Sounds like Peanut is used to contact.
The article:
https://cubuffs.com/news/2018/7/2/w...le-finds-a-home-in-cus-family-atmosphere.aspx
Tuitele Finds A Second Home In CU's Family Atmosphere
By: Andy Schlichting, Assistant SID
Release: July 02, 2018
BOULDER – It's all about family. That's what
Sirena Tuitele (pronounced ser-EEN-ah TOO-ee-TAY-lay), who goes by the nickname "Peanut," said of why she chose the University of Colorado to play basketball. A native of Chico, Calif., Tuitele is of Polynesian descent and family is the most important staple in the Polynesian culture.
"It's a huge," Tuitele said of the importance of family. "In Polynesian culture, family is everything. We're a big family, there are six siblings in all. I'm the fourth child, I have two older brothers, one older sister, two younger sisters, and then both of my parents. We're a close bunch. That's one thing I really liked about Colorado."
Head coach
JR Payne has worked hard to instill a family atmosphere in her program and her close-knit group really clicked with Tuitele.
"We want the foundation of our program to revolve around a family atmosphere," Payne said. "We strive to recruit players who value and desire to be part of something bigger than themselves, and we definitely found this in Peanut."
During the in-home recruiting visit, Payne brought along assistant coaches
Shandrika Lee and
Alex Earl.
"We had the best home visit," Payne said. "It just so happened that all of her siblings were home, and that never happens. Her brother [Syrus] plays football at Fresno State and it was their bye week so the whole family was there, and it was just a crazy, fun, emotional visit. We all connected really well. I don't think she had any intention of committing at that point. She had visits planned, but she committed on our home visit and it was really special and emotional."
It was the most unique verbal commitment Payne has ever received. But it was an even bigger moment for Tuitele.
"It was probably the best and most emotional moment of my life," Tuitele said. "Not only did I get to commit in my hometown, but I got to commit in front of my whole family. It was a super emotional night for my parents and siblings, just to show them that their hard work paid off as well. That's why I wanted to commit at home rather than on my official visit. I was ready to pull the trigger on my official, but my parents said 'wait.' It was the best thing I've ever done in my life. It felt right, 100 percent. We had a private meeting, and my dad said he thought I should [commit]. He wasn't on the official visit, so I needed him to understand what I was talking about and why I was bragging about this being my team. Once he said that, I knew it was a done deal...My parents are my biggest influence; they're the ones that raised me from the ground to what I am now."
On the court, all Tuitele does is win. She led Pleasant Valley High School to a combined 94-21 record during her high school career, and culminated those four years by reaching the state championship game this past winter. She was named first-team all-state (her third all-state award) and All-Northern Section MVP (for the second time in her career) as a senior. Her team's leader throughout her career, she averaged 15.1 points and 9.0 rebounds in 2017-18, and had 21 points and 10 rebounds in 57-42 loss to Redondo Union in the state final.
"It was just a year of growth as a player, and also as an individual off the court, having a leadership role on a young team with a lot of freshmen and sophomores and setting high standards for them," Tuitele said of her senior season at Pleasant Valley. "It was a big role, but I love leadership. I was in student government and would coordinate all the rallies and make them as fun as possible."
Tuitele should provide immediate help in the post for the Buffs. At 6-foot-1, she comes to college with good size and physical strength to play down on the block.
"My strength is definitely my size," Tuitele said. "I'm a bigger girl. I play [power forward], so I can play inside-out, but I think I'm more dominant on the inside because I've been trained my whole life to play inside. My weakness is the perimeter, but the coaches are doing their best to get me to up to speed."
She's worked hard to improve her shooting, but her size and physical strength will allow her to compete in the Pac-12 immediately, regardless of her shot. Payne also said that Tuitele's shooting has improved, along with her ball-handling skills on the perimeter, noting that when she grabs a rebound, she has the ability to push the ball up the floor without needing to find a guard to pass to.
"She's different from other kids in that she's pretty physical," Payne said. "A lot of times young players aren't ready for the physicality, but she has no problem with it, she's built for it. She's extremely strong and grew up with a bunch of older brothers, so she can hold her own."
Payne also thinks she can take a leadership role on the team, despite her relative youth as a freshman.
"I think she's going to have a great career here," Payne said. "The first time I ever talked to Peanut on the phone, I think I called [assistant coach
Shandrika Lee] right after and said, 'that might be the coolest kid I've ever talked to in 18 years of coaching.' I fell in love with her immediately. She just has this aura and energy about her that's uplifting. She never has a bad day. We love that type of infectious spirit. We've only had a couple of workouts [as a team], but she's already one of the loudest players in workouts, talking, leading and dancing. She just brings an incredible energy, along with the basketball. Her spirit is already growing our culture."
A well-rounded athlete, Tuitele also played volleyball in high school. She was a team leader in kills and blocks. She said several parts of volleyball translated to the basketball court, including timing, footwork and her vertical jump.
"Peanut"
Tuitele was given the nickname "Peanut" when she was born. That nickname has stuck with her as she's grown up.
"My dad held me for the first time and he was like, 'this is it, this is my little peanut.' At first in elementary school, I was embarrassed. I didn't want anyone to call me 'Peanut,' just call me 'Sirena.' I hated it. But now that I'm older, I love Peanut. It's unique and it's who I am now and it defines the person I am. And it's also special to my family because I'm holding out a nickname from them that is supposed to end in elementary school."
