SALT LAKE CITY — Tina Fakahafua grew up playing basketball with boys. "I grew up with three younger brothers and my dad has always been a big sports fan. I started playing basketball at the Sorenson Recreational Center when I was 7 years old. I played with boys until I was 12 or 14. I was on every basketball team I could possibly get on. Then, my parents finally moved me with the girls," said Fakahafua. And it was a nice move. Fakahafua has received numerous post-season honors throughout her basketball career as a Lady Bulldog at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. She led her team to a 23-4 record this season. In this year alone, she was named Class 3A Most Valuable Player (MVP), first team All-State team, and Region 10 All-Region team. Fakahafua does not take all the credit, though. "I could not have done it without the team. They make me look better by passing me the ball. I just feel everyone should have been MVP," she said. Fakahafua will be graduating from high school this year and has already signed a letter of intent to attend the College of Southern Idaho. She will be playing for the Golden Eagles basketball team. "I really liked the girls, and Coach Randy Rogers is nice and outgoing. My parents got along with him. I think I will fit in with that group," she said. The girls on the Golden Eagles team showed Fakahafua her way around campus, gave her shirts from the season, and made her feel at home. "The campus was nice and the weather was beautiful. The dorms were very cool," she said. And the team is a very good one, too. The Golden Eagles won the Region 18 tournament and placed sixth at the NJCAA National Tournament last season. The team has had five All-Americans and eight Academic All-Americans during the past six years. Rogers also has an impressive history as a coach. He has posted a 113-23 overall record and a Region 18 record of 67-13 in the past four seasons. He was named Region 18 coach of the year in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and his teams have been nationally ranked since the 2003-04 season. "This is a great decision and a great school for Fakahafua," said Jeremy Chatterton, head coach of the Bulldogs team. "CSI is certainly one of if not the most successful junior college in the area and their style is very similar to what we play here at Judge. Fakahafua will be very successful with the Golden Eagles," he said. Fakahafua said she plans to study psychology and that "after college I might be done with basketball." Meanwhile, she is expected to be a great asset to the Golden Eagles team. "Our incoming class is loaded with talent and a lot of heart," said Rogers. "We are counting on Fakahafua, who is a great kid, to be a leader. She has a great work ethic and we’re excited to have her as part of our program." "I just want to stay positive. I don’t want to over work my teammates or make any of them feel like they’re not that good of a player," said Fakahafua. "I tend to yell but I don’t mean to." She has learned some techniques to control her temper on the court. "On our team, we pound our hearts when we are angry as a reminder that it is about the team, not the individual player," she said. Even though Fakahafua does not plan to play basketball after college, she said she will keep an open mind. "My whole life revolves around basketball… I find happiness in the court playing with the girls and being the best person I can be out there," she said. Fakahafua said she has the most fun diving on the ground when playing. But losing isn’t really that fun. "Losing means there is something we have to work on to better the team or myself as a leader. It’s hard to lose, but we have to learn how to sometimes," she said, and then she smiled as if thinking, "Just not too many times."
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