SAN ANTONIO — It was a whirlwind few days for the Arizona Wildcats.
Thery were featured on on the “Today” show and “SportsCenter,” and were trending on social media. And that was before Arizona took on Stanford on Sunday afternoon for the NCAA title.
Over the last three weeks, Arizona was “discovered” nationally — and Aari McDonald became a household name. She was front and center on Sunday, taking the final shot in Stanford’s 54-53 win over the Wildcats.
ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe called McDonald “must-watch TV.”
Megan Rapinoe, a Women’s World Cup champion and advocate, tweeted at UA coach Adia Barnes to let her know that she might have a year of eligibility left — and that she’s 5-foot-6, just like McDonald.
UA legend Steve Kerr praised McDonald’s shot-making and said she’s fun to watch.
McDonald spent time before Sunday’s title game paying it forward. She sent a video message her former AAU team — Cal Storm — telling players to be students of the game, keep their academics up, be coachable and always humble and to believe in themselves.
She also watched highlights of Damon Stoudamire, a former UA and NBA star who’s now the head men’s coach at Pacific. She’s been compared to “Mighty Mouse” throughout her college career.
McDonald shared some clips on Twitter and afterwards said: “This man, I see him every day on the wall at practice (in Richard Jefferson Gymnasium). … For me to finally see the reels. I’m like, ‘OK, I see.’ This is definitely a compliment.”
Stoudamire said he touched that during McDonald’s “biggest moments she would bring it up.”
“When the lights shine the brightest is usually when stars shine, and she has risen above every moment Arizona has needed her,” Stoudamire said. “She is so hard to guard as she’s fast, quick and elusive. In terms of a Ferrari, she has five gears and is hard to stop. …She not only one of the best players on the court in the game, but she’s one of the best defenders. She not only gets buckets and gets her teammates involved, but she is then getting her man in full court — that is what sets her apart.”
Stoudamire also praised Adia Barnes, who he said outcoached UConn’s Geno Auriemma in the national semifinal.
“You can see the pride and joy Adia has coaching at her alma mater — it jumps off the TV,” he said. “Players love her, and they play hard for her. The country is getting to see her on the big stage. It’s really a joy to watch from afar. I am extremely happy for Adia. She’s giving a lot of people around the country a lot of joy watching her team play.”
One last shot
One of Arizona’s many goals this season was to meet Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament final and avenge its two regular-season losses to the Cardinal.
It didn’t happen; UCLA eliminated the Wildcats in the semifinals, and Stanford beat the Bruins 77-55 in Las Vegas.
However, sometimes if you wait a little, things turn out even sweeter than expected. UA and Stanford ended up playing each other for the national title.
“We came up short in the Pac-12, but I’ll take this any day over the Pac-12 (title),” McDonald said before Sunday’s game.
Respect on both sides
Barnes and Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer are ruthless competitors on the court. Off it, though, the two coaches are friends.
“She always tells me she’s rooting for me, except when we play Stanford,” Barnes said.
VanDerveer said before Sunday’s game that she wants “the national championship trophy to go back to Palo Alto.”
“But I’m really proud of Adia and really proud of the Pac-12 to have two teams in the national championship game,” VanDerveer added. “This is not something that a lot of people could have imagined 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, and it’s really, really exciting.”
Barnes played against VanDerveer and has now been coaching against her for the last five years. Barnes has seen what’s it like to sustain success and said, “I aspire to do that one day.”
As for their relationship? “I think it’s very rare to have someone who supports you wants to do well, but then competes against you. (VanDerveer) is very secure and she should be,” Barnes said. “(She) just wants to help women develop and wants to grow the game, is an advocate for the Pac-12, advocate for women’s basketball. I have the most respect for her.”
Rim shots
- Sam Thomas’ reputation for being a lockdown defender comes from being a coach’s kid and the lessons her dad, Derek, taught her. Especially this one: Defense wins championships.
- The last time Stanford played in a national title game in San Antonio, they were the runner-up. After the game, then-Vice President Joe Biden visited the Cardinal in the locker room. Biden, of course, has a new job now.
