Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Jeremy Cannon
Finau Brings A Winning Reputation To Boulder
August 01, 2018 | Women's Basketball
BOULDER – Some athletes get a reputation of just being a "winner." Lesila Finau (pronounced lah-SEE-lah fin-OU) is one of those, having led both her high school teams and AAU teams to some incredible success throughout her career.
An all-state basketball player and four-year letterwinner, Finau led Dublin (Calif.) High School to a section championship and 28-4 record as a freshman, and after going through three head coaches, a 25-6 record as a senior. With the Cal Stars AAU team, her squad went 51-1.
"She has confidence, and a big part of being successful is knowing what it takes to be successful," CU head coach JR Payne said. "We just met with one of our sophomores this week about, 'you can have lofty goals, and that's fantastic, but in order to attain those goals, the work starts now. The decisions and choices and work that you put in today will directly impact the goals that you have in March.' I think someone like Sila, who has been really successful, understands that."
You would never notice the confidence during a brief encounter Finau off the floor. With a calm, quiet demeanor, she can be unassuming off the basketball floor. But when she steps on the hardwood, the intensity rises.
"I put my game face on when I play and nothing fazes me," Finau said. "If I get fouled, I keep a straight face and if I give the foul, I keep a straight face."
Finau averaged 20.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 4.8 steals as a senior, doing a little bit (or a lot) of everything for Dublin.
"She's a great shooter," Payne said. "She's long at the point guard position and she might only be 5-10, but her wingspan [72 inches] is really long so she can do some things defensively with her length. She's really good in transition, and for us, a team that wants to play up-tempo and really likes to get the ball in our point guard's hands on most possessions, we need a point guard that can go in transition and do things like that, which I think is her strength."
Payne also noted that while a lot of players can play fast and have great speed and quickness on the floor, Finau remains under control when she's playing fast and makes good decisions in transition. Her playing style fits in well with what the Buffs want to do as a team that plays over a mile above sea level—run and play fast.
Finau is close with her family and is one of four children in the group. Her older brother, Mataio, is the one who got her started playing basketball in elementary school. Mataio was born the same year as Lesila, but they are not twins and are a year apart in school.
"I am very close with my family," Finau said. "We are all homebodies. I have a brother who is the same age as me, a little sister who will be a senior in high school, and a baby sister who is 2. I am the mom of the siblings for sure.
"I started playing basketball in elementary school. My brother played so I followed his lead. I never started playing on an organized team until sixth grade, when I played on my [Catholic Youth Organization] team, my middle school team, and AAU. That is when it all started."
She originally signed with Minnesota in November during the early signing period, but the Gophers went through a coaching change following the season and she asked to be released from her commitment. She had no hard feelings towards the new coaching staff in Minnesota, but just didn't feel as comfortable as with the coaches who recruited her.
"I learned that the new coach wasn't going to be there in the summer because she plays in the WNBA," Finau said. "I really like her. She is very cool and is a great player and I have no doubt she will be a great coach. I just felt really comfortable with the previous coach."
After signing with the Buffs, she feels confident she made the right decision and loves everything about the program at CU.
"I love the coaches, the players, and all of the people involved," Finau said. "Everyone is very comforting and welcoming. It is also in a beautiful place with the mountains. Some of us on the team spend a lot of time enjoying the view from Folsom. Colorado is different from where I'm from [in Northern California]. It will be fun to enjoy the snow."
This season, she is hoping to contribute on the floor immediately, but also learn under senior point guard Kennedy Leonard, who is a two-time All-Pac-12 performer. Finau, Leonard and sophomore Peyton Carter are the only true point guards on CU's roster, so Finau's addition was important to add depth for this season and hopefully solidify the position after Leonard's graduation.
"I think for her, when she was looking at schools, the opportunity to play with Kennedy for a year was appealing," Payne said. "She's competitive, she wants to be great. She really felt like it was a really neat opportunity to play with a fantastic senior point guard that can always pass down some knowledge."
As for Finau's impact in the program beyond contributing to the point guard position, she just wants to bring that winning mentality. When asked what her goals are this season at CU, she had a very simple answer.
"Win. I want to win and go to the NCAA Tournament."
An all-state basketball player and four-year letterwinner, Finau led Dublin (Calif.) High School to a section championship and 28-4 record as a freshman, and after going through three head coaches, a 25-6 record as a senior. With the Cal Stars AAU team, her squad went 51-1.
"She has confidence, and a big part of being successful is knowing what it takes to be successful," CU head coach JR Payne said. "We just met with one of our sophomores this week about, 'you can have lofty goals, and that's fantastic, but in order to attain those goals, the work starts now. The decisions and choices and work that you put in today will directly impact the goals that you have in March.' I think someone like Sila, who has been really successful, understands that."
You would never notice the confidence during a brief encounter Finau off the floor. With a calm, quiet demeanor, she can be unassuming off the basketball floor. But when she steps on the hardwood, the intensity rises.
"I put my game face on when I play and nothing fazes me," Finau said. "If I get fouled, I keep a straight face and if I give the foul, I keep a straight face."
Finau averaged 20.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 4.8 steals as a senior, doing a little bit (or a lot) of everything for Dublin.
"She's a great shooter," Payne said. "She's long at the point guard position and she might only be 5-10, but her wingspan [72 inches] is really long so she can do some things defensively with her length. She's really good in transition, and for us, a team that wants to play up-tempo and really likes to get the ball in our point guard's hands on most possessions, we need a point guard that can go in transition and do things like that, which I think is her strength."
Payne also noted that while a lot of players can play fast and have great speed and quickness on the floor, Finau remains under control when she's playing fast and makes good decisions in transition. Her playing style fits in well with what the Buffs want to do as a team that plays over a mile above sea level—run and play fast.
Finau is close with her family and is one of four children in the group. Her older brother, Mataio, is the one who got her started playing basketball in elementary school. Mataio was born the same year as Lesila, but they are not twins and are a year apart in school.
"I am very close with my family," Finau said. "We are all homebodies. I have a brother who is the same age as me, a little sister who will be a senior in high school, and a baby sister who is 2. I am the mom of the siblings for sure.
"I started playing basketball in elementary school. My brother played so I followed his lead. I never started playing on an organized team until sixth grade, when I played on my [Catholic Youth Organization] team, my middle school team, and AAU. That is when it all started."
She originally signed with Minnesota in November during the early signing period, but the Gophers went through a coaching change following the season and she asked to be released from her commitment. She had no hard feelings towards the new coaching staff in Minnesota, but just didn't feel as comfortable as with the coaches who recruited her.
"I learned that the new coach wasn't going to be there in the summer because she plays in the WNBA," Finau said. "I really like her. She is very cool and is a great player and I have no doubt she will be a great coach. I just felt really comfortable with the previous coach."
After signing with the Buffs, she feels confident she made the right decision and loves everything about the program at CU.
"I love the coaches, the players, and all of the people involved," Finau said. "Everyone is very comforting and welcoming. It is also in a beautiful place with the mountains. Some of us on the team spend a lot of time enjoying the view from Folsom. Colorado is different from where I'm from [in Northern California]. It will be fun to enjoy the snow."
This season, she is hoping to contribute on the floor immediately, but also learn under senior point guard Kennedy Leonard, who is a two-time All-Pac-12 performer. Finau, Leonard and sophomore Peyton Carter are the only true point guards on CU's roster, so Finau's addition was important to add depth for this season and hopefully solidify the position after Leonard's graduation.
"I think for her, when she was looking at schools, the opportunity to play with Kennedy for a year was appealing," Payne said. "She's competitive, she wants to be great. She really felt like it was a really neat opportunity to play with a fantastic senior point guard that can always pass down some knowledge."
As for Finau's impact in the program beyond contributing to the point guard position, she just wants to bring that winning mentality. When asked what her goals are this season at CU, she had a very simple answer.
"Win. I want to win and go to the NCAA Tournament."
Players Mentioned
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