Wahine basketball greats linked by more than just talent

Judy Mosley-McAfee and Lynette Liu barely knew each other. But they are forever linked.

"That’s true," said Liu, who will play in the University of Hawaii women’s basketball alumnae game Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center, at 2 p.m., prior to UH’s game against CSUN. "We have a lot in common."

Not on the surface, though. Mosley was a 6-foot-1 center from California. Liu was a 5-foot-3 guard from Kohala on the Big Island.

They missed each other by two seasons. We can only wonder how good the Rainbow Wahine might have been if their careers did intersect. Liu, with quickness, outside shooting and clever passing, matched up with Mosley’s instinctive mastery of the low post, dominant in scoring and rebounding.

Liu finished at UH as the young program’s career leading scorer 30 years ago with 1,363 points. She was at or near the top in several other categories including steals, assists and free-throw percentage. She still holds the school record with 31 consecutive free throws.

She would’ve had another couple of hundred points if the 3-point line existed during her career, but Mosley scored 2,479 points and finished with a big cushion on the Wahine all-time ledger.

And, 25 years after her last UH game, Mosley-McAfee’s name remains atop that list — as well as the one for rebounds. She is the greatest Rainbow Wahine basketball player, ever.

People who play for the same athletic program share a special kinship. They are sisters or brothers for life, and beyond. That’s part of what alumnae games celebrate.

Mosley-McAfee and Liu share another unbreakable, eternal bond. Both fought cancer, and fought it hard.

Earlier this month, Liu’s doctors declared her free of cancer. Five years after diagnosis, surgery and radiation treatment she now doesn’t even need the daily medication she’d been taking to help prevent a recurrence.

For the first time since 2009 she has peace of mind. She’s officially a survivor.

"When the doctor tells you the C word you just freeze and you don’t hear anything after that. You’re in shock. That’s why they tell you bring someone with you, to take notes and tell you later what the doctor said after that," Liu said. "You are scared because you don’t know what will happen next. I was lucky because of early detection. After surgery the only thing I wanted to know was if it spread to the lymph nodes, and the answer was, ‘no.’"

Mosley-McAfee wasn’t as fortunate. She died in September, 2013, three years after being diagnosed with cancer.

On Saturday, her family will be in attendance as she is honored by UH, her jersey going into retirement.

"I especially feel bad for them because of how young Judy was," said Liu, who also lost one of her closest friends to cancer two years ago. "And Judy and her husband had four kids, a growing family."

As dynamic and dominant as they were as college athletes, Mosley-McAfee and Liu also shared the characteristic of low-key, private personalities.

"But if this story helps even one person avoid or beat cancer, it’s good to share it," Liu said.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.