Ka‘u High School graduate Pua Kailiawa will return home to play basketball for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine, the school announced today.

A 6-2 post player from Pahala, she played two seasons at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore.

Kailiawa averaged 7.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.33 blocks per game as a sophomore. She set a new school single-season record with 100 blocked shots this season and finished third in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges with 273 rebounds. She was an all-NWAACC pick.

She is the fifth player to join the Rainbow Wahine hoops squad for 2012-13.

“Pua is a rebounding machine with the capability of being a dominant post player in the Big West Conference,” UH coach Laura Beeman said in a statement. “She is a strong ‘back-to-the-basket’ post that can shoot the three and welcomes contact.”