Kalaheo alum
Sensley signs to play
with HawaiiThe fifth member of UH's
recruiting class will have
three years of eligibility left
While Hawaii basketball coach Riley Wallace was on the mainland for his family's annual fishing trip, the Rainbow Warriors landed one of the biggest catches of the recruiting season yesterday.
Former Kalaheo standout Julian Sensley has signed a scholarship agreement with Hawaii, the school announced yesterday.
"I'm very excited. I've been away for four years and I'm just really looking forward to being back in the islands," Sensley said.
The agreement is contingent on Sensley earning an associate's degree from Los Angeles City College this semester, but he said he is on track to fulfill the requirement when classes end in two weeks.
Sensley, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound small forward who is equally dangerous in the post and on the perimeter, will have three years of eligibility remaining when he enters UH in the fall.
"We are excited that Julian is returning to Hawaii to become a part of the Rainbow basketball program," Wallace said. "He is a versatile athlete who can play both forward positions and will add to an already talented front line. With his size and athleticism, he is the kind of player who can help strengthen our program."
Sensley played his freshman year at LACC this past season and averaged 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Cubs. He helped the team to a 36-2 record and the California Community College championship. Sensley was an all-state selection at LACC and is rated among the nation's top 30 junior college players by the Sporting News and Street & Smith magazines.
He signed a national letter of intent with San Francisco during the fall, but was released from his commitment earlier this week.
Sensley would join a Rainbow frontcourt that is set to return three seniors in forwards Phil Martin and Paul Jesinskis and center Haim Shimonovich. Junior forward Nkeruwem Akpan is planning to try out for the UH football team in the fall, but could return to the basketball team after the season.
UH began the recruiting season with four scholarships to offer for next year, but Akpan's decision to play football opened up a fifth.
"(Wallace) made it clear we were not going to give the fifth scholarship unless we could get someone really special, and it just happened to work out where we had an opportunity to work this out with Julian," said UH associate coach Jackson Wheeler, who handles much of the Rainbows' recruiting efforts.
Sensley's signing with UH marks the latest turn in his journey to a Division I college basketball program.
Sensley's potential was apparent during his three years at Kalaheo, where he earned all-state honors. He transferred to St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn., and graduated in 2001 after leading the team to two state titles.
He was regarded as one of the nation's top prep prospects and originally signed with California, but did not have a qualifying test score. He later surfaced at Iona and Fresno State, but didn't play at either school and entered last year's NBA Draft. He withdrew his name in time to retain his college eligibility.
He finally played his first season of college ball at LACC this year.
"It's been a rough road," Sensley said. "When you leave, everybody wants a piece of you. ... It was tough, but it was definitely a learning experience."
Sensley rounds out a five-member recruiting class for the Rainbows. UH signed point guard Logan Lee and forwards Jeff Blackett and Bobby Nash in the fall. The team added shooting guard Jake Sottos earlier this month.
Jerry Mullen, publisher of the Mullen Roundball Review, saw Sottos and Sensley play in junior college and expects both to boost the Rainbow program.
"Jake is a winner, he's a lefty that can really score. I think he'll be an excellent player," Mullen said. "(Sensley) is a very athletic player with the big-time body.
"Jake will fit in right away, and Sensley is just a man, he can't help but help them."
