From wiper to
3-point drainer
Jodi Nakashima used to wipe the Stan Sheriff Center floor underneath the baskets.
Now she drains 3-point shots through the baskets for Boise State University.
Nakashima leads the Western Athletic Conference and is third in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage.
She has made 14 of her last 16 3-point attempts over four games, raising her season percentage to .583 (21 of 36).
"This is like living a dream," Nakashima said yesterday. "I used to go watch the UH Wahine play and do the whole floor-wiper thing when I was in intermediate school.
"Playing in college was a dream. It's just amazing how far one can get if you continue to push forward."
Nakashima, a 2001 Roosevelt High School graduate from Village Park, is a junior at Boise State who played fewer than 7 minutes a game and averaged fewer than two points a game in her first two college seasons.
She still comes off the bench in most games, but has led the Broncos scoring in two of their last three games, including a career-high 17 against Utah Valley State on Dec. 20. She was 5-for-5 on 3-pointers that night.
"Jodi might be our best 2 guard, but she really helps my second group to execute," coach Jen Warden said yesterday.
"She's a very, very bright player, like a coach on the floor.
"When I bring our three freshmen off the bench to spell upper-classmen, we don't miss a beat with her on the floor."
Nakashima understands her role. "Whatever is asked of me, I will try to do it," she said. "Right now, my role is to come off the bench and hit the open shot.
"My teammates are doing a great job of finding me whenever I am open."
Nakashima had made nine straight 3-point attempts before she missed her first one Friday against UTEP. She hit her next three and ended the game 4-for-6.
"She has confidence, knows what shots are good for her, and she knows our offense," coach Warden said.
With a lot of games yet to play, Nakashima is .120 percentage points ahead of the 16-year-old school record for 3-point accuracy and .019 points ahead of the 11-year-old WAC record.
She is a health promotion major with a 3.0 GPA and says remote Boise, Idaho, is "a great place to be for college. There is no reason not to study."
But the thing she likes best about Idaho is "I get to experience all four seasons and all the little squirrels."
On schedule: Boise State plays Rice and the WAC's second sharpest shooter, Kate Beckler, tomorrow in Boise. ... The Broncos play Hawaii on Jan. 24 in Boise and Feb. 19 at the Stan Sheriff Center. And Nakashima will not be wiping up the floor.
The Hawaii Grown Report also is published every Sunday in the Star-Bulletin and is available online at www.hhsaa.org and www.sportshigh.com.
