NANAKULI, Oahu --- After guiding Biola's women's basketball program through its first few years of annual Hawaii road trips in PacWest conference play, coach Alan Nakamura has the Eagles' first recruit from the islands in the NCAA era. 

Esther Naum will head to the mainland from Nanakuli, Hawaii, a suburb of Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The 5-foot-8-inch shooting guard currently attends Kamehameha Kapalama High School in Honolulu and is averaging 21 minutes-per-game in her senior season for the Warriors.

"We are excited to have Esther join our Biola Basketball family! She has excelled at one of the best schools and basketball programs in Hawaii," said Head Coach Alan Nakamura. "She is going to bring a team-first attitude, and a strong work-ethic, on and off the court."

Despite the thousands of miles between Nanakuli and La Mirada, Naum says Biola has everything she wants in a college from the women's basketball program to the Christian values and the Southern California location.

"I know Biola will be very welcoming and will make me feel comfortable," she said. "I can't wait to start basketball at Biola because I will be challenged against different girls, experience basketball at the next level, and have a whole new team."

Aside from school, Naum also plays club basketball and volunteers in various community service ministries through her church, which include helping those suffering homelessness and those whose family members have a life-threatening illness.

Naum plans to study kinesiology with the goal of becoming an athletic trainer one day. Her first season as an Eagle will begin in late 2020, but in the meantime you can catch Biola Women's Basketball at their senior night on Thursday at Chase Gymnasium and in the PacWest Conference tournament at Azusa Pacific University March 5-7.

For more information on the other student-athletes also arriving at Biola in Fall 2020, visit the committed athletes page.