HutchCC WBB Mele Kailahi signs with UT Rio Grande Valley

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's basketball head coach Lane Lord announced on Friday the addition of guard Mele Kailahi for the 2022-23 academic year. Lord coached in Kansas at Wichita Collegiate High School, Barton Community College and Pittsburg State University.

Kailahi joins the program after spending last season at Hutchinson Community College where she helped her team to a Jayhawk Conference Co-Championship, a Region VI Championship, and a trip to the NJCAA Tournament.

This past season, Kailahi played in 35 games while starting in 34 of them and averaged 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Kailahi shot 39.8 percent from three-point range, which ranked her 24th in all of junior college, while also posting an 86.8 free throw shooting percentage, which ranked her seventh. 

Kailahi was named KJCCC Newcomer of the Year while also earning All-Conference and All-Region Third Team honors, and NJCAA All-Tournament Team honors. 

"We are very excited about the addition of Mele Kailahi to our program," Lord said. "Mel comes to us from a very successful junior college program at Hutchinson Community College. She has been extremely well coached by Coach John Ontjes and his staff and will immediately improve our team both on and off the floor. Mel led her team to the National Tournament where she was selected to the All-Tournament team based on her excellent play. She is an excellent shooter from three-point range but can also penetrate and finish at the rim. Her best quality is her competitiveness, she is a winner!"

Kailahi spent her first two seasons at McLennan Community College where as a freshman she was an Honorable Mention selection after averaging 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while appearing in all 30 games that season. 

As a sophomore, Kailahi played in 21 games and averaged 13.3 points per game, while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor, and also averaging 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Kailahi went on to earn All-Conference, All-Region First team, and WBCA All-American Honorable Mention honors. 

Kailahi is the daughter of Kiko and Leona and has one brother, Mani, and four sisters Stella, Theresa, Rose, and Everly.