Karaitiana leads the way

Laura Beeman did her worst to rattle Ashleigh Karaitiana.

The Rainbow Wahine basketball coach questioned the senior’s ability to connect from beyond the stripe, taunted her about her unorthodox technique and, basically, tried to get into her head.

"She just gave me that look," Beeman said.

With her teammates cheering on, Karaitiana aimed from her hip, spun the ball toward the target and …

"She nailed it," Beeman recalled of her plunge into the tank below.

"Before I even hit the water I was laughing so hard I almost choked."

The rugby pass that soaked Beeman during homecoming week festivities on the University of Hawaii campus — a moment captured on video and posted on Facebook — carried over from Karaitiana’s devotion to the famed All Blacks while growing up in New Zealand.

Karaitiana’s more conventional shooting stroke in the gym, the product of an upbringing around the game, has her off to a solid start to her senior season with the Rainbow Wahine.

While four players have taken turns as UH’s leading scorer this season, Karaitiana has provided consistency as the only player with double-figure point totals in all four games. She enters a challenging Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Shootout tied for the team lead with 12.8 points per game.

Her production has helped the Rainbow Wahine (3-1) break out to their best start since 2010 heading into Friday’s game against Prairie View A&M (0-3), the four-time defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion, at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Wahine then take on No. 5 Stanford (3-1) on Saturday and No. 11 North Carolina (4-0) on Sunday.

"It’s definitely exciting and it’s a big challenge for our girls and our team," said Karaitiana, who posted 14 points and 11 rebounds in a 79-72 loss to No. 14 California last Friday. "Some girls haven’t been exposed to players at that level, but at the same time we know we can compete with them."

Although Beeman has varied the rotations such that nine players are averaging at least 10 minutes per game, Karaitiana hasn’t spent much time on the bench so far, averaging a team-high 35.8 minutes.

Karaitiana stayed in Hawaii over the summer leading into her senior year with the goal of being one of the team’s pacesetters. That preparation allowed her to go the distance twice this season, opening the schedule by playing all 45 minutes while scoring 12 points in UH’s overtime win at Colorado State despite the 5,000-foot elevation.

"As a senior and stepping up this year I wanted to be a leader, not necessarily vocally, but be able to set an example for the other girls," Karaitiana said. "I continue to work every day on my conditioning. Enough is never enough for me. I’m going to keep raising the bar."

Karaitiana’s versatility has also helped keep her on the court. Listed as a 6-foot guard, Karaitiana is among UH’s leading 3-point threats — she made 39 last season — while also ranking among the team’s top rebounders.

"She can literally match up one through five," Beeman said. "Her length can help her back off of a quicker offensive player and her height can allow her to play inside. She may not be the banger, but she can front, she can use her finesse, pick up some fouls."

Karaitiana is equally active away from the arena as well. She is the team’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative and helped lead community service events, whether reading to elementary school classes, participating in the team’s clinics in Nanakuli and Waianae or feeding the homeless.

"It’s great to go out in the community because here in Hawaii we’re the ones the kids look up to," Karaitiana said. "To be able to read to them and see the excitement on their faces is definitely rewarding and it’s a blessing."

"She’s very giving of herself and that really shows," Beeman said.

Karaitiana has dual citizenship in New Zealand and Australia and grew up tagging along with her father, Hoani, to his games. She began playing organized basketball at 10 and went on to earn a spot on Australia’s youth national teams.

Her parents are in town for the holiday weekend and those earliest memories on the court continue to provide inspiration.

"Ever since I was little, he would take me everywhere he went," Karaitiana said. "Dad’s the number one reason I play. He loves watching me play and I love to make him proud."

ASHLEIGH KARAITIANA
Age: 22
Class: Senior
Major: Travel Industry Management
Hometown: Hamilton, New Zealand
High school: Endeavour Sports High School (Australia)
Statistically speaking: Tied for the team lead with 12.8 points per game. Tied for second with six rebounds per game. … Scored 10.4 points per game while appearing in all 31 games with nine starts as a junior. … Led the Wahine with 39 3-pointers last season. … Made six of eight 3-pointers in scoring a career-high 28 points in a loss at Cal State Northridge last February. … Started 30 games as a sophomore, averaging 8.5 points. … Sat out her freshman year due to NCAA eligibility regulations.