FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (May 3, 2020) – In their final move in pursuit of a Big Sky Championship, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team added their second transfer from Nevada this spring in Miki'ala Maio. Maio, originally from Nanakuli, Hawaii, arrives in Flagstaff after one season at Nevada and will have one season of eligibility remaining.
"We've been recruiting Miki'ala before she went to her JUCO and after she left, so it's a little bit of a similar story to JJ (Nakai)," said head coach
Loree Payne. "Miki'ala is an incredibly dynamic guard who is going to provide a lot of athleticism on the court. She attacks the hoop and finishes well. She'll fit perfectly into our offensive and defensive systems."
Maio will join JJ Nakai, her former Wolfpack teammate, in the Blue & Gold this upcoming season. Nakai, a Flagstaff native,
transferred into the NAU program last month.
"We're really excited; we feel like we have all the pieces to the puzzle to be a major contender for the Big Sky Championship," Payne said. "If we get Miki'ala and JJ this year or next year, depending if they're eligible right away, they're both going to be major impact players for us."
In her lone season at Nevada, Maio played in 28 of 31 games and earned 12 starts. She averaged 19.5 minutes per game and held averages of 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Maio registered a season-high 20 points on the road at Colorado State and scored in double-figures in six games.
The 5-9 guard was also second on the team with 68 assists and tallied three or more assists, including a season-high six assists twice, in 13 games. Maio shot 43.0 percent from the deck and was near perfect at the free throw line making 15-of-16 attempts (93.8 percent).
Prior to Nevada, Maio was an NJCAA All-America Second Team honoree during her two-year stint at Salt Lake Community College. As a sophomore, she was named the Region 18 MVP. Maio averaged 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with 158 assists and 102 steals in 61 career games at Salt Lake Community College, while leading the team to back-to-back Region 18 championships and bids in the NJCAA tournament both seasons.
Maio was a two-sport athlete in basketball and track & field in high school at Kamehameha Schools in Hawaii. She was named the ILH Player of the Year and earned a spot on All-State First Team during her final prep season. She was also a second team All-State pick as a junior and was a three-time ILH all-league second team honoree.
