Ex-UA coach Joan Bonvicini: Sixth-ranked Cats 'better now than they were a year ago'

Arizona nearly pulled off another comeback Friday night against ASU before falling 81-77 in Tempe.

Fortunately for the Wildcats, they don’t have to wait long for another shot at the Sun Devils.

Arizona (17-4, 7-4 Pac-12) will take on ASU (12-8, 4-3 Pac-12) in the friendly confines of McKale Center on Sunday at noon. It'll be a rematch of Friday's physical, competitive showdown between the unranked Devils and No. 6 Arizona. The Wildcats trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter before rallying. Cate Reese's 3-pointer with 4:35 left gave the UA a 71-70 lead, and her layup just seconds later made it a 3-point game.

ASU outscored the Wildcats 11-4 from that point on.

After the loss Friday night, Pac-12 analyst and former UA coach Joan Bonvicini had a few wise words for the Wildcats who were waiting somberly outside their locker room before getting on the bus back to Tucson.

“Keep your head up," she said. "It’s not what happens, it’s how you respond to it.”

The Star talked to Bonvicini, who will be on the television broadcast for Sunday's game, about what makes the Wildcats' guards so good and how far confidence can take them.

Here's what she said:

With only a few weeks left in the season, what do you see in Arizona?

A: “I think they're better right now than they were a year ago. I think they've improved. Individual players have gotten better. Shaina Pellington is really becoming more of a scorer. Sam Thomas looking for herself, finally. And Cate Reese is really playing like a really good post player — well, forward. I think she's a forward and her defense is at another level. The other thing I like is Koi Love. I think she just had to understand the system. I knew in recruiting (her) you can see it, but she had to understand the defense and playing for a team — it’s just a different level team. … I like her a lot.”

Besides Love, who else will be a key player for them down the stretch — or is it more about the team and how they play together?

A: “I think No. 1, when you go to the Final Four — and they went to the championship game — they realize in order to get there (again), even though Aari (McDonald) was clearly the best player, they learned how to win together. They were in it together and I think that's why they've won a lot of games this year.

“It's a completely different type of team. They don't have one real star — you'd have to see (its') Cate more consistently, but different players have stepped up. It’s hard to key (in on one player). Last year everyone was about trying to stop Aari. Well, good luck. But, you had a player to stop. Now it's a lot of different players and the bench is deeper. Madi Conner, she's ready to shoot before she ever comes in the game. As a coach, I love it, because she understands her role and she embraces it. Ariyah Copeland, I think she’s a good addition. They have a lot of good players. I think the nucleus of the team, who experienced that championship run, they want to go back. There are no easy games, but they understand what it means to play at that level. They understand how special it is. And they're doing everything they can to set the table to go back and make a run again.”

Do you think it’s that experience of the national title game that is making all the difference?

A: “There may be other teams that have all these five-star (players), and Arizona has a few, but you know they are a differently built team. I think it's the confidence because they've been there. It's a difference of wanting to win and expecting to win. They expect to win. It doesn't mean they're not going to lose a game. I'm not saying that. But their mentality and their expectations for themselves is a lot different.”

021322-tuc-spt-uawomenshoops-p2 — Shaina Pellington scored 30 points in Friday's loss to ASU in Tempe.
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star

Last week, Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said Arizona has some of the best guards in the country. Do you agree?

A: “(Bendu) Yeaney and (Shaina) Pellington are elite-level athletes. No. 1, they are elite-level defenders. You would not say they're the best shooters; however, they can score. For Shaina, to have a game-winner in your career it is a big thing. To do a twice in the same season, I mean, the kid is a winner. To see her development from last year to this year, it's pretty remarkable and that says a lot about Shaina, and it says a lot about (Arizona coach) Adia (Barnes) in helping her come along. The one-two punch with Bendu, I love her confidence. She's a firecracker on the team. They're fun to watch. I love their defense. I'd like to see them score a little bit more consistently, but opposing coaches and teams, they take teams out of their comfort zone. They take them out of what they want to do. Then they start turning them over and they get a run. All of a sudden, it's a double-digit lead.”

What are you seeing from Arizona's defense?

A: “They've all bought in; they understand the system. It took a little bit of time. Then, Adia has some other athletes and so they can do it better. Their trapping is really good. A lot of teams won't even run pick-and-rolls against them anymore, because they know they're going to get trapped. … This is what you want as a coach: You want the other team to be more worried about you and change what they do, then they worry about their own stuff. Because it sends a message to their players, ‘Hey, we've got to change some things.’

“I like their confidence. I think Adia has done a remarkable job. One thing I do want to say, if people don't know, I said this in a story a number of years ago. Whatever records I still have (at Arizona), I wanted Adia to break every record. I really mean that. I really mean that.”

All this success is still new for this program. Do they have a sense of what they are doing?

A: “When you're in the moment and that's what they are, you don't think about that. You think about what's today and how I'm preparing. … But as a coach, you take pride in it and you expect it, but you don’t get into it too much, because every day is a new day. Even like their run in the tournament, if you ask them, they're so into it, you're just preparing. They celebrated that day and then you're on to something else. I’m sure if you asked Adia, it’s great. They expect to win. They expect to be a top-10 team. Adia … right after they lost the championship (game), she said she wanted to be back and expected to be back. Good coaches teach; great coaches empower your players. And that's what Adia and her staff have done and the (players) mirror her expectations.”