FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Rainbow Wahine senior point guard Milia Macfarlane is averaging 7.4 points and 30 minutes per game.

After persevering,
Macfarlane plays

Milia Macfarlane has absolutely no regrets about choosing to play basketball for the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine, despite some struggles and adversity since joining the program in the fall of 2001.

Recruited by Rutgers and UCLA, she verbally committed to UH as a high school junior and signed a letter of intent during the early signing period.

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"My primary reason for staying home was my family," said Macfarlane, who hates the cold, according to her father, Walter.

This year the 5-foot-5 senior point guard is having fun. She has started every game, averages 30 minutes on the court and is scoring 7.4 points a game, more than triple her career average.

"It is not much of a surprise the way she is playing because that's what I saw her being capable of when we started practice," said UH coach Jim Bolla. "I want my point guard to see what happens and have the flexibility to call plays. I don't want them looking at me all the time. I think that has helped her, having the authority to call a play."

That wasn't always the case.

Macfarlane, a volleyball and basketball standout at Punahou, where she was a four-year starter at point guard, needed all the patience she could muster. She played a total of 44 games her freshman and sophomore seasons, but started just one. She had 16 intermittent starts last year.

"Everything happens for a reason. You have to take what happens and turn it into a positive. Sometimes you question things, but you have to move on," said Macfarlane, a believer in Bolla's offense.

"I love this offense because it allows everyone a chance to score if we can't fast-break. It gives everyone comfort in that they can produce in that area. It's more than just two players scoring."

Macfarlane worked out in the weight room and played pickup games last summer, but didn't take it as seriously as in the past. It gave her a chance to clear her mind and decide what she really wanted for herself. She thought about her days on the bench and not getting too many chances to play.

She was ready with a new attitude for her senior season, but was forced to take a two-month break when she had umbilical hernia surgery late last summer and did not work out until official practice opened in October.

"I took it slow and fortunately had a quick recovery," said Macfarlane. "I wanted to remember what it was like to have fun playing basketball, not worrying about mistakes and being a part of that Wahine family atmosphere.

"I wanted to have a good time with my teammates. I thoroughly enjoy their company. They are like sisters. Second of all, I wanted to play. That was the bottom line. I waited a long time to get my chance and now I have to make use of it."

Bolla would like to see a little more consistency from Macfarlane at the offensive end.

"Milia has to get back on track offensively. She didn't have a good road trip. She only scored four points at Rice and none against Tulsa," said Bolla. "Milia had 14 and 13 points in our last two home games."

A co-captain along with the team's other senior, Jade Abele, Macfarlane enjoys being a leader on and off the court. She tries to help as many people as she can off the court because of her experiences.

"I'm aware of the kind of support I can offer, being there for those teammates who don't play," said Macfarlane. "I was there once and know what it is like. I make sure I acknowledge the support of those who don't play. I want to make them feel they are part of the team, keep the hope alive in them or else nothing is fun any more."

An elementary-education major, Macfarlane will graduate in May 2006. She has a cumulative 3.65 grade-point average and has had straight A's since her sophomore year.

"That's when I met my boyfriend (Keani Alapa, who played outside linebacker for the UH and is now at the Honolulu Police Academy), a wonderful boyfriend who made the difference," said Macfarlane.

"Milia is the mother of this team. When we got off the bus in Tulsa, she left a note on the driver's seat thanking him for the ride," said Bolla.