Tears rolled down senior Jamila Veasley’s cheeks as she
gazed at the television set.
Nearly 100 miles away in her hometown of Bakersfield, sophomore
Nikki Blue sat intently with friends and family as she awaited the
results of Selection Sunday.
Suddenly, all was at a standstill as the Bruins’ NCAA
Tournament fate was revealed.
Their prayers were answered.
“It was raucous,” Veasley said. “I was
screaming, I’ve never cried happily, but today was the first
time ever.”
Tenth-seeded UCLA will head to Minneapolis to take on
seventh-seeded Minnesota in the first round of the Mideast Regional
of the NCAA Tournament.
Though the result appeared for just a few seconds on the screen,
receiving a bid to the tournament is validation for six months
worth of blood and sweat.
“It’s amazing, it’s great,” senior
Gennifer Arranaga said. “It would have been tough to end (the
season) and never have that experience.”
Just one year ago, UCLA huddled around a television on Selection
Sunday hoping to hear their name.
After discovering that they failed to make the tournament, many
of the Bruins vowed that they never wanted to experience that
gut-wrenching feeling again.
This time around, the Bruins elected to watch the bracket
announcement in the comfort of their own homes.
But when the results were shown, many of the players felt
compelled to share the moment with each other once again.
“Some of them text (messaged), some of them called,”
coach Kathy Olivier said. “They’re just excited, the
freshmen are the most excited. The other ones are going to be fired
up.”
While they were excited, the outcome was expected.
“Getting in was great, but I knew we were going to get
in,” sophomore Lisa Willis said. “I didn’t think
they could mess us over two years in a row.”
Midway through the season, it seemed unlikely that the Bruins
would make the tournament.
At one point, UCLA (17-12, 11-7 Pac-10) found itself under .500,
but the Bruins’ youth and will prevailed as they carried UCLA
to an 8-2 finish to end the season.
“We still had faith,” Blue said.
Just getting into the tournament was an accomplishment itself,
but now UCLA hopes to make noise and prove why it deserves to be in
the “big dance.”
“It isn’t good enough to just get in,” Olivier
said. “We want to do some damage and really put our name out
there.”
“If (the bid) is for us, we’re taking it,”
Veasley said. “We worked our asses off. Take it. Earn it.
Let’s go.”
For many of the youngsters on the team, getting a chance to go
to the big dance is a thrill, to say the least.
“It’s a dream come true,” Pac-10 Freshman of
the Year Noelle Quinn said. “Of course we’re going to
want to do well, but right now I’m going to enjoy
this.”
Though a joyous moment indeed, the victory for the Bruins may be
short-lived as Minnesota (21-8) awaits UCLA.
The Gophers, who will be making their third consecutive trip to
the tournament, will try their best to duplicate their Sweet 16
appearance from one year ago.
The Bruins will travel to Williams Arena where a boisterous
crowd will do all it can to root for its home team.
“It’s going to be a great atmosphere, but I
don’t think that will bother our team,” Olivier
said.
“They’re big-game players and they’re the type
that rise to the occasion.”
UCLA cleared its first hurdle by getting into the tournament,
but getting past the next one will be easier said than done.
But, for now, the restless nights will cease, until the NCAA
tournament begins.
“Now I can sleep,” Blue said.