Nikki Caldwell couldn’t care less who the opponent is.
Her concern is her own team.
So come 7 p.m. when the UCLA women’s basketball team takes on the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine in the Bruins’ home-opener, Caldwell hopes that her team can gain some early season momentum after last weekend’s up-and-down performance.
Although UCLA (1-1) won its last game in blowout fashion, a 77-51 defeat of Santa Clara, it was the game prior to that win, a 61-55 loss to Illinois State, that may have been more telling for the second-year UCLA coach.
In that game, UCLA shot 20-for-67 from the field and was out-rebounded by ISU, 44-37.
Rebounding, as well as the Bruins’ defensive performance, is an area that Caldwell has stressed improvement in since the summer.
And Caldwell is doing all she can in practice to make sure her team does not have another letdown early on in the season.
“We made the team take ownership in practice,” Caldwell said after Wednesday’s practice. “A lot of times, they play harder against our practice team than in the game, because in practice, coaches can make them stop and run sprints. There are consequences.”
“We’re making sure we hold the team accountable for their own main goals,” Caldwell added.
Although Hawai’i (1-0) may not present the greatest challenge for the Bruins, the Rainbow Wahine are coming off of an 8-23 campaign in 2008 and a seventh-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference. Caldwell is not taking any opponent lightly and is conscious of the Rainbow Wahine’s strengths.
“Guard play is a strength of theirs, and they have versatility with their postgame,” Caldwell said. “So our bigs are going to have to be able to defend outside the paint, and our guards are going to have to stop penetration.”
One of the bigs Caldwell is referring to is freshman forward Markel Walker, who was a bright spot for the Bruins in their first two games.
Against Illinois State, in her first collegiate game, the former McDonald’s All-American and Parade Magazine All-American dropped in 10 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Walker followed up her near double-double with another solid performance against Santa Clara, this time scoring 12 points to go along with nine rebounds.
“(Walker) has a lot of room for improvement, but this just shows glimpses of what she’s capable of,” Caldwell said after Sunday’s win.
Also on tap for the Bruins is a game against the Utah Utes (1-1) on Saturday in a women’s basketball doubleheader, hosted by San Diego State ““ the 2009 JHG Jam.
Utah will more than likely present the stiffest challenge to date for UCLA, having come off of a 23-10 record in 2008 and an NCAA tournament berth.
Saturday’s game against the Utes is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m.