5-8 8.0 1.2 0.6 F Shambrica Jones (Jr.) 6-0 10.2 7.8 1.2 C SeSe Helm (Jr.) 6-4 10.4 6.6 1.0
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