From afar, their personalities clash. It’s a rarity to
find them together, except for on the court. But that doesn’t
mean they don’t love each other and have mutual respect for
one another.
If anything, the sheer attitude of competitiveness and the
penchant to win are what draw UCLA juniors Nikki Blue and Lisa
Willis, and sophomore Noelle Quinn together.
They could have gone to a host of powerhouse programs to win a
championship right away, but there was something else they wanted
more. And it’s that pursuit to rebuild the UCLA women’s
basketball program that has made the three of them all the more
dangerous.
Considered one of the most dominant backcourts in basketball,
the tandem, known as the “Triple Threat” is just in its
infancy, and that spells trouble for the rest of the league.
While teams have contemplated as to how they can contain the
dynamic trio, in the Triple Threat’s eyes, there is no viable
solution of slowing them down.
“I don’t think it’s possible to stop the
Triple Threat as a whole,” Blue said. “It’s
rarely that you see a team that can stop two of us, let alone all
three of us.
“I don’t think Noelle can be shut down period. I
don’t think that Lisa can be shut down period. The only way
we can be stopped is if we stop ourselves.”
It was a frequent predicament that teams faced all last season.
The 5-foot-8 Blue can break down any defender with her speed, the
5-foot-11 Willis has the ability to launch the three-point shot
from anywhere on the court, and the 6-foot Quinn has one of the
smoothest jump shots in the game, ultimately making the Triple
Threat virtually impossible to suppress.
Blue dubbed the Triple Threat nickname after fans and media were
wondering what to call the trio. The name was fashioned after the
fundamentals of basketball that each of the players possess ““
Blue’s dribble, Willis’ shot and Quinn’s
pass.
Now, with over a year of experience together under their belts,
it will be even harder to slow down these three Bruins. Teams have
tried to muscle them around. Teams have tried to play zone on them.
Teams have even tried to front them.
“You can’t stop them, but if you can contain them
and not have them kill you, then you’re OK,” coach
Kathy Olivier said. “I’m just glad they’re Bruins
and not playing for someone else.”
Over the past season, it has become glaringly apparent that UCLA
goes as far as the Triple Threat does. But at the same time,
despite the relationship that the three have, they never alienate
their teammates.
“I don’t want to disregard our team. Our team is a
very, very strong and smart team,” Blue said. “Just
like I’m nothing without these two girls, us three are
nothing without our team. That’s what all of us have to
remember, three people can’t get this done, three people
can’t win a championship. But it might as well start with us
three.”
While many highly touted players opt to play at powerhouse
programs, the fact that these three decided to come to UCLA seemed
almost kismet. Even though UCLA is a nationally recognized
university, the trio had a plethora of options. There were
scholarships, a bigger women’s basketball fan base, and the
possibility to win a championship ring in their first year that
they could have pursued elsewhere.
But they chose not to.
“I just wanted to establish a winning tradition,”
Blue said. “It would have been easy for me to choose UConn,
because I knew I probably would’ve won a championship my
first year I came in, but it’s so much more special to bring
a championship to a school that is very underrated.
“Even if I don’t win a championship, I know the
years after me, somebody will and I will definitely be a part of
it.”
Even before the start of their second season, the three are
still astonished over how each of them wound up together.
The youngest of the trio, Quinn, may have not wound up as a
Bruin if it wasn’t for Blue’s cajoling.
As a highly recruited freshman out of Bishop Montgomery and a
four-time Division III C.I.F. and state player of the year, Quinn
had colleges just nipping at her ankles to sign.
But after visiting UCLA, getting to interact with the players,
and having played with Willis and Blue ever since they were kids in
youth basketball, Quinn settled in on Westwood.
“Nikki was like “˜So when you going sign?’ I
was like “˜I don’t know.’ I was so indecisive at
that point,” Quinn said.
“(Nikki’s) the sweet talker. She has a way with
words and she’s very demanding, but in a good way.”
By the time the core of the program fell in place, Olivier and
the rest of the coaching staff knew what they had in their
possession.
Last year alone, Quinn, Blue and Willis each averaged over 14
points and five rebounds a game, contributing well over 50 percent
of the team’s output.
“During the entire recruiting process, the entire staff
knew what we had,” Olivier said.
“And now with the experience that they’ve had,
getting into the NCAA Tournament, getting a taste of what
that’s about, it’s something they want to return
to.”
Because the Bruins have not yet reached the elite ranks of
collegiate basketball, the Triple Threat has something to prove
this season.
After dropping a close game to Minnesota last season in the
first round of its first NCAA Tournament since 2000, UCLA wants
retribution.
The tournament memories are still fresh in their minds today.
But for the Triple Threat, there’s no time for self-pity.
“What it comes down to is pointing the finger at yourself
and making a change,” Willis said. “That’s how
you get better. That loss lets us know that it could have been us.
Nobody likes that feeling that it could’ve been
you.”
More than anything, the three want to return back to the
tournament and do some damage. With Blue and Willis in their third
year and with Quinn a sophomore, the team still has two more years
to win that elusive championship ring.
It’s been a long time coming, and if the Triple Threat has
anything to say about, a national title is nearing.
“It has to be this year,” Blue said. “We still
have one more year, but I say let’s do it now. Because who
knows where we’ll be in one year.”
“We’re not settling for anything less than the
best,” Willis said. “Mark my word, I’m getting a
championship before I leave.”
With the start of the regular season today, the Bruins find
themselves expected to be title contenders.
And there’s no doubt in their minds that they can put UCLA
on the map and a ring on their fingers.