Temperatures in sun-drenched Waikiki may reach the mid-eighties
this weekend, but none of the UCLA women’s basketball players
will come back with a tan.
Although the squad travels to Oahu to open the regular season at
the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic, it will not be there for
a vacation, but rather on a business trip.
“We all want to win so badly,” senior point guard
Natalie Nakase said. “The seniors are really focused, and the
freshman are excited for their first game. If we win, we’ll
celebrate afterwards.”
A victory might be hard to come by, at least on Saturday. The
Bruins face a Hawaii squad that returns three starters from a team
that went 23-8 and narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament last
year.
The Rainbow Wahine were one of the best defensive teams in the
nation last year, yielding an average of just 56 points per game.
They have been tabbed to finish third in the Western Athletic
Conference in a preseason coaches’ poll.
“Hawaii is really solid,” said UCLA head coach Kathy
Olivier. They have good three-point shooters, and they like to slow
down the tempo. They are not going to beat themselves.”
While the Rainbow Wahine prefer to play a half-court game, the
Bruins will employ full-court pressure and try to create fast-break
opportunities whenever possible.
This contrast in style could be what determines the outcome of
Saturday’s contest ““ and could hamper UCLA if Hawaii is
able to establish 6-foot-5 center Christen Roper, a preseason
second-team All-WAC performer.
“Roper is very mobile,” said Olivier.
“We’ve made some adjustments defensively, and hopefully
we will do a good job on her.”
The Bruins have their own emerging post presence in freshman
Julia Pitts, who tallied 23 points and 14 rebounds in the
squad’s exhibition victory over the West Coast All Stars on
Sunday. But for UCLA to pull out a victory, it will likely require
a supreme effort from senior guard Michelle Greco, who will be
making her first regular season appearance since last December.
“Michelle will be huge for us all season,” Olivier
said. “Even though she scored 26 points (against the West
Coast All Stars), I think she would tell you that she is not in a
rhythm yet.”
UCLA will top off its weekend in Waikiki with a game against
Sacramento State on Sunday afternoon. The Hornets were 0-27 last
season, and are unlikely to provide much of a challenge to the
Bruins.
“I don’t think that they can beat us,” Olivier
said. “Last year you wouldn’t have caught me saying
that, but with our depth and talent, they won’t give us a
problem.”
While the Bruins may not see the beach this weekend aside from
out the window of their airplane, the squad is focused on securing
a pair of victories rather than enjoying their stay on the
island.
“This team likes to have fun, and I am much more fun when
we win,” Olivier said. “We need to take care of
business.”