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Ex-Ashland High star Sarah Petersen headed to Raiders By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN ASHLAND -- With perhaps the best tandem of post players in the nation graduating, Southern Oregon University women's basketball coach Shirley Huyett faced a dilemma. How would she fill the void? Sarah Petersen, a 6-foot-2 center, bids Aloha to Hawaii. The answer came Monday, when former Ashland High star Sarah Petersen verbally committed to attend Southern Oregon. She will be counted on heavily to limit the damage caused by the absence of Nada Janackovic and Denise Berry, 6-foot seniors who this season led the Raiders to their third straight national tournament. The 6-2 Petersen is transferring from the University of Hawaii, where she didn't get the playing time she had hoped for. Petersen, who played two years for Rainbows coach Vince Goo, has two years of eligibility remaining, starting next season. "Having Sarah definitely puts us on the way to solving our problems inside," says Huyett, who says Petersen's transfer status won't be official until SOU receives a release from Hawaii. Huyett says she's talked to Hawaii officials, who said the release is forthcoming. "They're going to release Sarah after she does an informal, final interview with them," says Huyett. "This is great news. I'd like to get at least two more posts, if I can. "But with Sarah, at least we have someone who gives us an inside game. With Sarah, we won't get pushed around at the post as much as we did this season." Petersen will give up her full scholarship at Hawaii for a partial basketball scholarship at SOU. "In the long run, it will equal out pretty well," says Petersen. "There won't be any more $400 long-distance phone bills and no more expensive flights back and forth to Hawaii." Petersen, 20, averaged 2.5 points and just over five minutes of playing time this season for Division I Hawaii. "He (Goo) likes to go with his starters a lot," says Petersen. "I felt I could help, but I wasn't getting much playing time. It was frustrating, but rather than complain about it, I decided I wanted to try something else. "I don't want to leave Hawaii with any bad feelings. Most of my friends on the team tried to talk me out of leaving. But it's something I want to do." Petersen says another factor in her decision to transfer to Southern Oregon was because she missed her parents, friends and hometown. "I'm close to my family," she says. "That's very important to me. And I've wanted to play for Shirley for a long time. She's going to improve my game and make me a better player." "I want to finish my career where I can be happy and playing a lot. I hope she (Huyett) expects a lot out of me next year. I want to do anything I can to help the team win." Petersen, an all-state player for Ashland High in 1997 under head coach Heather Roberts, signed a letter of intent with Hawaii following her senior season. Petersen was a first-team Southern Oregon Conference all-star in basketball and volleyball. "Shirley (Huyett) recruited me pretty hard out of high school," says Petersen. "She was around me quite a bit in high school, and she always had interest in me. "I was tempted to sign with Southern Oregon, but the opportunity for a new experience in Hawaii at the highest level of women's basketball was something I felt I needed to try." Petersen, who has a grade-point average of better than 3.5 in communications at Hawaii, will continue in that major at SOU. Petersen says she learned something about herself the past couple of years. "I feel things happen for a reason," she says. "I went to Hawaii for two years to find out that I wanted to come back here. That's how I look at it." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.