The running joke in Bobbi Montibon’s family is that she may have never found her favorite sport of basketball if not for a Hilo downpour that left her wet and muddy as a 5-year-old playing soccer.
The running joke in Bobbi Montibon’s family is that she may have never found her favorite sport of basketball if not for a Hilo downpour that left her wet and muddy as a 5-year-old playing soccer.
Her parents were huddled under an umbrella when Loretta told her husband, Gordon, “We need to find an indoor sport.” That discovery by raindrop has led to big moments in the Kamehameha-Hawaii senior’s life.
Montibon, a 5-foot-6 shooting guard, helped the Warriors win the Division II state title after two runner-up finishes at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament. The achievements didn’t end there.
She recently signed a national letter of intent with Louisiana State University-Eunice, a junior college that placed fourth at the national championships in 2007.
At least 28 Big Island Interscholastic Federation seniors have landed scholarships so far. But Montibon is only the third to get one for basketball. Konawaena’s Dawnyelle Awa and Lia Galdeira signed with Washington State.
“It’s exciting and it’s far, but I get to play and that’s good,” said Montibon, who also received an offer from Blue Mountain, a community college in Oregon. “I’ve always wanted to play college ball. It’s a steppingstone. I want to go to a four-year school by working hard at my JC.”
She’s no stranger to hard work.
During the summer, Montibon played on three club teams: Big Island All-Stars, coached by Daphne Honma and Kahea Schuckert in an Oregon tourney; Showtime, coached by the late Wayne Kawaha in a Maui tourney; and Keaukaha Lady Ballahs, coached by Ben Pana in a Las Vegas tourney.
LSU-Eunice coach Michael Bari scouted her at the Oregon tournament. And in the age of website recruiting, Montibon put a profile on hudl.com and captainu.com. Bari’s profile on the Bengals’ website also caught her attention.
In his six years, Bari’s student-athletes have earned a cumulative 3.02 grade-point average. Three years ago, the Bengals were an All-American Academic team with a 3.37 GPA. Montibon has a 3.7 GPA and plans to major in elementary education.