MeiLani McBee is most comfortable on the basketball court standing 22 feet and 1 3/4 inches away from the basket.
The 3-point line, which curves around the key on both sides of the basketball court, is where the fifth-year Hawaii Rainbow Wahine senior has done the most damage in her UH career.
The 5-foot-10 guard from Kennewick, Wash., enters her final season third on the school’s 3-point field goals made list with 160. After sinking 62 last season, which was the fourth-highest total in program history, McBee has a real chance at catching Amy Atwell, who made 205 in her career between 2016 and 2022, for the top spot.
“My personal goal is still trying to get that 3-point record,” McBee said last week after UH started the season 1-1 on its opening two-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest. “Winning the Big West and making it to the NCAA Tournament is our No. 1 team goal, but for me, personally, I’ve been working really hard on chasing (the 3-point record).”
For McBee, there is no better feeling on a basketball court than draining a basket from long distance.
Growing up in Eastern Washington, she started playing basketball when she was 5 years old, but says she fell in love with playing when she was 10.
Once she built up the strength to routinely connect on shots from beyond the arc, it became her passion.
There have been a lot of times in her career her coaches have encouraged her to take the ball hard to the basket, but it’s a skill she has never quite been able to master.
Now, she fills UH’s role as the top shooter on the team every opposing defense has to scheme to cover.
“A lot of it comes from when I first started playing basketball. I wasn’t really heavy into trying to get into the paint and being aggressive,” McBee said. “You could even ask everyone who would say, ‘MeiLani has all of the talent, but she just needs to get that fire underneath her.’ I think I’ve just become accustomed to staying behind the line and getting my feet ready behind a shot. That’s my role now.”
As one of three fifth-year seniors on the team who spent their freshman season going through the COVID-19 pandemic, McBee has had a lot of time to learn about culture.
McBee, who is part Samoan, decided to attend the University of Hawaii in part to learn about her ethnic background.
One of the first classes she enrolled in was Samoan, and while she admits she won’t be speaking the language fully with anyone soon, her time in Hawaii has allowed her to learn more about herself.
“I knew I had family out here and I wanted to get more grounded with my culture and I got to do that,” McBee said. “I have family — my grandmother’s sisters — who live Kapolei side and I’ve gotten to grow up a lot, becoming more independent out here. I get to be by myself, live solo, and that’s what’s great about being out here.”
McBee admits she’s a private person, but is also excited every summer when she gets to go back home and see family and friends.
Many of her friends are already having kids and starting a family while she remains committed to her love of basketball.
After five years with the Rainbow Wahine, McBee is ready to start the next chapter of her life, but not until after avenging one of the most painful losses of her career last season in the Big West Conference semifinals against UC Davis.
She wants to be a big part of the team this season, and that work begins in the practice gym as an experience group of returning juniors and seniors, along with an impressive incoming class of talented freshmen and transfers, has made the competition as tough as ever.
“Obviously everyone is very competitive on this team. We don’t take things lightly, and that’s the passion behind our play. It’s not just the freshmen competing for minutes, it’s everyone playing for minutes,” McBee said.
“Especially for Kelsie (Imai) and Daejah (Phillips), who are fifth-year seniors like I am, we know what it’s like to not get minutes and get minutes, so we really have to push forward and put our foot down and say we are the reason we need to be on the court. I think this season will be fun to see how that plays out.”
IN THIS SERIES
>> Lily Wahinekapu
>> MeiLani McBee
>> Mia ‘Uhila
>> Kelsie Imai
