Back to their roots

There is something to be said for going away to college, for experiencing life free of parents and old habits and routines.

There’s something else in the conversation about the joys of getting back to all that, too.

That part got embedded, "Inception"-style, in the minds of three 2009 Hawaii high school graduates who started their college basketball careers on the mainland but couldn’t resist the homecoming pull. Vicky Tagalicod (USC/Hilo High), Kanisha Bello (Idaho/Waiakea) and, most recently, Janelle Nomura (Cal State Northridge/Punahou) transferred to their home state to finish up at UH.

"I wanted to see and experience (mainland life), to go away and be on my own," said Bello, a 5-foot-8 sophomore. "That made me grow up a lot. I appreciated the opportunity that I had to play up there. It was a good choice that I moved away, but it was a better choice to come back home and play here."

The 5-foot-9 Tagalicod called the opportunity "a second birth."

Two of the three guards are involved in workouts with their new teammates and are getting a feel for the team’s new motion-style offense — brought to Hawaii by former Idaho assistant Gavin Petersen — in preparation for the start of women’s official practices next month. The third, Nomura, is on the mend from offseason shoulder surgery and will be limited for a while.

Their additions as Rainbow Wahine bring the roster’s local count to six — more than one-third of the team. Senior guard Courtney Gaddis (Kalani), sophomore wing Shawna Kuehu (Punahou) and freshman forward Kalei Adolpho (Molokai) are the others. (The dual-sport Adolpho will join the team after volleyball season is over.)

"One of our philosophies has always been to keep the best local talent home," said third-year Rainbow Wahine coach Dana Takahara-Dias. "Sometimes it’s not straight out of high school, sometimes the path takes a different route. But nevertheless, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish."

The coach was quick to mention that each player’s paperwork was cleared from their previous schools before contact was made. Tagalicod received a scholarship when she transferred to UH midway through last season, while the summer pick-ups, Bello and Nomura, are walk-ons for now.

All cited family as an important reason in their return, along with familiarity with Takahara-Dias and former teammates from their days together on all-star squads. Bello and Tagalicod, Big Islanders both, will have parents and siblings routinely flying over to see them play. Nomura cited her grandparents and uncle, diehard UH fans all, as a big part of her move.

"I think it would just really make them happy to see me play as a UH Wahine," said the 5-foot-4 Nomura, the most proven of the three at the Division I level. The junior point guard made 27 starts in two years at CSUN with averages of 7.7 points and 2.8 assists.

For the versatile Tagalicod, it’s been three years since her all-state-caliber junior year at Hilo High, the last meaningful games she’s played. She tore her ACL during her senior year and re-tore it after a preseason exhibition at USC, which forced her to redshirt. She’s at full strength now and is anxious to prove herself.

"I’ve had times where I feel like I’ve wanted to give up. But I look back and see the stuff that I’ve been through, and I’ve made it so far. Why stop now?" said Tagalicod, who has three years of eligibility left.

Bello (3.2 points in 14.7 minutes per game at Idaho) wanted to follow in the footsteps of her aunt Jenn Kaeo, who played at UH in the early 1990s. She figures she’s in the best shape of her life after rigorous training on Oahu over the past year.

"I’ve always had a place for UH in my heart," Bello said.

There is an NCAA transfer rule that makes student-athletes sit out games with their new school for a single season. Tagalicod, who joined the Wahine midway through last season, will be eligible on Dec. 18 against Portland State.

However, the NCAA tacks on an additional year when the athlete in question transfers between two schools within the same conference. Bello played at fellow Western Athletic Conference member Idaho in 2009-10, but because she was not at a D-I school last season and got her associate’s degree at Kapiolani Community College, she is eligible right away.

Nomura could be penalized because UH heads to the Big West Conference, the league of her former school, after this season. She is still awaiting word on an NCAA appeal to get her eligibility restored after one year. Worst-case scenario, Nomura would only have her senior year to play as a Wahine.

But after a nightmarish sophomore season at CSUN — not only was there a coaching change, but she had pneumonia for a month and played with a bum shoulder — Nomura was more than ready to come home and get the local party started.

"It’s nice to think about it, the local girls are going to bring Hawaii back on the map," she said with a grin.