The NCAA agreed with the Hawaii women’s basketball team: Shawna Kuehu deserves more time.

The Rainbow Wahine received word this week that Kuehu, who lost most of the 2011-12 season due to pregnancy, was granted a sixth year of eligibility — technically an extension of her five-year clock — for the 2014-15 season.

Kuehu averaged 10.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 2013-14 while acting as a vocal team leader, helping the Rainbow Wahine to a second straight 17-14 record and WNIT appearance. She was given the team’s top honor, the Ah Chew Goo Award, as voted by her teammates.

"It’s a relief," Kuehu said Friday of the NCAA’s decision.

"I wasn’t expecting (word) it to come in the middle of finals, so I really didn’t have time to react to it because I was so stressed out. But I’m actually really happy to get it back and be able to have the opportunity to have another year and be part of the program, be a part of this team and stay in school."

By the time her career concludes in 2015, Kuehu will be the longest-tenured player in the Wahine basketball record books. She was signed by Jim Bolla in 2009 (though she never played for him), was around for Dana Takahara-Dias’ three-year tenure and now heads into her third season with current coach Laura Beeman.

So how did she get to the exceedingly rare sixth year? Well, the 2008 Punahou graduate was granted a medical hardship waiver for an additional season back in 2010 when she lost all but five games of her first year at UH to a knee injury.

UH was confident enough it would get the pregnancy waiver that the team chose to defer Kuehu’s senior ceremony honors until next season.

The deferment paid off.

"For the NCAA to, in my opinion, make the right decision and side with players, side with kids, that’s what you hope the NCAA does," Beeman said. "And they did it in this case. So I’m really, really glad she has the opportunity to finish up her collegiate career and as a coaching staff, we’re thrilled. I know her teammates are excited.

"She’s an amazing, amazing woman, and I’m really happy that she’s coming back, more so for the leadership qualities than the athletic qualities."

Now Kuehu has a good chance to reach 1,000 career points and crack into the career top 10 in a number of other stats.

She said she proceeded with her offseason work regimen within days of the season-ending WNIT loss at Washington. Her top priorities to work on are ball-handling, creating off the dribble and pick-and-rolls.

Kuehu is getting her undergraduate degree in economics this semester and will pursue another in the fall.

"I’d never thought about being in school for six years," Kuehu said. "But coming into my sixth year, when they say college is the best years of your life, it really is. And so for me to have the opportunity to spend six of my years here, why not? You know, I’m having fun in the process, I’m loving being a part of everything. I don’t want to say goodbye, which I’m lucky enough to get that year back so I don’t have to.

"Until next year," she laughed.