Senior forward Chinyere Ibekwe looked dejected outside of the locker room Saturday night.
The UCLA women’s basketball team had just suffered a devastating 73-47 loss to Stanford, eliminating them from the Pac-10 Tournament. An NCAA Tournament bid, according to coach Nikki Caldwell, would have been in place with an upset of the No. 2 Cardinal. But that aspiration never materialized.
Despite the season-ending loss, Ibekwe, the team’s only senior, hinted at a larger picture as she talked about her final season as a Bruin.
“I think this school is going to turn into a basketball powerhouse for women’s basketball,” she said.
“Coach is in the position to do well. I think Nikki was great (this year). I’m so grateful she put me in the position I was in.”
Ibekwe averaged just under five points per game this season and averaged a team-leading 6.2 rebounds. She also led the team with 21 total blocks. But Ibekwe focused on her teammates rather than on herself following her last game.
“We talked about how champions are made in the offseason,” Ibekwe said. “The team has to work hard, but they’re going to be good.”
While the Bruins lose Ibekwe, next season they gain Rutgers transfer Jasmine Dixon and a pair of high school standouts ““ Markel Walker and Mariah Williams.
“Of course it’s sad to lose a senior,” junior guard Erica Tukiainen said. “But we have a couple of really good freshmen coming in. The players are great, I really love them.”
“We’re excited about our incoming first-years,” Caldwell said.
A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER: There will be more stability for the Bruins a year later.
Last season, the UCLA women’s basketball team scrambled to replace former coach Kathy Olivier, who resigned following the Bruins’ elimination from the Pac-10 Tournament.
UCLA eventually replaced Olivier with Caldwell, who brought a different mindset to a reeling program.
“It was very different,” sophomore forward Nina Earl said. “A coaching change will bring a different system, but I think we did an OK job of adjusting. It was for the better.”
On the court, Caldwell implemented a system built around defense and rebounding. In early March, Caldwell dismissed senior guard Tierra Henderson for multiple off-the-court violations of team policy.
“There’s a lot of discipline, and that’s what we need on this team,” Earl said.
Regardless of the changes, the Bruins have a better understanding of what is expected of them heading into next season.
“The coaches are demanding greatness from us,” Tukiainen said. “We have to get better ““ there’s no other choice.”
OFFSEASON PLANS: After Saturday night’s game, Caldwell said her team had opted out of competing in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. Instead, the Bruins will be using the time to focus on final exams and begin preparing for next season.
“If we’re going to establish national prominence with UCLA women’s basketball, (we have) to do that in the offseason,” Caldwell said. “We’ll have an offseason with them and with our staff, which I think will be key because we haven’t done that together.”
Though there is a common goal, each player feels responsible for doing her own part during the offseason.
“Coaches can only do so much,” Tukiainen said. “When the coaches aren’t around us, it’s a matter of us getting in the gym and getting better.”
“I need to get in shape,” sophomore guard Darxia Morris said. “I need to work on my all-around game because I have to step it up next year.”
“For me, it’s defense for sure,” sophomore guard Doreena Campbell said. “Offensively, I’m going to try and be more multi-dimensional.”
“We need to improve on being focused,” Earl said. “We all know what we can do as a team, and I don’t think we played one full game this year together.”
Missing the NCAA Tournament in Caldwell’s first year undoubtedly serves as extra motivation for a team looking to take the next step.
“I think they know that we don’t want to feel this way ever again,” Caldwell said.
“We’ve set our goals now, and we’ll just work towards them,” Earl said. “We’re trying to achieve greatness.”
PLAYING IN L.A.: Earl said that playing close to home was convenient for UCLA’s fan base. Tukiainen felt the same way.
“It was good to be home,” Tukiainen said. “We had more of a crowd here.
“I look forward to hopefully the tournament being here again. It would be nice to come back here and kick some butt.”
With reports from Kendall Salter,
Bruin Sports senior staff