The rebuilding era is over. For the UCLA women’s
basketball team, Selection Sunday means much more than just going
to its first NCAA Tournament in four years.
It means validation.
Coach Kathy Olivier no longer has to worry about rebuilding a
program in distress. She can focus on making UCLA a consistent
postseason contender.
Sure, the current team, which was given the No. 10 seed in the
Mideast Regional, is focused on beating Minnesota on Sunday.
But what Sunday’s NCAA Tournament announcement can mean
for the future of this program is huge.
Olivier won’t have to try to sell to future recruits the
idea that they can build this program up. She can talk about
winning ““ a much easier sell.
Sophomore Nikki Blue was one of the trailblazers of this
rebuilding project. She turned down women’s basketball
powerhouse Connecticut in 2001 to come to a Bruin team coming off
two straight 20-loss seasons.
Originally, Blue was ridiculed for her decision. Now it’s
paying off.
“I’m lucky to be here,” Blue said. “The
reason why I wanted to come here came true. I came here to build
this program again. It’s happening right now.”
Not to detract from the recruiting abilities of Olivier, but the
Bruins were clearly fortunate. Not many programs could land Blue
and sophomore Lisa Willis after a pair of losing seasons.
Olivier didn’t just have to find good players. She had to
hope they would be willing to rebuild a program and not take the
easy glory of playing for a basketball powerhouse.
Blue and Willis have been two of UCLA’s big three this
season.The third member of the Bruins’ dominant trio is
Noelle Quinn, a freshman.
The presence of Blue and Willis probably made Quinn’s
decision to turn down Stanford and come to UCLA easier, and the
three of them definitely have made future recruits’ decisions
easier ““ namely Lauren Pedersen and Lindsay Plumier next
year, both highly touted recruits.
“I came in with the hopes of making the program
better,” Willis said. “Now we’re here.”
“We have to keep making our goals higher and
higher.”
Even if they lose Sunday, the Bruins should hold their heads
high.
Sure it will be sad to see seniors Gennifer Arranaga and Jamila
Veasley go. The two did their part to help this program win
again.
But the core of this team ““ a young, tournament-caliber
team ““ will be back next season with tournament
experience.
Not to say they can’t make a run this year. Minnesota has
been a top-15 team for much of the season and plays a virtual home
game, but its star player, Lindsay Whalen, has been hurt lately,
and it is not clear whether she will be at full strength, or even
play against UCLA.
Granted, it is less likely a team will win as an underdog on the
road.
But the greater issue isn’t winning the tournament now
““ the Bruins’ chances for that are very slim ““
it’s trying to get to that point in the future.
Any kind of run in the NCAA Tournament will draw more attention
and prestige to the program, and make it easier for talented
recruits to choose UCLA.
At the UCLA coaches’ meetings, Olivier commented on how
overwhelmed she can feel. Unlike most teams at UCLA,
Olivier’s teams have actually had bad years. Lately,
she’s been at the helm of a non-championship contender at a
school where championships are the norm.
“Coaches like Al Scates will say “˜I’m third in
the nation ““ it’s a bad year,'” Olivier
said.
Olivier commented on how she was the black sheep of the group
when talking about her team at the meetings.
With a lot of practice, hard work and a little bit of luck, the
women’s basketball team will once again contend for the
national title.
And Olivier will run with the rest of the flock.
E-mail gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.