Last season, Michelle Greco singlehandedly led the Bruins to a
victory over University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
But there is no Greco this year.
In her place, however, has emerged freshman phenom Noelle
Quinn.
This Sunday in Pauley Pavilion, Quinn and the rest of the Bruins
will face UNLV in their season opener.
“It’s a new era and we’re going to show
everyone what we’re really about,” Quinn said.
“It’s going to be an exciting, fast-paced
game.”
During the preseason, Quinn has been nothing short of
spectacular, leading the Bruins to victories in both of their
exhibition games.
“We knew we got someone special, but I didn’t know
how much she tries to keep everyone involved,” coach Kathy
Olivier said. “She’s very heady and does a good job in
every aspect.”
For the freshman standout, a game-winning buzzer beater against
Love and Basketball in the team’s first exhibition game, and
then a 25-point explosion against the West Coast All-Stars, seems
like a dream beginning to a blossoming career.
“It’s been a smooth adjustment with the players and
coaches reinforcing what I need to do,” Quinn said. “I
think I did all right in the preseason, but I have a lot of things
to work on, like my defense and rebounding.”
Though the Bruins’ preseason might have been a good way to
get the jitters out, the fact remains that they were preseason
games.
“Not to take away from the teams we played in preseason,
but it was an extended scrimmage for us,” sophomore guard
Lisa Willis said. “They are nothing compared to the likes of
Texas and some of the other teams we’re going to play.
“This weekend is going to be real for us; we’re
about to get dirty.”
UCLA is undefeated all-time against UNLV, posting a 6-0 record
against the Runnin’ Rebels.
UNLV will be without its leading scorer from last year,
Constance Jinks, who averaged 20.2 points per game and 4.2 rebounds
per game before being drafted by the WNBA’s Houston
Comets.
However, UNLV will have a formidable presence down low with
junior center Sherry McCracklin. Last year she was the second
leading scorer, averaging 11.2 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per
game.
“We know that UNLV likes to push the ball and get it down
low,” Olivier said. “They’re going to get after
the boards and be physical. Hopefully, we’ll be able to play
good post defense and keep UNLV off the boards.”
Some of the old faces, including Greco, are gone. But
that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“We’re a totally different team than last
year,” Willis said. “Last year we were good, but this
year we’re stylish and fundamentally sound. We’re going
to go out there and play transition basketball and just
run.”