To begin the season, it’s a position that coach Kathy
Olivier’s recent teams have been unaccustomed to. That of
looking down on most of the competition. For a team that relished
the underdog role last season, the women’s basketball
team’s mindset will have to change from that of the hunter to
the hunted. Predicted to finish third in the Pac-10, and a
consensus top-25 team to open the year, the Bruins are eager to
meet the increased expectations surrounding the program. And for
the first time in a long time, players feel respect is finally
being thrown their way. “It’s a different approach, but
it’s about time,” said Olivier about her team garnering
recognition. “You get a little respect, and then you want to
do something with it. They liked the feeling of making a splash in
the basketball world last year.” In the opening round of last
year’s NCAA Tournament, a young and up-and-coming UCLA squad
gave Minnesota, a Final Four team, all it could handle before
narrowly losing to the Golden Gophers. The game, though
heartbreaking for the Bruins, put them in the national spotlight.
And now they want more of it. Returning their three best players in
the “Triple Threat” of Nikki Blue, Noelle Quinn, and
Lisa Willis from a 17-13 team last season, the Bruins believe they
can only improve on last year’s first-round tournament exit.
They also believe that as long as there are teams ahead of them,
UCLA will always be considered an underdog. “Because
we’re still not No. 1, I still feel like we’re the
hunters,” Willis said. “We still have room to go up,
and we’re not going to be satisfied until we’re at the
top. We’re not worried about the people below us, we’re
worried about the ones that are in front of us.” And in front
of the Bruins stands a very difficult schedule out of the box. Out
of UCLA’s first seven possible opponents to open up the
2004-2005 season, six qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year.
Olivier said that how her team fares through its first seven games
will likely represent how the Bruins handle the pressure of being
considered an elite team. But she wouldn’t have it any other
way. “The game needs a new face, and you have to be hungry
for that new face,” said Olivier. “You gotta want it
more than anyone else, and hopefully we’ll show we’ll
be in the mix. But we have to start early.”
STARTING LINEUP: While the starting lineup
outside of Blue, Quinn, and Willis hasn’t officially been
announced, Olivier said the inside track to the starting post
positions belong to sophomore Amanda Livingston and freshman
Lindsey Pluimer. With Jamila Veasley and Whitney Jones having
graduated, and with Julia Pitts planning to redshirt this season,
the forward position continues to be a tenuous one for the Bruins.
But Olivier said she’s encouraged about the progress of
Livingston, who at times last year was a bit erratic on the floor.
“(Livingston) is actually playing like a sophomore,”
Olivier said. “Freshman year, you just want to go in there
and make an impact. This year, she’s more disciplined and
making better decisions on the floor. Mentally, she’s there
with us.”
FEELING BLUE: Nikki Blue continues to recover
from a sprained right ankle she suffered last week while going for
a rebound. The junior sat out all of practice last week and
attempted to return to the court on Saturday, but the pain in her
ankle forced her off the court. Blue, who says she’s
day-to-day with regards to her injury, was participating only in
halfcourt sets Monday.