Aiea Girls Basketball Feels Helsham’s Winning Touch
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usThere was no direct line for Natasha Helsham to become the leader of the Aiea girls basketball team.As a carefree sophomore, she relied on her physical skills to become one of the top players in the balanced Oahu Interscholastic Association’s Red West Conference.
This year, she’s added another dimension to her game - the result of a busy summer that saw her compete with the Hawaii-Select all-star team.
“The summer really made me stronger, mentally,” said Helsham, who led Aiea to wins in its first two league games against Leilehua (49-19) and Pearl City (49-21).“It was the first time I’d ever been to the Mainland, so it was a great experience. Last year, I just played.When I came back this season, I wanted to learn all five positions. Sometimes I tell them (the underclassmen) what to do. I try to lend them a hand.”
Helsham and her teammates are on a mission to return Na Ali’i to the state tournament after missing out last year. During her freshman year in the spring of 2005,Aiea had made the Division II state tournament and had high hopes last year to do the same in DI.
“I think coach (Mike Yen) expected us to go to states last year,” said Helsham.“We really want to go this year. We’ve been practicing a lot harder lately, and coach has really been stressing that. Our defense will get us there - like the saying, ‘Defense wins championships.’ “
Over the summer, Helsham played alongside some of the state’s top talent with the Hawaii-Select all-star team, coached by Kalaheo boys head coach Chico Furtado.
Hawaii-Select traveled to Las Vegas in early July to participate in the Main Event Tournament, where they compiled a 4-1 record en route to making the quarterfinals. Their only loss came to eventual runner-up Tree of Hope (Washington).
Helsham was a key contributor on that team, and as she approaches the midway point of her junior season, she’s become the focal point of other team’s efforts to defend Na Ali’i.
“We really like her (Helsham’s) game,” said Furtado, who won five OIA titles as the Kalaheo girls coach. “She fits perfectly 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.”
As expected, Helsham has been the catalyst to date for Na Ali’i, whose starting lineup has also included Capri Holiona, Jennifer Yuen, Natasha Fong, Shayla Kuehu and Caroline Sio. She led Na Ali’i in scoring in both of their wins, tal-lying 12 and 19 points versus Leilehua and Pearl City, respectively.
“I like to try to get everyone involved in the game,“said Helsham.
“That’s happened in both games. It’s nice to see the players who don’t play as much get into the game and get a feel for how it is.
“In both games we’ve come out strong in the second half after slow starts,“she added.“I think we’ll get over that. The girls have been taking practice a lot more seriously.The way we’ve been practicing is making a difference. The team has been working together, and the younger players know what we expect of them at the varsity level.”
Aiea, which was to play Mililani last Friday night in a key Red West game,returns to action on Thursday when Na Ali’i travels to Kapolei to play their first regular-season road game. On Saturday, Aiea travels to Nanakuli. Both games tip-off at approximately 6:30 p.m.
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