Aiea’s Natasha Helsham Was Raised On Basketball

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Aiea sophomore Natasha Helsham
goes up against the Dalles High
team from Seattle. Photo by Byron
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It may be stretching it a bit to say that Natasha Helsham learned to count by watching a scoreboard, but the Aiea junior-to-be is definitely a product of her basketball-heavy environment.

“I was surrounded by basketball,” said Helsham, whose mother Vanessa is a longtime coach. “Basketball is 24-7 for me - it has always been a big thing for me.

“My family wanted me to play volleyball. They said it would help my jumping ability, but I would-n’t want to get hurt (playing volleyball) and not be able to play basketball. If I’m going to get hurt, it’s going to be from something I love.”

Added her mom: “She wanted to play basketball since she was 6 years old. She never wanted to play anything else.”

Helsham’s all-consuming love of the sport has helped her to a stellar first two seasons with Aiea High School. Her play also caught the attention of Kalaheo boys (and former girls) coach Chico Furtado, who quickly recruited her to join his Hawaii-Select traveling all-star team, which will go to Las Vegas next month for the Vision Sports National Youth Basketball Tournament (billed as “The Main Event”). The team is also competing in the Kalaheo Summer League, which began last week.

Hawaii-Select finished as the runner-up in the tournament last July after winning the event the year before. On her first day of practice with Hawaii-Select, Helsham found herself surrounded by some of the best players in the state. Indeed, it’s not uncommon for each member of Hawaii-Select to have been its home school’s Most Valuable Player. Also competing for Hawaii-Select are Iolani standout Jamie Smith, Kamehameha’s Alexis Furtado and Radford’s Ta Nitra Byrd, among others.

“We really like her game,” Furtado said.“She fits perfect with what we want to do, which is to run and press. She’s so athletic, and she runs the floor well. Her strength, more than anything, is attacking the basket, and she’s a good kid who listens.”

The first thing Helsham took note of when Hawaii-Select assembled for the first time was the pace.

“It’s been real good,” she said. “The tempo (at practice) is fast - quick, quick, quick ... it’s really competitive. We’ve been scrimmaging with (former University of Hawaii players) Nani Cockett and Michelle Gabriel, and that will make us a lot better.”

Helsham likens her own game more to that of current UH point guard Amy Kotani, who has been a longtime friend of the family. Both players thrive in an up-tempo system.

“I admire the way she plays and how humble she is off of the court,” she said.

Whether or not Helsham will some day be a member of the UH program herself is still to be decided, but she’s definitely set her goals high.

“I would love to play in the WNBA,” she said.

In addition to earning a spot with Hawaii-Select, Helsham is also competing for Aiea in summer league play. She has always played in the community, having been active in youth leagues. Her grandfather, Edward Chung, used to be a coach, while her mother, with whom she is especially close, has coached in the community for years and used to coach Natasha.

“She’s still coaching me from the sidelines,” Natasha laughed.

“Basketball runs in the family,“Vanessa Helsham said.“We live across from Makalapa Community Park and Natasha has practiced a lot. She’s also had a lot of help through the years from her coaches.”

Off the court, Natasha’s other primary interest is rest.

“She loves to sleep when she’s not playing basketball, which is seldom,” Vanessa Helsham mused.“Japanese think that if you sleep a long time, you grow.”