You wouldn’t know it’s the off-season for
women’s basketball coach Kathy Olivier. In a little over a
week, Olivier has logged 8,000 miles, flying to New Orleans for the
Final Four and then to Wisconsin to conduct a coaching clinic.
“It’s all part of the job,” said Olivier, as
if it’s your average 9-to-5 occupation.
For Olivier, that “job” has seen its fair share of
twists and turns.
It’s been 11 years since Olivier was hired to build a
winning women’s basketball program at UCLA, an increasingly
difficult task due to both the popularity of the men’s
basketball program and the tradition of crosstown rival USC’s
women’s basketball program.
The program seemed to peak in 1999 with an Elite Eight finish,
but after a few down seasons with injuries and a general lack of
talent, UCLA may be on the rise again. This past season, the Bruins
(17-13) made the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years,
and with their young Triple Threat of sophomore Nikki Blue,
freshman Noelle Quinn and sophomore Lisa Willis all returning,
better times could be on the horizon.
It is only now that Olivier has had a chance to reflect on the
past season and what it means for the program’s future.
“We finished off the way we wanted to,” Olivier
said. “Being in the tournament was a great experience, and
it’s something that they will learn from. They’re
already itching and excited about next year and want to start their
workouts.”
Blue, Quinn and Willis carried the Bruins on both ends of the
court this season, tallying 65 percent of the team’s total
points. Blue stepped up as a floor leader and flourished as a point
guard, while Quinn displayed her all-around talents in earning
Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors. Willis is likely to continue to
be the team’s top three-point shooter and defensive
stopper.
“We were labeled young all year because of how young those
three were,” Olivier said. “But that means that, when
they come back next year, they’ll be even more experienced.
There’s always room for growth, and they know and believe
that.”
UCLA will also be getting back key contributors Amanda
Livingston, Emma Tautolo and Ortal Oren, who all came off the bench
and will vie for more playing time next season. Additionally, Julia
Pitts, who suffered her second knee injury in as many seasons,
started when she was healthy this year.
On the other hand, UCLA will lose seniors Jamila Veasley,
Gennifer Arranaga and Whitney Jones to graduation. Veasley, despite
a rail-thin frame, displayed a warrior-like mentality in her
battles in the paint, while Arranaga contributed off the bench.
Jones brought a winning mentality
“The importance of senior leadership cannot be
underscored,” Olivier said. “You look at Connecticut
and Tennessee, they both had that. For us to be successful, someone
will have to step into that role next year.”
In recent years, UCLA has always been one component shy of
taking it to the next level ““ an interior presence. Incoming
McDonald’s All-American Lindsey Pluimer brings height at
6-foot-3, but it remains to be seen whether her frame is ready for
Pac-10 battles with the likes of Arizona’s Shawntinice Polk.
During high school, with 6-foot-3 BYU signee Lauren Riley at
center, Pluimer had the luxury of playing power forward.
“Lindsey has shown she can play both inside and
outside,” Olivier said. “She doesn’t have the
strength that Whitney and Veasley had, but she’s going to
help us next year in the front court.”
Still, the pressure surrounding the program is mounting. Despite
a winning record at 15-13, USC fired head coach Chris Gobrecht, and
will likely be able to lure a big-name coach to sell the program
alongside the Trojans’ new basketball arena, slated to open
in 2006. Such pressure was especially high when UCLA seemed to be
on the brink of a disastrous season, starting with a 9-10 record
before finishing the season by winning eight of their last 11 games
and eking into the tournament.
“I’ve always put that pressure on myself to
succeed,” Olivier said. “But it’s a little
different because we have more talent that we’ve had in a
long time.”
In the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins gave eventual Final Four team
Minnesota all it could handle before bowing out with heads held
high. With a more experienced (but still young) group returning
next year, expectations will be raised, and after accomplishing
last season’s goal of making the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins
can set a higher one.
“We’re trying to build something special at
UCLA,” Olivier said. “That means expanding on what you
did last year. This group always sets higher standards and
expectations than what other people set.
“If everything comes together, and we’re lucky
enough not to have injuries or other problems, for this group, the
sky is the limit.”