Instead of letting her standout performance do the talking,
Wildcat guard Dee-Dee Wheeler fired one final parting shot at the
Bruins after Arizona’s victory on Sunday.
Wheeler, who scored 19 points and dished out 11 assists in the
Wildcat win, further riled UCLA with her candid comments about
coach Kathy Olivier and point guard Nikki Blue.
“(Nikki’s) a street baller and she’s playing
for a coach that lets her go out there and play,” Wheeler
said. “That’s why my averages have been up. I’m
playing for a coach that wants discipline and teamwork-oriented
play. (Olivier) lets (Blue, Noelle Quinn and Lisa Willis) do
whatever.”
Blue, who was matched up with the 5-foot-6 Chicago native on
Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, refused to engage in a war of words.
“I’m too classy of an athlete, and too classy of a
person, to respond,” Blue said. “I do think I have the
best coach in the Pac-10.”
Olivier also seemed dumbfounded over Wheeler’s
comment.
“That’s an inaccurate statement,” she said.
“This is a disciplined basketball team and in certain
situations they do get more freedom, but they’ve all
improved. All their averages, especially Nikki Blue’s, have
improved.
“We have talented players around her, but Nikki has a
different team than Dee-Dee. Dee-Dee has one of the best post
players in the country (in 6-foot-5 center Shawntinice Polk).
That’s going to help her numbers. It’s not about the
matchup, it’s about winning. Nikki hasn’t even been 100
percent this season. Dee-Dee’s comment doesn’t make
sense.”
Though Blue also scored 19 points on Sunday, there’s no
question that Wheeler has had the better of the matchup between the
two All-Pac-10 guards over the years.
In the two-plus seasons Blue has been a Bruin, UCLA trails the
series to Arizona 3-2. Wheeler has averaged 20.5 points on 52
percent shooting in their four previous head-to-head matchups,
while Blue has tallied 15 points per game and shot 31 percent.