It’s the dirty work. The plays that don’t find their
way onto a highlight reel. Rebounds and screens, put backs and
blocked shots.
The work of a player in the paint, under the basket isn’t
as glamorous as the sweet jump shots or the smooth crossover
dribbles. The post play in Westwood has been an overused and
undervalued commodity. And if the UCLA women’s basketball
team figures to take that vaunted “next step,” it will
need somebody to get a little dirty.
With the other pieces of the puzzle starting to fall into place,
the production of the post players in the front court are pegged as
UCLA’s “difference makers” for the year.
“What we get out of our post players, getting rebounds and
put backs in the paint is still the biggest unknown,” coach
Kathy Olivier said. “That part of our game is still in limbo
a little bit, and it will decide whether we are a good team or a
great team.”
Sophomore forward Lindsey Pluimer and junior forward Amanda
Livingston return as starters from last year’s team, but so
far they have been pushed for playing time by an improving veteran
and a raw newcomer.
Both Pluimer and Livingston’s games have been marked by
their finesse passing and ability to run the floor, skills needed
in UCLA’s run-and-gun, up-tempo game plan. But Olivier is
looking for a little more out of her post players this season,
hoping that she can use a couple of big bodies that won’t
just be secondary playmakers.
Enter Consuelo Lezcano and Chinyere Ibekwe.
Lezcano, a junior forward who averaged only 7.3 minutes and 1.7
points per game last season, has impressed the coaching staff
enough to earn a conditional spot in the starting lineup. Ibekwe
““ better known as “Rey-Rey” to teammates and
coaches ““ is the stereotypical new kid on the block. Highly
recruited out of Carson High School in Los Angeles, she’s a
physical specimen ““ a 6-foot-4-inch power player who runs the
floor like a guard with soft hands.
“Consuelo is being counted on to be a wily veteran under
the basket,” Olivier said. “She’s been here for a
while now, and we are expecting her to do a lot of little things
that I need to be done.
“Every great team has that seasoned player who makes a
pass here or a rebound there that might be overlooked, but makes a
difference between a win and a loss.”
Lezcano came to UCLA all the way from Marathon High School in
Florida where she dominated her competition. But she had a big
learning curve her first two years in Westwood, adjusting to NCAA
Division I competition.
It was at the beginning of summer that everything started to
click for Lezcano, as she played a bigger role during the
team’s exhibition tour of Australia.
“I don’t have to think as much out on the court, I
have gotten comfortable with the girls and everything is second
nature,” Lezcano said. “I have finally caught up with
the speed of the game, and am just reacting.”
While Lezcano has been pegged as the glorified utility player
who hustles for rebounds and adds intangibles , it is Ibekwe who
holds unlimited potential. When talking about her raw, yet athletic
freshman, Olivier’s eyes light up with anticipation of what
the future holds.
Olivier believes that Ibekwe will be a dominant force in the
middle for the next four years, but what contribution Ibekwe can
make this year is still up in the air.
The front court’s rotation of Pluimer, Livingston, and
Lezcano will be given a face-lift with the addition of Ibekwe. But
there is no timetable as to when Ibekwe will see a boost in playing
time since her inexperience is still an overriding factor.
Olivier reiterated that “Rey-Rey still doesn’t know
what I want out of her,” hinting at the work-in-progress that
the prized recruit is undergoing.
“I know that for us to be champions we need to rebound and
play tough defense to go along with our shooting,” Ibekwe
said. “And I know that I can do a lot of things, but right
now I have to be patient. I am learning.”
While the Bruins know that the play of their front court will
decide whether they continue to be a run-and-gun squad that puts
points on the board or a team with championship-caliber depth, it
is still unknown who will step up. Lezcano and Ibekwe will have the
chance, but Olivier repeated that “nothing is written in
stone,” and that starters will be decided game-by-game.
“There is an uncertainty as to which one will really stand
out and make the difference right now,” Olivier said.