Birthday balloons and flowers rested in the arms of UCLA women’s basketball coach Kathy Olivier following Tuesday’s practice at Pauley Pavilion.
“I demand a recount,” joked Olivier as she walked off the court.
Recount or not, her Bruins hope to deliver a celebratory win in tonight’s exhibition game against Love and Basketball, a team made up of former collegiate standouts. For Olivier, the best gift would be continued improvement for her young and mostly inexperienced team. The focus of the Bruins has been on the defensive end, a shift from the offensive philosophy of previous years.
“An aggressive defense is what we have been preaching this year,” Olivier said. “In your face, and don’t let up.”
UCLA opened its exhibition season with a 94-82 win over Team Concept, a team that featured current WNBA and former Bruin players Nikki Blue and Noelle Quinn. The performance of her team against quality competition pleased the coach.
“We did a good job (with defense) at the beginning of the game,” Olivier said. “We have to keep the mentality of playing good defense and working on fundamentals.”
On another positive note, Olivier singled out the outstanding play of sophomore guard Erica Tukiainen, who contributed a team-leading 19 points against Team Concept, including five 3-pointers.
“Defensively, she was getting after it,” Oliver said.
Due to the Bruin’s influx of young talent ““ one publication has the recruiting class ranked as high as No. 4 ““ team chemistry should play a major role in the way the season unfolds. Sophomore center Moniquee Alexander emphasized the importance of team bonding and support for the younger players.
“A lot of it is keeping each other accountable,” said Alexander, who played in 31 games for the Bruins last season. “If you miss something, everyone is accountable for what they do. I think that has brought the team closer.”
That chemistry will have to develop quickly, as the Bruins will play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. The Bruins will face Maryland and Tennessee, the last two national champions, in Westwood.
“We have such a young team, for us to have good chemistry, it shows when we are down by 10 and we have to come together,” Alexander said.
Olivier underscored the advantages that the freshman class brings to the team, including increased depth, which gives UCLA the freedom to play the aggressive defensive scheme they hope to implement.
“We have so many options,” Olivier said. “We could go down (the roster) and talk about everyone in a very positive way.”
As far as a starting lineup is concerned, nothing is set in stone.
While not specifying which players will start against Love and Basketball, Olivier said her line-up has undergone changes and may continue to be shuffled depending on the opponent and player performance in games and in practice.
“What we’ve emphasized on our staff is: “˜Who is productive on the floor?'” Olivier said. “Who is practicing hard that week? That’s going to determine who starts.”
The disappointment of last season is also a motivational factor for UCLA’s returning players as they inch closer to their regular season opener on Nov. 14. The Bruins finished 14-18 last year, good for seventh place in the Pac-10.
“We have a lot of payback to give,” Alexander said.