With All-Americans Prince and
Kamana'o back, there's little doubt
Hawaii will be in contention

RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM

Victoria’s
Not-So-Secret

It's her senior season and Victoria Prince
knows how she wants it to end -- down
by the River Walk in San Antonio

She can be persuasive.

VERY persuasive.

It once got her an "A" in speech class.

"Allen Iverson is by far my favorite athlete and I had to convince the class he was the best guard in the NBA," Victoria Prince said.

"Every game, he gives 120 percent. He goes hard all of the time. If Allen Iverson is playing, I'm watching the game.

"The class was persuaded. If they were paying attention, they had to agree. What mattered was the professor was persuaded. I got the 'A.' "

Some may feel that Prince has patterned her game after A.I.'s. At 6-feet, they're both undersized for their positions -- Prince as a Division I middle blocker, Iverson as a fearless guard.

Their similarities include the drive to win. And, with it being her final college season, Prince makes no secret about wanting to win the NCAA championship in San Antonio this December.

"Bring on the River Walk," the Hawaii blocker said of San Antonio's signature city attraction. "I want to go to San Antonio so badly.

"I have so much confidence in our team. We have so much depth, at least two other players at every position who could come in at any time and start. What makes it exciting is that there is no guarantee you'll play. No one knows who'll be starting and that will make us a better team."

RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM

Beating out Prince will be a tough task. The second-team All-American started all 31 matches for the Rainbow Wahine last season, her first at Hawaii after transferring from Washington State.

Prince played in all but three of the 122 games, tied the UH rally-scoring record for blocks in a five-game match (13 at Nevada, Oct. 2) and broke the WAC tournament record for hitting (.867 with 13 kills and no errors in 15 swings against SMU). Her dream season turned nightmarish when stricken with flu-like symptoms and strep throat prior to the start of the NCAA tournament.

"I was sick, but I felt like I gave it my all," she said. "Everything happens for a reason, and there was a reason I was sick.

"Yes, Wisconsin (the 3-2 loss in the round of 16) was a disappointment. We knew we were the better team. It was our only loss. It goes to 21-19 in Game 5. I think we learned a lot from that loss. It can be over at any time. Every second we have to give 110 percent."

With that in mind, Prince has trained every day since coming back from Christmas break. Summer has gone by very quickly -- too quickly for a senior with one last shot at the NCAA championship.

"I kept hearing it, 'It's your senior year,' and it's starting to sink in," Prince said. "It's my last chance. That's why I stayed here this summer. I feel like I'm in the best shape I've ever been.

"I have to feel that being in Hawaii was completely meant to be. God has a plan for everybody's life and, although they say that really good things can come out of bad, I didn't think it would ever get better after my (Washington State) experience. But then this door to Hawaii opened and it's been amazing ever since. I truly am blessed by God to be here."

Prince started her career at Washington State, wanting to be close to home and family (Kennewick, Wash., is about a 2-hour drive from Pullman).

She did very well for the Cougars, was an All-NCAA Regional selection as a sophomore, but wasn't happy. Prince broke her foot and also suffered nerve damage in a spring 2003 practice; she sat out that season, rehabbing and looking for a school to transfer to.

She wound up at Hawaii, far from home yet close to home. Her mother Brenda graduated from Leilehua High in 1968, when the family was stationed here.

Solidifying her "I was meant to be here" feeling was Prince's recent acceptance into the UH journalism program.

"They only accept 40 and I'm so excited," she said. "It's a two-year program, meaning I'll graduate in 2007. I want to do sportscasting. That's my dream job. But I'm in no hurry to leave Hawaii."

Prince has acclimated quite nicely. She and boyfriend Kenny Patton, a member of the Warrior football team, work out together -- "We have the same goals and focus," she said -- and the two often hit the driving range.

"It's a nice way to calm down," Prince said. "I'm not the best at it, but it is so much fun.

"I don't think I'm very good, but if Michelle (Honolulu teen golfing sensation Wie) wants to golf, I'm down."

That particular match play will have to be put on hold, at least for four months.

Prince has a number of speeches to give to her teammates about goals and going River Walking.

She can be very persuasive.

DAVID SWANN / DSWANN@STARBULLETIN.COM

The Play

Prince's stepout: "What makes her so effective is her footspeed and armswing. She's really quick and it's hard (for opponents) to keep up with her. She has a fast arm. On her takeoff, she's touching 10'-2". The net is 7'-4". Ideally, the set is traveling flat and parallel to the net while she is chasing the ball, deciding when to hit. What separates her from the others is that a quick (set) is usually low. Victoria hits the quick fast and high. From takeoff to contact ... less than 3 seconds."