At the Pac-10 women’s basketball media day, the topic of the UCLA freshmen loomed heavily over the minds of coaches and reporters alike. Is the fourth-ranked recruiting class in the nation for real?
For a program that lost its best player to the WNBA, the answer to that question just might make or break the Bruins’ season.
“The freshmen will make a big impact this year,” leading scorer and senior co-captain Lindsey Pluimer said. “They have to. We’re going to rely on the freshmen to get things done; they can’t be freshmen. We all need to be leaders.”
With six impact-freshmen, UCLA enters the season as a sleeper with the potential to go deep in the postseason. Success will depend almost entirely on the development of the freshmen and their ability to immediately contribute.
“I think our freshmen are going to step up and battle from day one,” coach Kathy Olivier said. “You come to UCLA for a reason: You come to compete.”
The freshmen arrive in Westwood looking to turn things around for the program, which went 14-18 overall and 7-11 in the Pac-10 last year and graduated its All-American guard Noelle Quinn to the WNBA.
The freshmen are proven winners: Regina Rogers and Christina Nzekwe were two-time state champions at Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, Wash.; Candice Brown won two California state championships at Bishop Amat High School; and Doreena Campbell had a four-year high school record of 104-9. Three freshmen will likely join co-captains Pluimer and Erica Tukiainen in the starting lineup.
“I think we will get a lot of playing time,” Rogers said, “but it’s not guaranteed. Everybody is excited about that; everybody wants to get the job done.”
Though Quinn has graduated, UCLA returns Pluimer (with her 16.7 point average) and has no shortage of scorers in its incoming freshmen class. Guard Nina Earl averaged 21.6 points per game her senior season, and Campbell averaged 19.7 points per contest. Each of the four other freshmen averaged at least 10 points per game in their senior seasons.
But for Olivier, defense will be the focus for this year’s squad.
“Whoever plays defense will be on the floor,” Olivier said. “We will be getting a lot of players in and out.”
Despite their accolades and play-making abilities, the defining characteristic of these freshmen is chemistry. They have rejuvenated the program with their enthusiasm, and the coaches and older players have taken notice.
“We’ve been playing with each other since July,” Rogers said. “We gelled together already. We’re just a pack.”
For Pluimer, the freshmen have already flashed what their capable of.
“The freshmen have stepped up,” Pluimer said. “We have great chemistry, and we didn’t have it last year. If you put together talent and chemistry, there’s a lot you can do.”
Deciding which players to start will be a tough decision for Olivier, who has a bevy of talent to choose from. The freshman class includes players with the size and strength to make an immediate impact down low- Rogers is 6 feet 3 inches, Brown is 6 feet 3 inches and Nzekwe is 6 feet 4 inches.
She also has explosive guards with plenty of play-making ability in Darxia Morris, Earl and Campbell. According to Olivier, the Bruins’ attack will emphasize the team’s speed and overall skill.
“Our bigs run the floor well and can get up and down,” Olivier said. “We will be playing up-tempo defense and get a lot of players on the floor.”
Rogers has captured the coaches’ attention with her play at the low post, where her passing skills and hard-nosed rebounding have impressed.
“I’ve been calling her Lady Shaq,” Olivier said. “I think she’s a post player with a guard mentality. She is a quick thinker and she’s fun to play with and she’s a banger.”
Another freshman earning the praise of Olivier is Campbell. The 5-foot-10-inch guard from Virginia has impressed the coaches with her fundamentals.
“I’m more impressed with her because she’s also quiet,” Olivier said. “It’s all about her teammates. She’s very mature and very academic; it seems like she’s already adjusted.”
Two other guards who look poised to follow in the tradition of guard excellence at UCLA are Morris and Earl. The two freshmen look to be a promising tandem for the future; both can score, penetrate and distribute the ball to teammates.
“Darxia Morris has been highly explosive and very entertaining,” Olivier said. “She makes me a little nervous as far as her defense, but I think with experience she’s going to be great.”
Olivier was hesitant to give any details on which of the six incoming freshmen would start. She did indicate that center Rogers and forward Campbell would likely become starters before the season’s opener versus Cal State Northridge on Nov. 14.
“I just think it’s going to be a great combination of returners and freshmen,” Olivier said. “It’s a one-two punch. Our freshmen get up and down the floor well. I think we’ll play them in spurts to keep them fresh.”
The freshmen will be tested early and often this season; their two toughest opponents will be the past two national champions: Maryland (Nov. 25) and Tennessee (Dec. 19) at home. There is also an 11-game stretch in which 10 Bruin opponents reached the postseason the previous season.
“The schedule is really hard, and we’ve definitely been thinking about it,” Rogers said. “But it’s good for (the freshmen) because we want to make a statement.”