Fresno State Athletics
Thunder From the Island
12/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2001
By Chennelle Miller, Fresno State Media Relations
Kalua Pig with Cabbage, Laulau, Poi and a side of Lomi Salmon. Not sure what that is? Most people aren't, but freshman forward Aritta Lane knows exactly what it is.
"Kalua Pig is cooked whole in the middle of a hill of stones," said Lane. "The Laulau is chicken or pork mixed with fish and wrapped in the middle of a Luau leaf and then cooked in a Ti leaf. Poi is a paste made from the root of a tarot and the Lomi Salmon is salmon cooked in tomatoes, onions and salt."
Are the taste buds salivating now? Lane may be adjusting to being on the mainland, but her taste buds are still in Hawaii, her homeland. She has however left her favoritism for the University of Hawai'i on the island and is now in the hands of the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Just take a look at her play on the basketball court. Head coach Brit King considers her a tremendous asset in the paint and says people might be surprised by her style of play.
"Aritta is going to surprise some teams with her ability to get the boards," said King. Lane admits that her mentality coming into Fresno State was that of a champion. She considers herself to be a 100 percent type of player, so it's only fitting for her to have the mentality of a champion.
"I want people to know that when I'm out there I give 100 percent, every time," stated Lane. "I'm just that type of player."
Lane's energy on the court is the result of an honest effort in every situation to become better. She has come a long way since she first began to play the game when she was a sophomore in high school. By her senior year, she had made it to the State Championships with her alma mater Aiea High School. She had perhaps her most successful season by averaging 14.0 points per game and was named first-team all-state. By getting to the highest level a high school team can get to, Lane learned what it takes to be a winner. In talking with the coaching staff at Fresno State, Lane had set a standard with them of being a champion and arriving at the school with that very mindset.
"I told them (the coaching staff) I wanted to be a leader and I wanted to be challenged," said Lane. "It's important for a post to be an on-court leader and I want to be that kind of player."
Lane remembers when felt a bit uneasy about joining a veteran-filled squad, but she never actually experienced it. On the contrary, she is having a great time with all of her teammates. The tough part has been the schedule. Although she confesses that she enjoys having something to do all the time.
"When I wake up in the morning I know I have a set agenda," said Lane. "I go to class, then to practice and if it's a game day I go to class, to practice and then to the game. It's tiring, but I am committed to doing it all because I want to and most of all because I love the game."
In between balancing her schedule for basketball and school, Lane tries to step back and appreciate why she is here and what goals she has over the next four seasons. She has set her sites on becoming a persistent and reliable three-point shooter. Lane also would like to improve her dribbling skills. Her path to achieving such measures has been somewhat taxing. "I'm really clumsy," said Lane. "But I want people to know, I don't fall because I'm weak. I fall because I want to be everywhere at once."
Lane also says that sometimes it's hard to accept the criticism and to go through the motions to obtain her goals.
"I honestly have a hard time accepting criticism, but I do," stated Lane. "I've learned a lot from working in practice with 'O' [Udeze]."
Over the course of the season and onto the next three years, Lane will most likely receive many criticisms en route to obtaining her goals. If she continues to watch the tapes, listen to criticism and model herself after players who have been successful, such goals will be achieved somewhat easier.
"I'm happy to play at this level," said Lane. "I look forward to my looking back on my career here four years from now, but I right now I determine how that memory will be seen."
